VESSEL REVIEW | El Escudo – Hybrid harbour sightseeing vessel to serve Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports

Harbor Breeze Cruises, a tour operator based in Long Beach, California, has taken delivery of a new purpose-built hybrid vessel that will provide harbour tours, whale watch cruises, and dinner events in and around the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex.

Designed by Nic de Waal of New Zealand-based naval architecture firm Teknicraft Design, the 108-foot (32.9-metre) monohull vessel El Escudo ("The Shield") was built to exceed US EPA Tier IV and California Air Resources Board (CARB) air quality requirements.

This was achieved through optimised hull efficiency, full integration of advanced exhaust aftertreatment systems, and a design centred around a parallel hybrid propulsion architecture, enabling reduced-emission navigation during low-speed harbour operations.

Significant capacity coupled with comfortable onboard layout

The vessel boasts an ABB hybrid battery propulsion system fitted with a selective catalytic reduction system and diesel particulate filters. The system features twin 250kW traction motors and a 588kW BorgWarner energy storage system, allowing for low-emission harbour tours.

The vessel features multiple passenger decks, a custom stadium-style seating platform on the bow, and a total capacity of up to 350 passengers, with enhancements throughout that prioritise comfort, visibility, and overall guest experience. Studio Sculli provided the vessel's exterior and interior styling.

Flexible propulsion arrangement suitable for a range of operating conditions

The vessel is powered by twin MAN D2862 US EPA Tier IV diesel engines that drive fixed-pitch propellers through a remotely mounted Reintjes gearbox.

The vessel offers four distinct operational modes: conventional diesel propulsion, fully electric propulsion, underway battery charging, and stationary shoreside battery charging. The propulsion package allows the vessel to achieve significant emissions reductions while maintaining performance and efficiency for sailing on longer routes.

El Escudo is a multi-purpose monohull operating as a US Coast Guard Subchapter K passenger vessel, certified for “limited coastwise” service and outfitted with advanced data collection and monitoring capabilities as well as two Furuno NXT radars. The vessel is scheduled to sail on her maiden commercial voyage in the first week of June 2026.

Funding support for the vessel’s construction was provided through a CARB grant for the Los Angeles “marine emission reduction” project administered by the Port of Los Angeles.