Crowley’s all-electric tug starts sea trials
Crowley's all-electric tug starts sea trials - Offshore Energy
Crowley’s all-electric tug starts sea trials
Crowley’s eWolf, the first all-electric ship assist tug in the U.S., has commenced sea trials along the U.S. Gulf Coast, the company confirmed on social media.
The ship is being built by Master Boat Builders’ (MBB) shipyard in Coden, Alabama, and is expected to be delivered in 2024. eWolf will support ship arrivals and departures at the Port of San Diego in California.
Crafted under the expertise of Florida-based Crowley, the 82-foot (25-meter) eWolf is designed as a zero-emission vessel as it would operate fully electric.
The vessel is being developed through collaboration with federal and California agencies, under the watchful eye of Crowley Engineering Services and the Jensen Maritime Naval Architecture and marine engineering group.
Key contributors to the project include ABB, providing the integrated electrical package, and German propulsion manufacturer Schottel, supplying the RudderPropellers type SRP 430 with the LE-Drive.
The eWolf has a 6-Mwh energy storage system with sufficient capacity enabling the vessel to deliver one full day of normal work without using a drop of fuel. Batteries can supply power to the propulsion system almost instantly, ensuring effective ship support and harbor escort services without emissions.
The tug’s systems are designed for fast-changing load requirements. The vessel has two generators on board for emergency use and to enable longer transit distances at a reduced speed.
The tug is expected to eliminate emissions of 178 tons of NOx, 2.5 tons of particulate matter and 3,100 tons of CO2 over ten years.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.