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Two NYK Group companies - tugboat operator Wing Maritime Service Corporation (WMS) and tugboat builder Keihin Dock Co. Ltd. - have teamed with Niigata Power Systems to construct an environmentally-friendly tugboat.

The new tugboat will feature the hybrid propulsion system that Niigata Power Systems has developed and manufactured, and will be the first tugboat in Japan propelled by such a system.

The eco-friendly tugboat is being developed and manufactured with support from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) as part of the society's joint R&D with industry.

By adopting a propulsion system that uses electrical motors and high-performance rechargeable batteries in addition to conventional diesel engines, NYK says an efficient and eco-friendly operation can be achieved.

Using rechargeable batteries manufactured by IHI Corporation and capable of being charged not only by the onboard power generator but also power from land, the new tugboat is expected to emit 20 percent fewer CO2 emissions in port.

After being completed in January 2013 at Keihin Dock's Oppama Shipyard, the new tugboat will be used by WMS in towing operations mainly at the port of Yokohama.

"NYK continually strives through groupwide efforts to involve itself in measures that reduce the environmental impact caused by port facilities and operated vessels," NYK said in a statement.