The vision to design a new class of tugboats that would change the way the maritime industry thinks about tugs and how they transit through sensitive ecosystems has come to fruition.
After many years of research, design, testing and collaboration, one of the greenest and quietest tugboat fleets in the world is now fully operational in Kitimat, British Columbia, in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation. They are operated by HaiSea Marine, a partnership between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan.
The fleet of five tugs is based in Kitimat to support escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility. It’s anticipated that approximately 170 LNG carriers will eventually visit the marine terminal annually. The LNG carrier passage to the facility will involve an escorted 294-kilometre-long voyage from the sea – the longest gas carrier escort in the world. A dedicated escort tug will be assigned to ensure safe passage through the Douglas channel.
With that in mind, HaiSea Marine began with a simple promise to the Haisla Nation to protect their home, and ended with the creation of what may be one of the world’s most environmentally friendly tugboat fleets, both in terms of air emissions and underwater noise.
The new fleet is leading the way in technological design and includes two heavy-duty, low emissions escort tugs. These two RAstar 4000-DF vessels measure 40 metres in length and have dual-fuel (LNG and diesel) engines so that they can carry out regular escort missions using lower carbon and cleaner burning LNG as their primary fuel. The tugs also incorporate an exhaust after-treatment system in full compliance with IMO Tier III emissions standards, the most stringent emissions standards for the international marine industry, when operating only on diesel fuel. When operating in LNG mode on their route from Kitimat to the pilot station near Triple Island, B.C., emissions will be drastically reduced when compared to all diesel tugs. But just because they’re environmentally friendly, doesn’t mean a loss of power or performance. The tugs come with 100 tonnes of bollard pull, making them the most powerful escort tugs on the west coast of Canada.
The fleet also includes three electric harbour tugboats that can run 100% on batteries during normal operations, effectively resulting in zero emissions. These three ElectRA 2800 tugs will provide all ship docking services. Each vessel’s battery banks – the equivalent of about 70 Tesla batteries – can be fully charged in four hours and are sized to perform two ship docking missions before requiring a recharge. Thanks to this battery technology, the three vessels are nearly silent when they sail, making them extremely quiet. This technological advancement is particularly significant in the sensitive habitat of the Douglas Channel.
The HaiSea Wamis, the world’s first fully electric harbour tugboat, performed sea trials up and down Indian Arm last fall to put its ultra-low underwater noise to the test. Data was measured over a two-day period from underwater hydrophones to prove the Wamis could perform under established benchmarks for noise. The team’s ingenuity and tenacity produced the results they were striving for. Testing showed that it would take ten of these electric tugs running side-by-side to produce the same amount of underwater noise as just one traditional diesel mechanical tug of the same power. This result was the foundation to HaiSea Wamis becoming the first tug to be awarded an underwater noise notation (UWN) by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) – a nod to the extra efforts that went into its design by Vancouver-based naval architect company, Robert Allan Ltd.
All three battery electric harbour tugs, and both dual-fuel escort tugs also became the firsts to be awarded ABS’ ENVIRO+ notation, their highest environmental credential available, and reflective of the focus that was placed during design on achieving the lowest environmental impact during operations as possible.
And the recognition has continued. The first LNG tug that was delivered, HaiSea Kermode, won the prestigious Tug of the Year Award at the 2024 International Tug & Salvage Awards. That honour comes on the heels of the HaiSea Wamis winning Tug of the Year in 2023. The award recognizes outstanding vessels that raise the bar for safety, sustainability and operational excellence, and the winners are selected by industry peers.
As HaiSea Marine ushers in a new era of technological advancements, this fleet of tugs is demonstrating to the world that environmental stewardship and performance achievements can go hand-in-hand as the global maritime industry embraces innovation, efficiency and a shared vision for a sustainable future.