Svitzer has removed the methanol generator sets from its battery-electric escort tug Svitzer Balder and replaced them with additional diesel range-extending engines.
The had company cited technical difficulties and uncertainty over the gensets' performance.
Thomas Grondorf, Svitzer's head of communications, confirmed that the decision to have methanol generators replaced was made “after comprehensive testing and review.”
Grondorf said the methanol generators, “had technical difficulties and performance uncertainties," but declined to give further details of the problems.
Svitzer still expects the tug to perform 90 per cent of its work on battery-electric power. At the time of the original order, the company had expected battery power to cover more than 90 per cent of operations.
Grondorf said the vessel had begun as an innovation project for a battery-powered escort tug fitted with both methanol and diesel range extenders. He assured that the tug is still methanol-ready, indicating that the methanol generators can be reinstalled, “once the technical solution's performance is proven.”
Ordered in 2024, Svitzer Balder was intended for operations in the Port of Gothenburg in Sweden. The design was developed in collaboration with Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd.
The tug initially had battery storage totalling almost 6,000 kWh, two methanol gensets rated at 350 ekW apiece, and one 1,960ekW diesel genset.
Sea trials validated a bollard pull of 87 tonnes and a steering force of 155 tonnes, though the behaviour of the software-driven hybrid power plant still required refinement.