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New Consortium Led by Harland & Wolff to Develop Zero-Emission Coastal Tugs

14th June 2023
According to H&W by creating environmentally-friendly tugs and a class of ultra-efficient large barges to service the UK’s Marine Coastal Highway would not only ease pressure on the nation’s roads and reduce emissions, but also help with the Levelling Up and Net Zero ambitions. Above Afloat in April reported of a previous project for the Belfast shipbuilder, where barges for client the Cory Group involves waste management towage operations along the Thames and central London.
According to H&W by creating environmentally-friendly tugs and a class of ultra-efficient large barges to service the UK’s Marine Coastal Highway would not only ease pressure on the nation’s roads and reduce emissions, but also help with the Levelling Up and Net Zero ambitions. Above Afloat in April reported of a previous project for the Belfast shipbuilder, where barges for client the Cory Group involves waste management towage operations along the Thames and central London. Credit: IrishNews-twitter

Shipbuilder Harland & Wolff Group is to lead a consortium of companies from overseas to develop and build new zero emission tugs suitable for coastal towage duties.

The group based in Queen’s Island, Belfast has entered into heads of terms with Scottish designer Macduff Ship Design, Norway’s Kongsberg for propulsion and vessel control systems and in Sweden where Echandia is a battery and electrical control systems specialist.

The creation of the UK consortium involving the four parties is to achieve the common goal of building a zero emissions harbour and coastal tug. They will measure 25.5m in length, have a breath of 12m and draw a draught of 4.85m.

A bollard pull of 50 tonnes capability has been set as for propulsion the proposed tug is expected to have Azimuth stern drives.

More from the Irish News on the proposed tug project. 

Published in Shipyards
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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Shipyards

Afloat will be focusing on news and developments of shipyards with newbuilds taking shape on either slipways and building halls.

The common practice of shipbuilding using modular construction, requires several yards make specific block sections that are towed to a single designated yard and joined together to complete the ship before been launched or floated out.

In addition, outfitting quays is where internal work on electrical and passenger facilities is installed (or upgraded if the ship is already in service). This work may involve newbuilds towed to another specialist yard, before the newbuild is completed as a new ship or of the same class, designed from the shipyard 'in-house' or from a naval architect consultancy. Shipyards also carry out repair and maintenance, overhaul, refit, survey, and conversion, for example, the addition or removal of cabins within a superstructure. All this requires ships to enter graving /dry-docks or floating drydocks, to enable access to the entire vessel out of the water.

Asides from shipbuilding, marine engineering projects such as offshore installations take place and others have diversified in the construction of offshore renewable projects, from wind-turbines and related tower structures. When ships are decommissioned and need to be disposed of, some yards have recycling facilities to segregate materials, though other vessels are run ashore, i.e. 'beached' and broken up there on site. The scrapped metal can be sold and made into other items.