Sanmar electric tug duo is on the way to join SAAM Towage’s Vancouver fleet

SAAM Volta and Chief Dan George will become the first all-electric tugs operated by SAAM Towage. [Photo: Sanmar Shipyards]

The two all-electric tugs ordered from Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyard by SAAM Towage in October 2022 (see earlier story) are now on their way to Vancouver, B.C.

Following successful completion of sea trials, they were loaded on the cargo ship BBC Emerald earlier this month in a maneuver requiring two 400-ton cranes. Because of Panama Canal draft restrictions, BBC Emerald is making the voyage to Vancouver via the Magellan Strait, taking around 60 days.

Built as the Dynamo and Dynamo II, they will become the first electric tugs operated by SAAM Towage, which has renamed them SAAM Volta and Chief Dan George.

Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2300SX variant of the Robert Allan Ltd ElectRA range, they are powered by two Li-ion battery banks, making them 100% electric, zero-emission vessels.

Measuring 23.4 meters overall, with an 11.85 meters beam and 5.5 maximum draft, they can achieve an impressive 70 tons of bollard pull, while at full capacity, each reducing CO2 emissions by 2,600 tonnes a year.

Based in Chile, SAAM Towage operates more than 180 tugboats in 13 countries, and has a well-established presence in British Columbia, including nine tugs serving Vancouver’s Inner Harbor.

Adding to their green credentials, the tugs will be charged using clean energy from the B.C. power grid.

Sanmar, Robert Allan Ltd and SAAM Towage have worked closely at every stage of the project. SAAM Towage’s engineering and development manager, Pablo Cáceres, said electric-powered tugs: “Represent the way to advance towards more sustainable operations and move our business into the future.”

Ruchan Civgin, commercial director of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “Our ElectRA Series represents a major advance in the drive to reduce the impact that our industry has on the environment. I am proud that Sanmar is leading the way to a sustainable environmentally-aware towage industry.

“As you can imagine, with the need to protect our planet increasingly at the top of both business and regulatory agendas, our Tugs of the Future are attracting a lot of interest from operators around the world.”