Daito Corporation (Daito), a subsidiary of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), has signed a collaboration agreement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) to build an electric tugboat.
K Line’s electric tugboat
The EV tugboat will be equipped with a high-capacity 3.2MWh battery and operate using green electricity charged into the battery. Using battery power will reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional tugboats equipped with heavy fuel oil engines.
Furthermore, through a new hull design and the automatic control of onboard power demands using IoT technologies, the vessel’s energy consumption will be optimized, enabling energy-efficient and high-performance operations, resulting in an approximate 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional tugboats.
The EV tugboat is being constructed by shipbuilder Daizo, with KHI providing the control and propulsion systems and their integration. Completion is scheduled for May 2027, whereupon the vessel will offer towage service at Yokohama Port and Kawasaki Port, contributing to the development of carbon-neutral ports (CNP) in both locations.
Sustainable marine operations
This initiative is a part of the subsidized, Grant Program for the Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Non-Fossil Energy Transition in the Transportation Sector (Innovative Navigation Efficiency and Transition to Non-Fossil Energy for Coastal Shipping), a collaboration between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, playing a significant role in the coastal shipping industry’s environmental initiatives.
In related news, earlier this year K Line announced four long-term time charter contracts through joint-venture companies with QatarEnergy. The joint venture companies have concurrently executed shipbuilding contracts for 174,000m3 LNG carriers with Hanwha Ocean. Click here to read the full story.