NYK's eco tugboat receives 2013 Marine Engineering of the Year award
Tsubasa, an environment-friendly tugboat owned by Wing Maritime Service Corporation, an NYK Group company, has been bestowed the 2013 Marine Engineering of the Year award by the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering, the company said in its press release.
On July 30, 2014, a joint awards ceremony was held by three maritime institutes — the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering, the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineering, and the Japan Institute of Navigation. Representatives from the five other companies1 involved in the collaborative development of the tug joined Wing Maritime Service president Toshinori Yamashita to receive the award. From NYK Line, Junichi Iwano, general manager of the company’s Technical Group, attended the ceremony.
Tsubasa is the first tug in Japan to be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system. The vessel’s batteries can be charged via electric power from land, thus resulting in a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. In fact, Tsubasa emitted 20 percent less CO2 in port during fiscal 2013. This tug’s energy conservation and the resulting reduction in environmental load were highly evaluated by the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2014.
The Marine Engineering of the Year designation is a special award that recognizes superior results in technological development in the field of marine engineering and equipment. This is the third award of this kind for the NYK Group, following the 2005 recognition of the car carrier Lyra Leader and the 2011 recognition for the innovative air-lubrication systems on the module carriers Yamato and Yamatai, which are operated by NYK Bulk & Projects Carrier.
The NYK Group is also currently involved in the construction of an LNG-fueled tugboat, as the company continues to make use of the creative solutions emphasized in the company’s new medium-term management plan to use energy more efficiently and reduce emissions.
