VESSEL REVIEW | Svitzer Ingrid – Electric harbour tug enters service in Denmark's Oresund Strait

Danish towage operator Svitzer has welcomed a new electric harbour tug to its fleet.

Svitzer said Svitzer Ingrid is the first electric tug in Denmark as well as the company’s first fully battery-powered tug. Her 1,808kWh battery will constitute her main means of propulsion – allowing up to 90 per cent of operations to be performed on electrical power alone – though a diesel engine is also available as backup and as a range extender.

Secondary firefighting capability

Designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd, the new tug has a length of 25.4 metres (83.3 feet), a beam of 12.7 metres (41.7 feet), a draught of 5.4 metres (18 feet), and a bollard pull of 70 tonnes. The wheelhouse provides unobstructed all-round visibility when manoeuvring ahead or astern, while upward-facing windows enhance the crew's situational awareness when alongside larger vessels.

The tug also boasts Fifi1 firefighting capability with power provided exclusively by the backup diesel engine. The electronics meanwhile include a Furuno radar.

Battery charging facilitating quicker turnarounds

Svitzer Ingrid will be operated in Helsingborg, Landskrona, and Copenhagen, providing towage support for a range of ships from ferries to tankers, bulk carriers and container vessels visiting Denmark's Øresund Strait, which lies near the border with Sweden.

Charging is currently available only in Helsingborg, though the process of installing additional charging facilities in Copenhagen is ongoing.

Charging of the battery to full capacity can be completed within three and a half hours, though one hour of charging will suffice to ensure adequate endurance in between towing jobs.

Svitzer expects that the new tug will cut annual CO₂ emissions in Øresund by an estimated 600 to 900 tonnes compared to conventional tugs.