Damen-built electric tug sets bollard pull record

Bu Tinah, built to a Damen RSD-E Tug 2513 design at Damen’s Song Cam shipyard in Vietnam, notched up an average peak pull of 78.2 tonnes, enabling the vessel to become the Most Powerful Electric tugboat in the Guinness World Records title. The tug will operate for the SAFEEN Group in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port where she will handle large container ships, car carriers, and other commercial vessels.

The electric tug has two gensets to charge her batteries if no charging power is available, or on a long trip such as her delivery voyage. For the moment, she will use the gensets to charge her batteries in Port Khalifa until shore power systems are installed there.

A first vessel of similar design was delivered to the Port of Auckland in New Zealand in 2022. Damen then decided to build a series of six battery-electric tugs on spec, with an initial run of six vessels. The RSD-E 2513s have a beam of 13 m, a draught of about 6 m, a top speed of 12 knots, and accommodation for a six-person crew. They can be fully charged in less than two hours.

Electric tugs are substantially more expensive than conventional types, at least for the moment. However, their improved environmental performance in waters that often lie close to major population centres, plus the fact that their through-live maintenance costs are expected to be substantially less than diesel-driven tugs, is making them an interesting option for port authorities and vessel operators.

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