Kotug International, through its subsidiary Kotug Push-it, has been awarded a contract by the Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority (VVKD) to deliver the first fully electric pusher tug to operate in the Baltic States.
The contract follows an international public tender and has received the green light from Lithuania’s National Security Coordination Commission.
The vessel, designed and engineered in the Netherlands, will be built at the Padmos Shipyard in Stellendam and is expected to be operational by the end of next year following a comprehensive testing phase.
The tug will operate on the Nemunas River and was designed for cargo transport using barges supplied by VVKD, with an endurance of up to 50 hours and a range of 300 kilometres on a single charge.
“This investment marks a strategic shift in our operations: we are beginning the transition to an electric fleet," said VVKD’s Director General, Vladimiras Vinokurovas.
"The first vessel will be used to maintain inland waterway infrastructure, and in the near future, we will increase the number of electric vessels,”
The project is co-funded by the European Union under the “Next Generation Lithuania” Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan, which allocated €11 million for low-emission inland waterway solutions.
In addition to the electric pusher tug, VVKD will invest in an electric crane and new barge infrastructure.