Svitzer Hybrid Methanol Fuel Cell Tug Slated for 2025

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday August 28, 2023

A.P. Moller-Maersk's towage unit, Svitzer, is planning to have a methanol hybrid fuel cell (MHFC)-powered tug in service at the Port of Gothenburg, Sweden in the second half of 2025.

The electrical propulsion system using a combination of batteries, methanol fuel cells, and genesis would be a world first for a tug, and highlights the increasingly novel approaches being taken to decarbonize the maritime industry.

Svitzer says it has contracted with Vancouver, Canada-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd to design the MHFC.

"Based on the award-winning TRAnsverse design, the innovative propulsion system on this new tug will enable operation completely free of fossil fuels," said Jim Hyslop, Director, Project Development Principle at Robert Allan Ltd.

"This is a major step forward in the path to decarbonising the tug industry, and we are extremely proud to be at the forefront of developments in these new technologies."