Ports of Auckland will soon be welcoming the world’s first full-sized electric tugboat and you can choose its name!
Share your suggestions online now at poal.co.nz/name-the-tug
The Ports of Auckland team will choose the best names and put them to a public vote to choose the winner. Entries close on Wednesday 3 June at 5pm. The winner will get $1,000 and a ride around the harbour on the new e-tug.
The new tug, a Damen RSD-E Tug 2513 to be delivered in 2021, will have a 70-tonne bollard pull, the same as the port's strongest diesel tug Hauraki, also built by Damen.
In 2016 Ports of Auckland set the goal of being zero-emission by 2040, recognising that urgent action is needed on climate change and wanting to be part of the solution.
However, setting that goal created a tough challenge. Ports of Auckland has a lot of heavy equipment, like tugs, and in 2016 there were no zero-emission options. They talked to several manufacturers about building a battery-powered tug, only to be told they were dreaming. Hybrid tugs were possible, they said, but not battery.
But Ports of Auckland was persistent, kept talking to manufacturers, kept suggesting ways to solve problems, and found a partner willing to take on the challenge: Damen Shipyards.
Keep an eye on the water in 2021 for this world first.
