Antwerp Receives Europe’s First Electric RSD Tug in Sustainability Drive
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges celebrated the arrival of six new energy-efficient tugs including Europe’s first fully-electric RSD tugboat. The vessels built by Damen in Vietnam are the next step in the port’s ambitious sustainability plan.
Damen began construction of the tugs in 2023 at its Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. They were launched between April and August 2024 and underwent extensive commissioning, port tests, and sea trials before being prepared for delivery. The six tugs, five diesel RSD (Reversed Stern Drive), and one fully electric RSD tug were loaded in October on the heavy-lift Jumbo Kinetic for the voyage to Belgium. The vessel made port stops in Singapore and Las Palmas and arrived at North Sea Port’s Vlissingen harbor on November 28. It was escorted by tugs from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges along the Western Scheldt river into the Port of Antwerp.
The electric tugboat Volta 1 has a bollard pull of 70 tons and all the tugs are RSD type, designed with a dual-bow principle, giving them excellent maneuverability and versatility. The RSD-E Tug 2513 operates with large batteries which Damen reports will perform a minimum of two towage operations on a single charge. Damen also installed a 1.5 MW charger and electric infrastructure at the port to support the operations. It reports that the tug can be fully recharged in two hours.
While the five other tugs are RSD 2513 models using standard diesel power, Damen notes that are fitted with its NOX Reduction Systems. It notes that this ensures they are IMO Tier III compliant.
The vessels will be prepared for full deployment in the port, including technical start-up, crew training, and testing of the Volta 1 in collaboration with new charging infrastructure installed at the Nautical Operational Cluster (NOC). Damen highlights that it is providing the training that started before the vessels arrived in Antwerp. It includes an extensive training package with simulator-based, technical, and onboard training.
The six new tugboats are part of the comprehensive greening program being implemented by the Port Authority. The port has already introduced Hydrotug, the first hydrogen-powered tugboat in the world, and Methatug, the first methanol-powered tugboat. It is also continuing to develop replacement plans and seeking to deploy new technologies to reduce the emissions from its in-service fleet.
The world’s first fully electric tug was ordered by New Zealand and arrived in the Port of Auckland in 2022 for testing. Since then, electric tugs have increased including in Canada and this year Crowley received the first fully electric tug in the United States.
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