The Nation's First LNG Fuel-Powered Tugboat 'Songdoho' Operates at Incheon Port

The nation's first LNG-fueled tugboat 'Songdoho'
[Photo by Incheon Port Authority]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The country's first eco-friendly tugboat powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been officially deployed at Incheon Port.

Incheon Port Authority announced that the LNG-powered tugboat "Songdoho" (310t) began operations at Incheon Port on the 27th.

Songdoho was built as part of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries national subsidy project to replace old diesel engine tugboats, which emit large amounts of air pollutants, with eco-friendly vessels. The ship was ordered by its owner, Korea Gas Shipping Co., Ltd., constructed at DH Shipbuilding in Incheon, and equipped with a Hyundai Heavy Industries engine.

Of the total construction cost of 9.18 billion KRW, Korea Gas Shipping bore 7.48 billion KRW, with 1.4 billion KRW from national funds and 300 million KRW support from Incheon Port Authority.

Going forward, Songdoho will assist in berthing and unberthing large gas carriers entering and leaving the Incheon LNG terminal.

Incheon Port Authority analyzed that switching the tugboat's fuel from heavy oil to LNG reduces nitrogen oxides by 90.2%, sulfur oxides by 100%, carbon dioxide by 24.3%, and fine dust by 94%.

Tugboats emit a large amount of air pollutants as they generate high power to push or pull large vessels within port boundaries, so the transition to environmentally friendly LNG has been demanded.

Songdoho uses a domestically produced engine and is equipped with firefighting facilities for ship disaster prevention. Except for materials that cannot be produced domestically, up to 80% of the equipment used in construction is Korean-made. In particular, in collaboration with Donghwa Entech, a domestically produced gas fuel supply system (FGSS) suitable for the demanding tugboat operation method was developed.

With this, Incheon Port now owns two LNG-fueled vessels, including the port pilot boat "Econurihyo" (260t) owned by Incheon Port Authority.

Kim Jonggil, Vice President of Operations at Incheon Port Authority, said, "We hope the introduction of LNG-fueled tugboats at Incheon Port will expand throughout domestic ports, and we will continue to do our best to create an eco-friendly port."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.