Swiss engineering group ABB is providing electric propulsion, storage and other technology for a hybrid tug that will operate in Singapore.
The vessel will be the first tug in South Asia capable of switching between LNG and battery power, according to ABB.
Sembcorp Marine subsidiary Jurong Marine Services ordered the tug which will operate in Singapore harbor.
Sembcorp Marine shipyard will deliver the vessel by the end of 2020.
Leveraging ABB’s DC grid system, the vessel will be able to deploy 904 kilowatt hours.
This battery power leads to zero-emission operation, as well as for peak shaving, the engineering group said.
On the other side, LNG as a fuel also cuts emissions. Port Authority of Singapore is also incentivizing the fuel’s use to support IMO’s aims to halve ship emissions by 2050.
As per the gas-fueled engine, ABB said these engines face a particular challenge when it comes to handling the fast-changing load capabilities demanded by tugs.
The company said that these tug’s engines would be able to run at variable speeds for optimized LNG fuel economy at each load level.
The LNG engines will not have the need to be tied to a fixed speed against dynamic loads, it said.
ABB added that the engines would be able to provide energy at variable revolutions per minute.
This means boosting efficiency, responsiveness and sustainability of tug operations, it said.
