The United Arab Emirates-based maritime and logistics company Tristar Group has signed an agreement with Türkiye’s Akdeniz Shipyard for the construction of a hybrid bunker barge for the UAE.
Scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2025, the vessel will be positioned at the Port of Fujairah, the only multi-purpose maritime facility on the east coast of the country and the major anchorage and bunkering hub in the region.
The 750-cubic meter bunkering vessel is designed to house diesel generators as a backup to electric power. The barge will not have a conventional funnel and the deck space saved will house the sizeable onboard battery. Generators, if run, will discharge flue gases under water so that GHG emissions into the atmosphere are reduced, according to the company.
This innovative design and the vessel’s powertrain are expected to lower carbon emissions significantly, especially when compared to conventional diesel propulsion. With well-planned operations, it is expected that carbon emissions will be reduced by more than 50 percent.
“We are creating another opportunity to pioneer green technology in an environment that has been familiar and fruitful for us, for many years,” Tristar Group CEO, Eugene Mayne , said during a contract signing in Dubai with Metin Akbasoglu, the owner of Akdeniz Shipyard.
“As a prominent player in the global maritime sector, it is obligatory for Tristar to be willing and able to take the first steps towards any feasible decarbonisation, and create sectoral change,” Mayne added.
“As port infrastructure continues to develop in support of using electric barges for coastal operations, we are optimistic this bold move will encourage the local maritime industry to follow suit.”
The hybrid bunker barge will be built at the Akdeniz Shipyard in Adana, the largest shipyard in Turkey and the wider Eastern Mediterranean, in terms of area and capacity.
The vessel will provide stores and supplies to vessels stopping at anchorage off Fujairah Port.