Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), Seattle, and Miller Marine Inc., Deltaville, Va., will design and build a fully electric truckable tug.
The tug is purposefully designed as a multifunctional utility boat servicing marine construction sites, tending dredges, tending buoys, short range ferry operations and other near shore operations such as crew transportation or line handling, EBDG said.
EBDG will incorporate an electrical propulsion system into Miller Marine's proven truckable tug design. Once the design phase is complete, Miller Marine will build the vessel at its 15,000-sq.-ft. production facility.
The 26' vessel will be powered by two permanent magnet motors with a total power of over 300 kW (400 hp). Shore power will be used to recharge the vessel's battery banks overnight, taking about eight hours. On a full charge, the vessel will operate with contingency for 12-plus hours. A closed-loop fluid cooling system will provide temperature control of the batteries, motors and electronics, maximizing their lifetime. This configuration is ideally suited for shallow and silty water operations, EBDG said.
The electric tug will support public agency and private enterprise marine construction operations and short-range logistics.
Miller Marine is a family owned and operated marine metal fabrication shop. Its fabrication shop utilizes modern CNC technology to facilitate efficient production of marine projects with hulls up to 80'. Marine access is provided by 300' of shoreline and a 240' steel pier.
