Contract Awarded for Hybrid Icebreaking Tug

Posted by Greg Trauthwein November 8, 2017

Spain's Gondan was tapped to build a tug designed by Robert Allan Ltd for the Port of Luleå (Sweden). Gondan’s new contract with Port of Luleå (Sweden) specifies a new hybrid-powered icebreaking escort tug -- a RAL TundRA 3600-H class icebreaking design. The vessel is designed to perform icebreaking (it is designed to break 1 meter of ice at a speed of up to 3 knots), ice management, escort, ship-assist, coastal towing, fire-fighting and navigation aids service duties.

This 36m tug with a hull structure that exceeds Finnish-Swedish ice class rules and has high environmental standards will be classed by Lloyd’s Register.

The vessel will be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that will include two diesel main engines, shaft generators/motors and batteries for energy storage. With an expected bollard pull of about 100 tonnes in diesel-mechanical mode when including battery boost capacity, this tug will be the most powerful icebreaking escort

tug of this size in the world with hybrid/electrical propulsion.