“K” LINE Daito Corporation to build second electric tugboat

Daito Corporation (Daito) has decided to build a 260 gross ton-class electric tugboat (“EV Tugboat No. 2”). This will be Daito’s second electric tugboat, following the 199 gross ton-class electric tugboat currently under construction (“EV Tugboat No. 1”).

EV Tugboat No. 2 will be a high-output vessel designed to accommodate a wide range of towage operations in Tokyo Bay. It is intended to be a standard model for future electric tugboats. The vessel will use a new DC power distribution system that efficiently supplies propulsion and onboard electrical power and be equipped with a 4,400 PS motor, whose output is higher than the 3,600 PS motor in EV Tugboat No. 1. In addition, EV Tugboat No. 2’s auxiliary generator, which will operate when battery capacity is insufficient, will be controlled by a condition monitoring system (CMS). Accumulated operational data will be utilized to optimize power supply and reduce the vessel’s use of fossil fuels.

This initiative has also been selected to be included in the subsidized Innovative Navigation Efficiency and Transition to Non-Fossil Energy for Coastal Shipping program jointly administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is expected that the initiative will contribute to environmental initiatives in Japan’s coastal shipping industry.

EV Tugboat No. 2 will be constructed by HONGAWARA SHIP YARD CO.,LTD. with the cooperation of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., which will provide and integrate the control and propulsion systems, and TOA CORPORATION, which will design and construct the shoreside charging equipment. Completion is scheduled for July 2028. Together with EV Tugboat No. 1, which will enter service earlier, the vessel will engage in towage operations for ships calling at Tokyo Bay ports and contribute to the development of carbon-neutral ports (CNP).

Under the Group’s long-term environmental policy, “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050: Blue Seas for the Future, the “K” LINE Group is advancing the research, development and implementation of environmental technologies. Going forward as well, the Group will continue to work together to promote initiatives to move toward the implementation of low-carbon and decarbonized operation.