UPDATE
The eWolf will operate at the Port of San Diego.
Credit: Crowley Maritime
Crowley Orders America’s First All-Electric Harbor Tug “ THE e WOLF REPRESENTS everything Crowley stands for: innovation, sustainability and performance,” said Chairman and CEO Tom Crowley, as Crowley Maritime announced that it is to build and operate what will be the first fully electric harbor tugboat in the U.S.— and only the third of its kind to enter operations worldwide. The 82-foot eWolf, with 70 tons of bollard pull, will operate at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and will be operational by mid-2023. The tug will be built at the Master Boat Builders shipyard in Coden, Ala., with the design and on-site construction management being prov ided by Crow le y Engineering Services and its recently integrated Jensen Maritime naval architecture and marine engineering group. The tug’s battery system will be charged at a specially designed, shoreside station developed with Cochran Marine. The eWolf will feature an integrated electric propulsion system and advanced vessel control technology package from ABB. “We chose ABB on this project because future-proof ships will be built on the foundation of an electrical backbone, integrated with control systems that provide more efficient and safer operations,” said Ray Martus, vice president, Crowley Engineering Services. “ABB has deep expertise
and recent, relevant experience related to battery systems on vessels and the corresponding regulatory framework with U.S. Coast Guard. The ABB solution provides intelligent maneuvering and control systems that enable safer, more efficient ship operations, and reduce the workload on masters and the crew to focus holistically on the overall control and positioning of the vessel.” “As many sectors of the marine industry are searching for new technology they have to recognize that the foundation of the marine world is changing,” said David Lee, senior account manager-commercial vessels, ABB Marine & Ports. “The eWolf tug is the start of this transition for the workboat industry where the emissions will be greatly reduced through energy storage, the operation will be connected through ABB’s Remote Diagnostic Services, and safer for the crew through utilization of ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision and Control.”
ABB Electric Propulsion System Under a contract with Master Boat Builders, ABB is supplying the end-to-end electric propulsion system. The solution will include a six-megawatt-hour energy storage system (ESS), allowing the eWolf to achieve 70 short tons of bollard pull emissions-free. The battery allows the tug to
complete a full day of typical work before there is a need to charge. Achieving lower operational costs on a through-life basis than an equivalent vessel running a conventional engine, the all-electric propulsion solution holds the potential to eliminate the equivalent of over 100 cars worth of CO2 pollution every year, according to ABB. Systems on board will also feature products from the ABB Ability Marine Pilot family for enhancing crew safety and reducing workload. ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision situational awareness solution will provide 360-degree visibility from the pilot’s station, and ABB Ability Marine Control will enable maneuvering support and future remote operations. In addition to systems integration, engineering and automation on the newbuilding, ABB will supply its Onboard DC Grid power distribution system platform for optimized energy use. Onboard DC Grid enables seamless integration of battery for zero-emissions operations by using renewables as an energy source. The full scope of supply also includes propulsion motors, low-voltage switchboards, transformers, li-ion batteries mechanical L-drive thrusters and the ABB Ability Remote Diagnostics System for Marine for continuous equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance. August 2021 // Marine Log 11
