Port of Gothenburg to get battery-methanol powered tugboat in 2025

Towage and marine services provider Svitzer has signed a contract with the Turkish Uzmar shipyard to build a tugboat powered by a battery system and a methanol dual-fuel engine. 

PHOTO: The container terminal in the Port of Gothenburg. Getty Images

The escort duty tugboat will be powered by a 6 MWh (megawatt hour) battery and is slated for delivery in the second half of 2025. The tugboat is “expected to conduct more than 90% of its operations using its battery-electric powertrain”, Svitzer claims.

The methanol dual-fuel engine will enable the tugboat to switch between methanol and conventional marine fuel. Svitzer has not specified whether it will use grey, green or blue methanol for the tugboat. 

Battery power can help to reduce emissions from smaller ships and boats but has not yet achieved the technological breakthrough to power larger oceangoing vessels.

By Manjula Nair

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