Damen delivers the first hybrid ASD 2810 tug

Written by Nick Blenkey
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JUNE 13, 2014 — Iskes Towage & Salvage, IJmuiden, the Netherlands, has taken delivery of the Bernardus, the first hybrid example of Damen Shipyards ASD 2810 tug.

Iskes has been operating a conventional Damen ASD Tug 2810 since November 2011.

“We already had a very good experience with our existing Damen ASD 2810, which is ideally suited to Amsterdam,” says Iskes owner and Managing Director Jim Iskes. “We are very happy with its performance and so are the crew; it was a logical move to choose Damen for the Hybrid version.”

By combining diesel-direct, diesel-electric propulsion and battery power, hybrid version of the ASD 2810 can achieve average fuel savings of up to 30% and up to 40% reduction of emissions, says Damen.

Being green, however, does not mean sacrificing power – the Bernardus still has a bollard pull of 60 tonnes.

During station keeping, maneuvering and low speed sailing (up to 5 knots), the Bernardus will utilize battery packs to operate on 100% electric power. The same batteries will be used when the tug is at the quayside at night, doing away with the use of generators.

“This will be not only very economical, but will also be so much more comfortable for the crew,” says Damen Product Director Tugs Coen Boudesteijn.

“Harbor assist tugs typically operate in polluted areas with high levels of particulates and NOx, so being green is becoming a more and more important selling point,” says Mr. Boudesteijn. “The coming decade will see a lot of changes happening in engine rooms as they become greener and cleaner.”

The Bernardus is Damen’s first ASD 2810 Hybrid, but already the shipbuilder has four additional vessels under construction at present. This includes three for the Royal Netherlands Navy in response to developments in emissions reduction and environmentally friendly shipping and one for stock.

Damen’s involvement in sustainable innovations in propulsion goes further beyond the new hybrid ASD tug. It has already built an electrical patrol vessel for the canals of Amsterdam that runs on 100% battery power (charged at night by a small Steyr engine) and it now has concrete plans to construct an LNG inland shipping vessel, known as the Ecoliner, and an LNG-powered tug.

hybrid tug diagram

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