Curtin Maritime, Long Beach, Calif., announced on social media that Snow & Co., Seattle, has launched the Tiger C, the second battery-electric ship-assist tug in an eight-vessel series.
The shipyard launched the first tug, Tuuli C, in May. Los Angeles-based Arc is supplying and integrating the battery and battery-management systems for the fleet.
The 80’9”x42’3” Tiger C is equipped with two 2,000-hp Schottel L-drive propulsion units and a 6-MWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery system. The propulsion plant is designed to produce more than 4,000 hp and deliver 55 short tons of bollard pull.
The tugs are too heavy for Snow & Co.’s traditional steam-powered crane launch system, so Snow brought in Manson’s Derrick 24, a much larger floating crane. The project also led the shipyard to develop an alternative method of moving each vessel out of the building using eight air casters.
The series marks Arc’s first large-scale commercial marine project. Its engineers have worked with Snow & Co. to integrate the batteries, propulsion controls, cooling and ventilation systems.
The battery system is sized to support a 12-hour operating shift with reserve capacity and incorporates redundancy that allows the tug to continue operating safely if portions of the system are offline.
