After successfully completing sea trials, the tugs were loaded onto the cargo ship BBC EMERALD in early December for a journey of around 60 days to Vancouver which, due to restrictions on the number of vessels using the Panama Canal, took them through the Magellan Strait at the tip of South America.

Now safely in Vancouver, DYNAMO and DYNAMO II will join SAAM Towage operations in and around environmentally sensitive areas of Canada’s west coast. SAAM Towage operates in South, Central and North America, including at nine ports in British Columbia.

Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2300SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, the sister tugs are powered by two Li-ion battery banks, making them 100% electric, zero-emission vessels. Measuring 23.4m overall, with an 11.85m beam and 5.5 maximum draft, the compact yet powerful tugs can achieve an impressive 70 tons of bollard pull.

DYNAMO and DYNAMO II will be charged using clean energy from the British Columbia power grid and it is estimated that they will each reduce CO2 emissions by 2,600 metric tons a year compared to traditionally-fuelled tugs of similar size and power.

Speaking when DYNAMO and DYNAMO II set off on their journey from Turkiye, SAAM Towage’s Engineering and Development Manager, Pablo Cáceres, said electric-powered tugs: “Represent the way to advance towards more sustainable operations and move our business into the future.”

Ruchan Civgin, Commercial Director of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “I am delighted that DYNAMO and DYNAMO II have safely completed their long journey, and can now start contributing to a new environmentally aware era for the tug and towing industry.

“That major international operators such as SAAM Towage are investing in alternative eco-friendly power systems and technologies is a clear sign that our industry is changing, and changing for the better. At Sanmar we are proud to be at the forefront of that change.”

Maritime Business World