Posted on May 21, 2025
The port of Antwerp-Bruges announced that Volta 1, Europe’s first electric tugboat, has been launched, following in the wake of the port’s world-first hydrogen– and methanol-driven tugs.
The 70-ton bollard pull Reversed Stern Drive (RSD) vessel has a capacity of 2,782 MWh in its lithium-titanium-oxide (LTO) batteries, enabling emissions-free cruising for up to 12 hours. Recharging the tug takes at least two hours using its 1.5 MW charging station.
Volta 1 arrived in the port last November alongside five diesel-powered RSD tugs. The vessels were all built at Damen’s Song Cam shipyard in Vietnam, and have been undergoing technical start-up, crew training, and testing of the Volta 1 in collaboration with its new charging infrastructure at the Nautical Operational Cluster (NOC).
Antwerp-Bruges said its tug service accounts for around 85% of its port-related CO2 emissions, and renewing its tug fleet contributes to its target of climate neutrality by 2050.
Volta 1 will be in service alongside Hydrotug 1 and Methatug, tugs running on hydrogen and methanol, respectively. The simultaneous operation allows the port to assess the relative strengths of the alternative fuel options available to its fleet, it said.
Johan Klaps, vice mayor for the port and economy, City of Antwerp and president of the board, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said: “Achieving this European first in the year when we are also celebrating 150 years of tug service makes it both symbolic and historic. It shows how our port and region continue to invest in sustainable innovation. Even in challenging times, we resolutely choose the future and take a leadership role.”
The port released a video of the tugboat, showing its engine and battery rooms, and charging infrastructure.
