Zero-emission tug boat
NAVTEK Naval Technologies

Visitors to Amsterdam will be able to learn more about the Zeetug30, a zero-emission, rechargeable, fully electric battery-powered tugboat, which has completed more than a year of proven operation run time in Tuzla Bay, Istanbul, one of the busiest ports in Europe.

Turkey’s Navtek Naval Technologies designed and delivered the very first Zeetug30 back in March 2020 to Gisas Shipbuilding Industry, a major pilotage and towage company in Tuzla Bay. Zeetug30 had successfully accomplished 1,532 operations by the end of 2021 with 1,930 hours of run time. Navtek has recently signed a new contract with Gisas for two Zeetug30s and a Zeetug45 planned to be delivered in 2022.

Zeetug30 was designed and developed for Gisas, which wanted to replace its existing diesel tugs with smaller, lower-emission yet very strong vessels to meet increasingly stringent port regulations and future decarbonization of the maritime industry. The Zeetug30 is a relatively small vessel, measuring 18.7m (length) and 6.7m (beam), and the main design challenge was the scale of the electrical power required to produce a 30-tons bollard pull.

To this end, Zeetug30 is fitted with six battery DC-DC converters, two inverters for each of the propulsion motors, one each for the propulsion and firefighting (fi-fi) pumps, and two 150kVA off-grid converters for the tug’s hotel load. With unique charging software and onshore quick-charging station, she can be fully charged in less than an hour.

During the test runs, Zeetug30 exceeded the target bollard pull of 30 tons, reaching 32 tons. She is currently fully operational in the very busy Tuzla Bay, where agile maneuverability is essential. She has been awarded three environmental prizes: The Green Apple Environment Awards, Tug of the Year 2021, and a Green World Ambassadors Green World Award.

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