Japan’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat gets launched
Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. has launched Japan’s first tugboat equipped with a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine (ICE).
The vessel, launched on March 28, 2025, at TSUNEISHI Factory in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, uses a hydrogen dual-fuel ICE and a high-pressure hydrogen gas storage system to reduce environmental impact. By employing green steel, known as “JGreeX,” produced by JFE Steel Corporation, the vessel aims to further minimize CO₂ emissions, contributing to cleaner and more sustainable maritime operations.
The tugboat is part of The Nippon Foundation’s “Zero Emission Ships Project,” which aims to develop vessels with zero CO₂ emissions. It features twin 12-cylinder hydrogen-blended engines, offering approximately 4,400 horsepower, and uses hydrogen in combination with traditional marine fuels, targeting a 60% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional tugboats. The vessel is designed to store 250kg of high-pressure hydrogen gas.
We have successfully launched our first hydrogen-fuelled tugboat. We will utilise the know-how and design processes we have developed in the construction of hydrogen-fuelled tugboats, which require high power, in the construction of further new fuel vessels.
… said Nishijima Takanori, general manager of the Design Division and managing executive officer of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
To remind, in March, the world’s first commercial ammonia-fueled tugboat, Sakigake, successfully completed a three-month demonstration voyage, achieving a significant GHG emission reduction of up to approximately 95%.
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