World’s first hydrogen-fueled tug begins trials

A new hydrogen-fueled inland pusher tug recently arrived at the Port of Westhafen near Berlin to undergo a series of trials to prepare it for operational service.

Elektra was built by Germany’s Schiffswerft Hermann Barthel, which claimed that the vessel is the first tug in the world to be fitted with hydrogen-fueled engines.

The trials are being carried out by Hermann Barthel in partnership with Berliner Hafen- und Lagerhausgesellschaft (BEHALA), Ballard Power Systems, ARGO–ANLEG, Schiffselektronik Rostock, EST-Floattech, and HGK Shipping. The project team expects to make Elektra’s hydrogren fuel cell technology adaptable to a wide range of vessels that sail on both inland and coastal waters.