Construction Begins on US Hybrid-Electric Tug Fleet

Construction is underway on a new fleet of hybrid-electric ship-assist tugboats in the United States, marking a major step forward in efforts to reduce emissions at California’s busiest ports.

Snow & Co’s shipyard in Seattle, Washington, has begun assembling steel hull modules for the first of eight battery-powered tugs ordered by Curtin Maritime under a US$160M contract. The work, which started toward the end of 2025, signals the official start of construction for the fleet.

Each tugboat has been designed by Arc Group and will use a hybrid-electric propulsion system combining energy storage systems and generators to drive azimuth thrusters. The vessels will be built from 19 prefabricated modules, including hull sections, a dedicated battery room and the deckhouse, which will be fabricated separately before final assembly.

The tugs are designed to deliver 2,980 kW of power and 60 tonnes of bollard pull, providing sufficient capability to assist ultra-large container ships and other large vessels operating at Californian ports when deployed as a fleet.

The propulsion architecture is based on Arc’s vertically integrated electric powertrain technology, developed for its hybrid-electric Arc Sport and Arc Coast tug designs. These systems are designed for efficient installation and transport and are tailored to the demanding operational profiles of port-based marine services.

“Once the structure is complete, Arc’s electric powertrain will bring the boat to life, engineered for real port duty cycles,” said Arc in a social media post on LinkedIn.

Curtin Maritime plans to deploy the new hybrid-electric tugs at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, two of the busiest container ports in North America. The first vessel is scheduled to enter service in 2027.

The order, placed in September 2025, forms part of Curtin Maritime’s broader strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the environmental performance of marine operations in California’s ports, where regulatory and commercial pressure to decarbonise port services continues to increase.

Originally reported by Martyn Wingrove in Riviera.