Kongsberg thrusters for autonomous tug

Ports of Auckland Limited (POAL) in New Zealand has entered into a partnership with the Damen Shipyards Group in the Netherlands to develop a fully-electric ship-handling tug – the first of its kind in the world.

“With sustainability as an ongoing watchword, both Kongsberg and Damen are of a like mind in encouraging the spread of remote and autonomous processes across the marine industry,” said Bård Bjørløw, executive vice president global sales and marketing, Kongsberg Maritime.

“As the demand grows to mitigate environmental impacts and slash emissions throughout entire supply chains, we at Kongsberg are pleased to be able to assist our customers in choosing innovative and dependable solutions for efficient, green and safe global maritime working practices.”

The new RSD-E Tug 2513 will be equipped with two Kongsberg US255 L PM FP azimuth thrusters, supplied from Kongsberg Maritime’s facility in Rauma, Finland and providing a bollard pull capability of 70 tonnes.

The latest delivery continues a mutually fruitful working relationship which dates back to 1983, when Kongsberg first supplied Damen with its UL801 retractable azimuth thrusters. In the intervening years, the alliance between the two companies has notched up many successes. Kongsberg celebrated the delivery of its 1,000th thruster to Damen in 2017 and that figure has now risen to nearly 1,300.