Page 36: of Marine News Magazine (April 2024)

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Feature

Electric Tugs the construction of which has fallen behind schedule.

“When you’re out on the leading edge of these technolo- gies, everything has to catch up,” Manzi said. “Permitting has to catch up, regulation has to catch up, standards have to catch up. And we’ve faced all three of those challenges in getting the charge. The boat actually went easier.”

The microgrid charging facility features a pair of Corvus

Orca BOB (battery on board) systems, the containerized version of the Corvus Orca ESS, each with storage capac- ity of almost 1.5 MWh, for a total capacity of 2,990 kW.

The station is intended to operate on off-peak hours from the local energy grid, and it includes a solar power array to support renewable energy use, as well as battery monitoring system, HVAC and ? re? ghting and detection technology.

Through a lot of hard work and collaboration with part- ners such as the Port of San Diego as well as utility provid- er San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE), the regulatory and logistical hurdles have been overcome, and construction is progressing at a strong pace, Manzi said. “We expect to have the charging station ready to operate by April 15.”

Operating the tug

Capt. Josh Ferguson previously served as the master of

Crowley’s tug Tioga before taking the helm aboard the eWolf.

He said he’s a fan of the new vessel but that operating it takes some getting used to. “It’s much different,” Ferguson said. “You don’t realize how many audio cues that you have avail- able [from the engines] aboard a traditional vessel. But now that you have none, and then couple that with the power of electric motors—they spool up very fast like a Tesla does— you have to change the way you operate the vessel in general.

A little bit of a learning curve, but I’m excited about it.”

Without engine noise or vibration, eWolf delivers a sig- ni? cantly smoother ride overall. Importantly, it can also perform on the job, offering 70-ton bollard pull capabil- ity. On deck, the tug sports two Markey model DEPC-48

On board the eWolf, Crowley’s electric hawser winches.

focus on environmental impact

The tug is intended to perform two evolutions per day, extended well beyond the innovative and its charging time is about 4.5 hours, Manzi said. “We propulsion system. Sustainable expect that the vessel will always have suf? cient charge to be running at any time.” materials were incorporated as

The eWolf is a dayboat with a three-person crew—a cap- much as possible throughout the tain, deckhand and engineer, and it will remain that way vessel’s interior spaces.

for some time. But Manzi said the scope of mariner duties 36 | MN April 2024