Meet the Hydrotug, the World's First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat That Promises to Make Ports More Environmentally Friendly

Meet the Hydrotug, the World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat That Promises to Make Ports More Environmentally Friendly

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 27/05/2022 at 17:08

Créditos da imagem: CMB.TECH/Porto de Antuérpia-Bruges

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The Port of Antwerp-Bruges Is Preparing to Welcome Soon the Hydrotug, First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat

Companies and industries worldwide are working to reduce or even eliminate carbon emissions in the medium to long term. Bold goals will only be achieved with investment in new technologies and environmentally friendly equipment. Aiming to take an important step in this direction, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium and the clean technology company CMB.TECH are preparing to welcome the Hydrotug, the world’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat.

The hydrogen-powered tugboat was unveiled on May 16 in Spain. The tug still needs final details to be launched for testing later this year. The innovative vessel is expected to be delivered by the end of 2022. It is anticipated to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2023.

The Hydrotug is the first ship to be powered by two BeHydro V12 medium-speed dual-fuel engines – each providing 2 megawatts. It can also operate on hydrogen and traditional fuel.

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How Does the Equipment Work?

The tugboat can store a total of 415 kg of compressed hydrogen. The technology has the capacity to eliminate carbon emissions equivalent to about 350 cars per year. Roy Campe, director of CMB.TECH, emphasized that this innovation can significantly improve air quality in ports around the world.

“The Hydrotug is the largest hydrogen-powered ship in the world. The technology has been approved by Lloyd’s Register, and we are ready to approach the global market of 10,000 tugboats. With this technology, we can significantly improve air quality in ports and bring hydrogen technology to all ports around the world,” said Campe.

Rob Smeets, Operations Manager of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, spoke about the green ambitions of the Antwerp-Bruges port for the coming years. “By 2028, our goal is to have the first molecules of green hydrogen on our platforms. Moreover, we are investigating a hydrogen pipeline between the two ports and inland Europe so that we can utilize as much renewable energy as possible. This hydro tug is a fantastic example of what our sustainable future should look like,” he said.

Ports Seek to Be More Environmentally Friendly

More and more ports are taking measures to support the decarbonization of maritime transport. In addition to initiatives aimed at forming green transport corridors, individual ports are introducing green incentives for ships that meet emission standards or employ alternative green fuels to reduce carbon emissions.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore announced on May 1 that it was introducing enhancements to its Green Port Program to encourage sustainability among ocean-going vessels calling at the Port of Singapore.

Meet the Hydrotug, the World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat That Promises to Make Ports More Environmentally Friendly

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges Is Preparing to Welcome Soon the Hydrotug, First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat

How Does the Equipment Work?

Ports Seek to Be More Environmentally Friendly

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Meet the Hydrotug, the World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat That Promises to Make Ports More Environmentally Friendly

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges Is Preparing to Welcome Soon the Hydrotug, First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat

How Does the Equipment Work?

Ports Seek to Be More Environmentally Friendly

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

Chinese woman planted trees for decades while sand buried part of her house, received $5,000 from an American in 1999, and helped transform the desert into a forest of 8 million trees in China.

Described by astronauts as one of the most unlikely natural phenomena on Earth, the Okavango Delta spreads over up to 15,000 square kilometers in the middle of the desert and transforms Botswana into a living labyrinth of channels, islands, and flooded areas.

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