HaiSea Marine’s first all-electric tugboat has received an Underwater Noise Notation from the American Bureau of Shipping, the North Vancouver, B.C.-based joint venture announced April 4.
The HaiSea Wamis last fall conducted sea trials to demonstrate its “ultra-low underwater noise,” according to HaiSea Marine, which is majority owned by the Haisla Nation with partner Seaspan ULC.
“When we formed HaiSea, we had a vision and a dream to design and build one of the greenest tugboat fleets in the world that would serve the Douglas Channel,” said Chief Crystal Smith, elected chief councilor of the Haisla Nation. “This notation proves that together with our partners, we have achieved that dream.”
Vancouver-based naval architect company Robert Allan Ltd. designed the Sanmar-built ElectRA 2800 battery-electric tug, which featured an electric propulsion system that lowers noise and vibrations.
“HaiSea Wamis is so quiet that it would take 10x ElectRA running side-by-side to produce the same underwater noise as a single conventional diesel tug,” Giorgio Burella, a naval architect and noise and vibration analyst for Robert Allan, said. “These results are very encouraging evidence of the potential for battery electric tugs to significantly reduce underwater radiated noise in harbors both at home and abroad.”
