Electric tug waterways ‘first’

Kotug’s first electric E-Pusher Type M tug has gone into operation at the Port of Amsterdam transporting four barges laden with cacao beans to and from Cargill’s facility in Zaandam.

“We launched the E-Pusher concept in 2021 and the smaller type, the E-Pusher S (the ‘CityBarge One’), is already successfully deployed in several inland waterways and cities,” said Ard-Jan Kooren, president & CEO of KOTUG International.

”The vessel is designed for transportations like these and guarantees zero-emission logistics and a significantly approved efficiency. As a result, we can support a broad range of industries to turn a part of their supply chain emission-free without extra costs.”

Cleaner transport

Cargill will be the first company with this fully electrified industrial setup for inland shipping. 

Kotug’s E-Pusher type M is equipped with swappable battery energy containers from Shift Clean Energy (Shift) and will utilise Shift’s unique battery swapping and charging stations.

The modular and scalable electric pusher tug is powered by swappable energy containers. 

By using barges, greater efficiency is achieved with the swappable energy container from SHIFT Clean Solutions; changing the container at one of the battery hubs on-the-go is done in a few minutes. In addition, empty batteries can be recharged at night, taking advantage of possible energy surpluses in the grid.

Shift provides swappable energy containers that utilise its zero-emission ESS battery systems which range from 70kWH to 6MWh. These modular ESS battery systems are charged through clean power generation from (bio)gas, hydrogen and other renewable energy sources either onboard the vessels or at Shift’s dedicated PwrSwäp energy stations. By swapping these ESS battery systems, uptime is maximised for the vessel owners.

Alma Prins, head cargo and offshore at Port of Amsterdam, said: ”I applaud these kinds of developments and initiatives. As the largest cocoa import port in the world, many cocoa beans arrive here in Amsterdam. It’s great that these can be transported emission-free between the warehouses in our port and the Cargill factories in Zaandam. We want to move towards a climate-neutral port, so the fewer emissions, the better.”

The E-Pusher type M can push barges with up to 4.000 tonnes of cargo. It’s available in three sizes – small, medium and large, for transportation in inner cities, over short distances and the larger inland waterways.