Tug with plug first for NZ
Shrouded in fog, Sparky has arrived in Waitematā Harbour escorted by a fleet tugs and pilot boats.
So, what’s special about her? Well, Sparky is the first fully electric tug in the world that can handle full-sized ships.
“Welcoming Sparky is exciting for us,” says Roger Gray, chief executive officer of Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL). “Sparky is the first e-tug of its type and was a truly innovative project for us.
“Her arrival marks a big step towards our decarbonisation of operations and towards our long-term emissions reduction goals,”
For Allan D’Souza, general manager of marine and multi-cargo operations at POAL who has been leading the e-tug project for the port, it’s a dream come true.
“Back in 2016, when we first pitched the idea for a fully electric tug, we were told we were dreaming,” he says. “To see Sparky in real life like this is that dream coming true.
“Due to the pandemic, we were unable to travel so we’ve been watching the build, launch and initial sea trials online. To welcome her to Tāmaki Makaurau now is incredible.
“You can spot Sparky on the water as her superstructure is painted bright green, unlike our diesel tugs. What you won’t notice is noise or smoke. Being electric, she’s a lot quieter and cleaner than our current tugs.”
Gray adds: “I would like to thank the ports’ marine team and acknowledge our partner Damen for its work. When the project started, there were no emissions-free ship-handling options around.
“However, Damen was up for the challenge and has changed the game with our e-tug Sparky. E-tugs are the future for ship-handling and we are proud to have led the way.”
Sparky is the first Damen RSD-E Tug 2513. She has a six-metre draft, is 24.73m long and has two azimuth thrusters with three-metre diameter propellers.
She has a 70-tonne bollard pull, which is the same as the POAL’s strongest diesel tug, the Hauraki.
There are 80 battery racks holding 2,240 batteries, totalling 2,784kWh of power. Sparky is expected do up to four shipping moves on one charge and her recharge time is about two hours.
The e-tug is anticipated to save around 465 tonnes of carbon dioxide in diesel emissions annually.
To ensure safety, Sparky also has two 1000kW back-up generator sets, which will only be used in cases of emergency or some fault that’s not part of business as usual. These are expected to be used once or twice a year at most.
The expected cost of operating Sparky is less than one-third of the cost of running a diesel sibling.
She will be tested for six weeks before being fully commissioned and operational. Sparky was named via a public competition and vote in 2020.
