Rotterdam, 7 November 2017, Press Release

KOTUG’s Zero-Emission Heat Recycling System won Maritime Innovation Award

KOTUG International BV has won the Maritime Innovation Award 2017 at the annual Maritime Award Gala. On 6 November 2017 the award was handed over by the expert Jury for the new cost-effective and sustainable system to store and regenerate heat on tugboats, the Zero-Emission Heat Recycling System.  

The Heat Recycling System makes the tugboat operation more energy efficient and therefore more green. A tugboat produces heat during operation and  it requires energy during stand-by periods. Kotug has developed a way to re-cycle the cool water heat from the main engines and store the heat  in a smart latent heat buffer. The required energy is needed for the climate control and to keep the engines warm. It  is usually derived from electrical shore power at a considerable cost.

“We are very proud with this acknowledgement by the expert jury of the Maritime Awards. It is a great encouragement for us to continue to develop and to innovate. The use of Phase Change Material (PCM) technology is new in the maritime industry and has great potential not only for tugboats, but for every type of vessel, as it can be tailored to different spaces and user profiles. KOTUG is looking into more applications for temperature control purposes.”, said Koos Smoor, Manager Fleet Performance & Innovation at KOTUG.

The Heat Recycling System has been installed on the ZP Bison a tugboat of Kotug Smit Towage, and is working properly. The new system is an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution. It reduces shore power consumption with 50%, thus cutting CO2 emissions by half. Which is approx. 50.000kWhr less on the meter every year. These savings are a major achievement with regards to the reduction of the operational cost and the emission reduction.

Ard-Jan Kooren, CEO Kotug International: ”We see beauty in solutions that combine the golden triangle of state-of-the-art technology, sustainability and cost reductions. This innovation is an answer to market demand as well as environmental requirements and actually reduces costs as well.”

The goal of the Maritime Award is to raise awareness of the innovative power generated and radiated by the maritime and offshore supply industry. The prize also aims to stimulate innovative developments within the maritime cluster. Kotug’s Zero-Emission Heat Recycling System, answers these questions with its economical, technical and environmental benefits.

About KOTUG

KOTUG is a leading towage operator offering its innovative services to ports and terminals on a global scale. With a young and powerful fleet, its dedicated staff and well-trained crew KOTUG operates in a variety of markets including terminal towage, harbour towage, offshore operations and salvage operations. Headquartered in The Netherlands, KOTUG is active in Europe, Russia, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Caribbean and continues to expand its operations worldwide. Our long-standing knowledge is consolidated in KOTUG’s Maritime Excellence Center which provides training and consultancy. KOTUG is family-owned and firmly committed to the highest industry standards of health, safety, environment, quality and security. More information: www.kotug.com.