Electric tug design with autonomous technology unveiled

Crowley Maritime Corporation group company, Crowley Engineering Services, has unveiled the design of a fully electric tug with autonomous technology, said to be the first of its kind in the United States.

Following the recent integration of Jensen Maritime, a marine engineering and ship design firm, Crowley Engineering has released details of the 25m-long tug. It will have a bollard pull of 63.5 tonnes, azimuth-based propulsion, two 1,800-kW motors and a 6-MWh battery. With no funnel, the tug has 360-degree visibility from the bridge and autonomous systems will support tug masters as they oversee tug operations in busy port waters.

The design can be tailored to meet specific requirements, Crowley said in a statement. The basic specification can be adjusted for different power capacities and a standard hybrid setup, for example, and the modular batteries can be upgraded as technology develops. The company has also developed an onshore charging station.

Ray Martus, Crowley Engineering Services vice president, commented: “This new design sets the standard for innovation by showing that sustainability and power can work together seamlessly in our maritime industries. Crowley’s design provides operators the tugboat solution to continue serving ships quickly and powerfully, while reducing their environmental impact by eliminating a carbon footprint.”