The Swedish Port of Luleå located on the environmentally sensitive Gulf of Bothnia, needed an escort tug operating during the summer and an icebreaker operating in harsh conditions duing the winter. This operational flexibility combined with notable environmental benefits, will be brought to the Port of Luleå by the Wärtsilä HY solution. The two Wärtsilä HY hybrid power modules ordered for the tug will be capable of operating on electrical battery power when in transit, and the “hybrid diesel-electric” mode will allow the number of prime movers utilised to be reduced to just one for various operational tasks, resulting in considerable economic gains.
The Wärtsilä HY scope includes an energy management system that optimises the combined use of the engines, the energy storage systems, and the power distribution train. The mechanical machinery part is based on two Wärtsilä 26 engines. The Wärtsilä scope also includes the tug’s integrated automation and alarm system.
The integrated hybrid functionality of this vessel will give us a bollard pull of up to 100 tons, while saving fuel and maintenance costs and producing emission levels some 20 percent less than from a conventional ship of this type and size. In other words, we shall have first-class performance in both its operation and its environmental impact. We are very pleased to be getting a tug that reflects the future needs of the industry.