EverWind: Low-emission tugboat fleet ready to serve green fuels hub

EverWind Fuels, a North American developer of a green fuels hub, has received a fleet of three lower-emission tugboats that will support its Point Tupper Green Fuels Project and marine operations across the Strait of Canso, Canada.

EverWind ordered the tugboat fleet from Dutch defense, shipbuilding, and engineering conglomerate Damen in March this year in a move described as “one of the largest private sector investments in the Strait of Canso in the last 50 years”.

The fleet consists of a Damen ASD 3212 tug and two Damen RSD 2513 tugs, measuring 32 meters and 25 meters in length, with 80 tonnes and 65 tonnes of bollard pull, that will replace EverWind’s contracted fleet of three tugboats, which were built between 1992 and 2004.

The company estimates that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the new vessels, which are fully compliant with International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III emissions standards, will be significantly lower than the current fleet, delivering a reduction of approximately 80% in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 25% in CO2.

Having reached EverWind, the tugboats will facilitate specialized operations associated with the transportation of green hydrogen and ammonia produced at Point Tupper and support existing industries operating in the Strait of Canso.

EverWind’s Point Tupper project is said to be the first to have received environmental assessment approval in North America and complete the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase.

The project will use PEM electrolyzers and ammonia synthesis technology from Casale S.A. to convert water from man-made Landrie Lake and energy primarily from newly-built wind farms, which are expected to be operational by the end of 2026, into green hydrogen and green ammonia.

The first phase is designed to produce approximately 240,000 tonnes per annum of green ammonia starting in 2025, then achieve the full 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) volume by 2026.