Rijkswaterstaat has selected three consortia that meet the requirements for participation in the next phase of the Power2Tow tender. These parties are invited to submit an initial application.
With this step, we are initiating an important development: the realization of three virtually emission-free Emergency Response Towing Vessels (ERTVs) for the North Sea. This includes the associated charging infrastructure on land and at sea and a 25-year service aimed at enhancing safety in the North Sea.
Sustainable Emergency Towing Vessels
An ERTV is an emergency tugboat that is deployed along the Dutch coast to tow ships in distress, for example, during storms or technical problems, to a safe location or to hold them in their position. The new generation of ERTVs makes a significant contribution to reducing the ecological footprint of shipping.
They operate mostly electrically, which significantly reduces CO₂ emissions. During emergency towing operations, the vessels switch from electric drive to green methanol, allowing them to tow with more power. Green methanol is a sustainable fuel produced from biomass or captured CO₂ in combination with green hydrogen.
Pioneer in the Maritime World
With Power2Tow, we have established a unique project within the maritime world, where innovation and collaboration play a crucial role. Especially in the development of charging infrastructure in the North Sea and onshore to enable the vessels to operate electrically.
This charging infrastructure is currently not readily available on the market for the North Sea. Power2Tow aims to change that.
Christa Kempenaar, director of the Fleet Renewal Program at Rijkswaterstaat: ‘To make Power2Tow successful, it is crucial that we seek collaboration with shipyards, port companies, wind farms, and other market parties such as technical developers and business service providers. We need each others knowledge and innovation capacity to accelerate the sustainability of shipping.’
Next Steps in the Tender
The tender process is conducted through an innovation partnership. This ensures a faster progression of the process. In a successful development trajectory, we can directly proceed to contract awarding for construction and operation, without going through a new tender procedure. The selected parties are:
- Kustkracht: Kotug International B.V. IHC Defence B.V. and Bluewater Energy Services B.V.
- Multraship Ocean Towage B.V., Damen Shipbuilding & Cooperation B.V. and Stillstrom A/S
- Smit Terminals Europe B.V. & Smit Salvage B.V.
The selected consortia will have the next few months to submit two proposals for the realization and the associated services. Each consortium consists of a partnership of various companies and/or organizations, each with its own expertise. The next step in the tender will follow in mid-2026. Then we will select the consortia that will be admitted to the research and development phase.
Fleet Renewal Program
Power2Tow is carried out by the program directorate Fleet Renewal of Rijkswaterstaat. The program focuses on the accelerated realization of sustainable vessels for the Rijksrederij, which is also part of Rijkswaterstaat.
But it goes beyond just the production of new vessels. To truly accelerate, Power2Tow looks for innovative ways of collaborating throughout the entire chain. Innovative and sustainable solutions play a key role in this.
Power2Tow is a joint initiative of Rijkswaterstaat, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Directorate-General for Aviation and Maritime Affairs (DGLM), the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth (KGG), and the Coast Guard.
The project is also made possible by a substantial contribution from the European Recovery and Resilience Plan (HVP) and aligns with the measures that the cabinet is implementing together with the sector within the Sector Agenda for Maritime Manufacturing Industry, in the strategic interest of the Netherlands.
