Sanmar launches methanol dual-fuel escort tug

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar has launched a large purpose-built escort tug that can run on methanol as well as conventional marine fuels.

IMAGE: Canada's Port of Vancouver lies along the Burrard Inlet with the North Shore Mountains in the background. Getty Images

Sanmar has built the methanol dual-fuel escort tug for KOTUG Canada – a partnership between Rotterdam-based maritime company KOTUG International and Canada’s Horizon Maritime.

The 44-meter-long newbuild will service Canada’s Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP), escorting tankers from harbour limits of the Port of Vancouver to the open Pacific Ocean, Sanmar said.  

The escort tug is also designed to provide long range towing, anchor handling, rescue, and salvage, the shipbuilder added.  

The vessel is equipped with firefighting equipment, “and will have the largest spill response capabilities of any tugs on the British Columbia coast,” according to Sanmar.

This is the first of the two escort tugs that can run on both methanol and conventional fuels, built for KOTUG Canada.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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