First Damen hybrid tug launched
Damen Shipyards Group of the Netherlands says it has launched its first ever hybrid tug with Iskes Towage & Salvage as the first buyer.
With a combination of diesel-direct and diesel-electric propulsion, the ASD Tug 2810 Hybrid was said to provide fuel savings of between 10 and 30 percent and reduce local emissions by 20 to 60 percent.
"We already had a very good experience with our existing Damen ASD Tug 2810, which is ideally suited to Amsterdam," said Jim Iskes, owner and managing director of Iskes Towage & Salvage.
"We are very happy with its performance and so are the crew; it was a logical move to choose Damen for the Hybrid version." "In the past many green solutions were simply too expensive for the tugboat market," said Erik van Schaik, design and proposal engineer for Damen Tugs.
Van Schaik said the hybrid version of the tug is about 10 percent more expensive than the regular version. "We were very mindful that this vessel had to cut fuel and emissions, but at the same time it had to be positioned at an attractive price for the market."
Iskes Joint Managing Director Ronald Vergouwen said emissions reductions are increasingly important, particularly in "port cities" like Amsterdam. "In the future there is likely to be increasing regulation about emissions in ports," he said. "The port and city have welcomed our introduction of the Hybrid. It is great to be at the forefront of this green initiative."
Hybrid solutions are gaining favor in a number of situations where emissions are a significant issue, including at the Gorgon gas project in Australia and in some offshore service applications.
