Second electric tugboat for Canada’s LNG export facility arrives in Vancouver
Second electric tugboat for Canada's LNG export facility arrives in Vancouver - Offshore Energy
Second electric tugboat for Canada’s LNG export facility arrives in Vancouver
The second emissions-free battery electric tug built to serve at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat has officially arrived in North Vancouver.
The HaiSea Wee’git tugboat was built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye and delivered to Canada’s HaiSea Marine, a joint venture majority-owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, in August 2023.
The tugboat has now arrived in Vancouver Harbour where it will perform missions alongside the HaiSea Wamis, the first fully electric tugboat in HaiSea’s fleet, until they set sail for Kitimat. There, the tugboats will be based and provide ship-assist and escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility.
HaiSea Wee’git is based on Sanmar’s ElectRA 2800SX design from Vancouver-headquartered naval architect Robert Allan Ltd. With approximately 70 tonnes of bollard pull, a top speed of 12 knots, and 6.000 kWh of battery capacity, it will perform all ship-berthing and unberthing missions on battery power alone.
Taking advantage of the hydroelectric power available in Kitimat, it will be able to recharge from dedicated shore charging facilities at its berth between jobs.
The third electric tug, HaiSea Brave, will be delivered later this year.
Related Knowledge Center: Liquefied natural gas
Driven by plentiful natural gas produced from shale plays, the United States began exporting liquefied natural gas in 2016 when the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana opened and shipped its first cargo. Since then, additional capacity, or trains, have been added to Sabine Pass, and terminals have become operational in Cameron Parish, La.; Hackberry, La.; Cove Point, Md.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world, behind Australia and Qatar. The tariff war with China has the potential to impact some final investment decisions for additional terminals in the coming months.