Outstanding Collaboration
2022 AWARD FINALIST
Sponsored by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
When Ports of Auckland began looking for a new tugboat, low emissions technology was not yet available. A fully electric tugboat was considered an outrageous idea by most shipbuilders, except Damen Shipyards Gorinchem.
Damen Shipyards, located in the Netherlands, designs and produces harbour tugboats. The company is on a mission to become the most sustainable ship builder in the world.
In 2019 Ports of Auckland and Damen Shipyards became partners with the goal of bringing the first fully electric, zero emission tugboat into operation. And in 2022 Sparky, named by public vote in Auckland, arrived in Tamaki Makaurau.
Sparky is the world’s first full sized, ship handling electric tugboat. Sparky will move cargo ships in and out of the harbour, keeping Auckland’s freight moving, without emissions.
It is estimated that Sparky will save the port around 200,000 litres of diesel a year. This is around 465 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, and more than 11 thousand tonnes over Sparky's expected lifespan.