Crowley christened the eWolf, the first all-electric ship assist harbor tugboatin the US (earlier post).

Built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala., the 82-foot vessel delivers 70 tons of bollard pull—stronger than its conventional predecessor—and features an end-to-end electric propulsion system from ABB including a 6.2-megawatt-hour energy storage system (ESS).

Given electricity is cheaper to produce on shore than onboard a vessel, the ESS also minimizes operating costs. The eWolf will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the port area of San Diego, replacing a tug that consumed more than 30,000 gallons of diesel per year.

In addition to the ESS, ABB supplied its Onboard DC Grid power distribution platform for optimized energy use, the ABB Ability Marine Diagnostic system for continuous preventive and predictive monitoring of equipment, and ABB Ability Marine Pilot products to enhance safety and reduce crew workload. Pilot Vision situational awareness provides 360-degree visibility from the pilot’s station, while Pilot Control enables maneuvering support.

ABB’s scope of supply also covered transformers, propulsion motors, azimuthing thrusters, and low-voltage switchboards alongside design support, engineering, project management, and commissioning.

eWolf is supported by a new microgrid shoreside charging station that enables the tug to operate at full performance daily on electricity.

A longtime leader in safe and efficient marine services, the company chose eWolf’s name in a nod to a tugboat in the company’s initial fleet, the Sea Wolf, which operated more than a century ago in California.

The eWolf was developed through a partnership among the Port of San Diego, San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the US EPA and the US Maritime Administration.