Tristar to build electric bunkering vessel for the UAE

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UAE - In another pioneering step towards the decarbonisation of maritime transport, Tristar Group has signed an agreement with Turkey’s Akdeniz Shipyard to build a hybrid bunker barge for the UAE.

Scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2025, the vessel will be positioned at Port of Fujairah, the multipurpose maritime facility on the east coast of the UAE.

The 750-cubic metre capacity bunkering vessel is designed to house diesel generators as a backup to electric power. The barge will not have a conventional funnel, and deck space saved will house the sizeable on-board battery. Generators, if run, will discharge flue gases underwater so that GHG emissions into the atmosphere are greatly reduced.

This innovative design and the vessel’s powertrain will 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%.

“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 explained.

“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 barge will also provide stores and supplies to vessels stopping at anchorage off Fujairah Port.

Tristar Group is a global business, headquartered in Dubai, which offers end-to-end fuel logistics solutions to blue-chip clients including international and national oil companies, and intergovernmental organisations.

Its integrated energy logistics platform spans road and maritime transportation, specialised warehousing, fuel farm management, commercial aviation refuelling, and turnkey fuel supply operations.