VESSEL REVIEW | Qinggang Tuo 1 – Hybrid tug delivered to China’s Qingdao Port

China’s Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard has delivered a new hybrid electric ship assist tug to local port operator Qingdao Port International.

Qinggang Tuo 1 has a length of 39 metres, a beam of 11.5 metres, a depth of 5.3 metres, and a hybrid propulsion system consisting of two 1,912kW main diesel engines, a 2,760kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack, a generator, and two 600kW motors. The battery can be fully charged in as little as 1.2 hours via shore connection, though charging may also be done with the aid of surplus power from the tug’s diesel propulsion.

The tug is designed to easily switch between battery-only, diesel-only, and hybrid propulsion modes even while underway, greatly expanding its flexibility for handling a range of operating conditions at the busy Chinese Yellow Sea port. Jiangsu Zhenjiang said the tug’s operations over a span of one year can help ensure fuel savings of around 227 tonnes besides reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 700 tonnes. In diesel-only mode, the tug can reach speeds of up to 13.46 knots and deliver a bollard pull of just over 61 tonnes. In battery-only mode, the tug can cruise at 11.7 knots for up to 4.5 hours.

Qinggang Tuo 1 has also been granted the China Classification Society’s intelligent engine room, intelligent navigation, intelligent energy efficiency, and intelligent integration platform notations. This is due to its being fitted with an array of over 12,500 sensors, data displays, six artificial intelligence modeling systems, and various other intelligent features. The tug’s key sensors include lidar and high-definition cameras with clutter suppression capability.

The smart navigation capability will enable the crew to analyse marine communication equipment signals in real time as a way of assessing the risk of collision when navigating while other vessels are in the vicinity. A smart monitoring system in the engine room will meanwhile advise the operator on the conditions of the propulsion machinery to help in the scheduling of maintenance periods. Both the main engines and the batteries have real-time monitoring systems that can indicate energy consumption levels, which can then allow the crew to identify ideal sailing routes.

Qinggang Tuo 1 was designed to have a service life of 30 years.

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