Teck, Neptune Terminals and SAAM Towage have partnered to deploy Canada’s first two open market Electric Tugs in the Port of Vancouver, significantly reducing greenhouse gases and underwater noise.

SAAM Towage reached an important milestone today by closing an agreement with Teck & Neptune Terminals that will allow the deployment of the first two electric tugs to its fleet.

At full capacity, the new units will reduce 2,400 tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) each year. The ElectRA 2300SX tugs are designed by Vancouver based Robert Allan and will be built at Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey.

“With Teck and Neptune Terminals, SAAM Towage has found value aligned partners who want to drive sustainable environmental changes through innovation,” said Sander Bikkers, President and Country Manager of SAAM Towage Canada. “This partnership is based on a shared commitment to do our part to address the global challenge of climate change by reducing our carbon footprint. In addition to this, the tugs will significantly reduce the impact of underwater noise, which is another concern in British Columbia’s waterways.”

“With an overall length of 23 meters and a 70 tons Bollard Pull performance, the Tugs will be highly capable of delivering services to all terminals in the Port of Vancouver”, Bikkers added.

“This alliance is significant for both companies, as it gives financial and technical viability to a common strategic objective: to drive innovation and development for an increasingly sustainable operation. This is how we want to continue projecting SAAM Towage’s leadership into the future in each of the 13 countries where we are present and the ones to come: with partners like Teck, one of the most prestigious global mining companies; with the renowned Sanmar shipyard in charge of the construction and with the state-of-the-art design of Robert Allan”, emphasized SAAM Towage´s Managing Director Hernán Gómez.

The tugboats are powered by two separate battery Li-ion energy storage systems, making them 100% electric and zero-emissions ships. They will be charged by British Columbia’s hydroelectric power grid.

SAAM Towage expects the delivery of the tugs during the second half of 2023.

Based in Chile, SAAM Towage is a division of SAAM Group, the largest operator of towing services in the Americas. It operates more than 180 tugboats in 13 countries, and has a well-established presence in British Columbia, including nine tugs serving Vancouver’s Inner Harbor. SAAM Group is listed on Chile’s Santiago Exchange, and is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Chile and DJSI MILA.