Maersk and Svitzer to develop carbon neutral methanol fuel cell tug

Svitzer, AP Moller – Maersk’s world leading towage operator, has signed an agreement with Robert Allan Ltd, leading naval architect company, to design the world’s first fuel cell tug for harbour operations, running on green methanol.

The project builds on close cooperation between Svitzer and Maersk with the aim to jointly explore the combination of methanol fuel cells, batteries, storage/handling systems, electric drives and propulsion units as a carbon neutral alternative to the conventional fossil fuelled propulsion train.

Commenting on the agreement, Ingrid Uppelschoten Snelderwaard, global COO, Svitzer, said: “Fuel cells will be applicable as main propulsion power for tugs earlier than for larger vessels and, further, the time to build a tug is significantly less.

“Svitzer will obtain valuable knowledge and operational experience handling fuel cells as an alternative to diesel or pure electric power. We consider this project a significant step in Svitzer’s ambition to lead the decarbonisation of towage and an important contribution to the joint efforts to develop solutions with a positive impact on the environment.”

Svitzer and Maersk are working closely together to determine technologies that support the overall Maersk decarbonisation journey. The objective is to extract and apply knowledge and operational experience of methanol feasibility from the near shore small scale tug onto larger ocean-going container vessels.

For more information visit www.svitzer.com