Electric tug first

Designed by Crowley Maritime Corporation, the 82ft zero-emissions electric eWolf will help the Port of San Diego further its sustainability ambitions. Operated by Crowley, the tug will have 70t of bollard pull and replace a tug that consumes more than 30,000 gallons of diesel per year.

“Crowley’s first-of-its-kind electric tugboat is a game changer. It checks all the boxes by providing environmental, economic, and operational benefits for our communities and maritime industry,” said chairman Michael Zucchet of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “We are proud to work with Crowley and couldn’t be more pleased the eWolf will operate exclusively on San Diego Bay.”

ABB electrical package

eWolf will be built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala., utilising the design and onsite construction management by Crowley Engineering Services and its recently integrated Jensen Maritime naval architecture and marine engineering group.

The e-tug will feature a fully integrated electrical package provided by ABB. The battery system will be charged at a specially designed, shoreside station developed with Cochran Marine.

Due to be completed by mid-2023, the-tug will serve the port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

Over the first 10 years of its use, the eWolf will reduce 178t of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 2.5t of diesel particulate matter, and 3,100 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) versus a conventional tug, said Crowley.

With 360-degree visibility, the e-tug will also feature ABB’s artificial intelligence technology to increase safety and efficiency and provide sustainable performance.