Tokyo Kisen and e5 Lab Co., Ltd. (Efi Bravo) have completed the concept design of the “e5 tag”, an electric propulsion harbor tugboat that combines a high-capacity storage battery with a hydrogen fuel cell.
The vessel is equipped with a main propulsion system that runs on the “e5 powertrain platform” which uses a large-capacity battery system and a hydrogen fuel cell and generator as the auxiliary power source.
The concept realizes that fully electrified harbor tugboats require large-capacity power and also need to reduce the environmental impact that tugboats have on the environment.
With this electric/fuel cell propulsion system the tug has sufficient towing power to function as a harbor tugboat while the incorporation of fuel cells minimizes CO2 emissions.
Tokyo Kisen stated “We will proceed with the project by seeking advice from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, ClassNK, and others for the regulatory compliance. After the final investment decision, we aim to launch the tug for commercial operations at Yokohama Port and Kawasaki Port in 2022.”
e5 tug outlin
| Type of vessel | Harbor tugboat |
| Operating area | Yokohama Port / Kawasaki Port |
| Propulsion | 2 x 1500kW azimuth thruster |
| Towing power | 50 tons |
| Service speed | 14 knots |
Main features of e5 Tu
| Environmental performance |
It reduces CO2 emissions in all operational phases such as push / pull, transit and standby (it can also be reduced on the basis of Well-to-Propeller measure). |
| Contribution at the time of disasters | It has a function of power supply from ship to shore in the event of a disaster and can be used as an emergency power source. |
| Future scalability | Fully electrified powertrains can adopt the most suitable energy sources (lithium-ion battery, hydrogen fuel cell, all-solid-state battery, LNG generators, etc.) in accordance with technological progress. In the future, it will be possible to achieve zero emissions on Well-to-Propeller basis in combination with renewable energy. |
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