First all-electric tugboat in the world now plying the waters of B.C.

The B.C. coast is now home to the first fully electric tugboat in the world.

HaiSea Marine, a collaboration between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan, welcomed the arrival of the HaiSea Wamis this week as it crossed under the Lions Gate Bridge.

The Wamis will be based in the waters off the North Shore of Vancouver for the next year before moving up the Douglas Channel to Kitimat to support ship operations and perform escort towing for LNG carriers at LNG Canada’s new export facility, based in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation.

The HaiSea Wamis runs on 100 per cent electric power and is quick and quiet, operating with a total battery capacity of 5,288 kWh — equivalent to running 70 Teslas all day. It’s the first of three on their way to B.C. in the coming years.

HaiSea also operates dual-fuel escort tugs that use LNG and diesel, making the fleet the greenest in the world, said HaiSea in a release late last week.