SAAM Towage first electric tugs in Port of Vancouver

The two electric tugs were launched at a special event with the Indigenous partners in the presence of government officials and leading sector organisations.

"In all the world, there are only a handful of electric tugboats in operation. We’ll now see two of them hard at work in Vancouver’s magnificent harbour," said British Columbia Premier David Eby. "The reduction in pollution from these electric tugs is the equivalent of taking 600 vehicles off the road. The future is happening right now in British Columbia."

Electric tug operations will commence in May, using clean energy from British Columbia’s hydroelectric power grid. Industry partner Teck Resources Limited supports the initiative and has committed to using SAAM Towage's services at Neptune Terminals, in line with both companies' goals for sustainable operations. The two battery electric tugs will reduce CO2 emissions by 2,400 metric tonnes annually.

"Today, we are taking a decisive step into the future. The christening and commissioning of our first electric tugs are proof of our commitment to move towards increasingly sustainable operations, seeking the best solutions tailored to each customer and the conditions at each port," said SAAM’s CEO, Macario Valdés.

SAAM’s new ElectRA 2300-SX fleet is based on the exclusive design from leading Vancouver naval architects Robert Allan Ltd (RAL), resulting from a collaboration between RAL, SAAM Towage, SANMAR Shipyards, Corvus Energy, among others.

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