Page 28: of Marine News Magazine (September 2014)

The No-Emissions Workboat (Really!) BOAT OF THE MONTH The No-Emissions Workboat (Really!) There?s no debate about LNG in New York. ELCO, New York State There?s no debate about LNG in New York. ELCO, New York State Canals team up to retro t 86-year old tugboat with an electric motor. Canals team up to retro t 86-year old tugboat with an electric motor. By Joseph Keefe By Joseph Keefe In June, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of an all-electric dredge tender work boat on the Erie Canal in the Utica area of New York. The project, a partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), utilized an electric motor supplied and installed by Elco Motor Yachts, LLC, of Athens, New York. SigniÞ cantly, the New York State Canal Corporation collaborated with Yorkville-based New West Technologies, LLC, in order to determine how best to transition the StateÕs work boat ß eet to a cleaner propulsion system. Like any ÔgreenÕ initiative, funding and support has to start from the top. This project was no different. ÒBy partnering with the private sector, New York State is trans- forming an 86-year old tug boat into a cleaner, greener and more modern zero-emission vehicle,Ó Governor Cuomo said. ÒProjects like this demonstrate our commitment to protecting the environment and show how this continued dedication is laying the groundwork for a clean energy economy of tomorrow.Ó And, depending on the metrics and data that comes out of this effort, the State of NY and its storied canal system could see more of this sort of clean propulsion. Something Old; Something NewThe project made use of a 1928 tug boat, now in service as a dredge tender, buoy removal and other canal work- boat missions. Previously running off a 1980s-era diesel engine, the ?Tender 4? operates eight hours every day, now running on a battery-powered all-electric powertrain sys- tem. As a further cost saver, the tug runs using the same prop as before. Joe Fleming, Chief Engineer at ELCO, told MarineNews , ÒWith the older diesel, there was always a lot of leakage. The electric motor is simpler, quieter, easier to maintain. Operational costs are much less and, of course, September 201428 MNMN Sept14 Layout 18-31.indd 28MN Sept14 Layout 18-31.indd 288/20/2014 11:44:09 AM8/20/2014 11:44:09 AM