2. With other firms’ expressing interest in the hybrid technology, Foss and Aspin Kent are considering a joint venture to sell the technology, and have a patent pending. What other applications, besides tugboats, may be feasible?

While it may look like a standard tugboat, the Carolyn Dorothy is anything but.
In fact, this tenth vessel in the line of Dolphin-class tugs operated by Seattle-based Foss Maritime is a hybrid tug, the first of its kind in the world. Its power system includes two diesel generators and two diesel engines; electric motorgenerators;
and 126 12-volt lead-acid batteries weighing 18,000 pounds. The boat can operate off the batteries only, off the power of one or more generators or engines, or a mix of sources.
This highly variable combination allows the Carolyn Dorothy to match the power needed to the task at hand.
Founded in 1889, Foss Maritime began with a single used rowboat and grew into a global maritime empire whose services play an important role in the supply chains of numerous industries, from bridge construction to logging. In the spirit of continuous improvement, Foss has long desired to build a cleaner, more fuel-efficient tugboat—one that helps the company minimize toxic emissions and energy use. Recently, in collaboration with an engineering firm, it devised a way to adapt a standard, “off-the-shelf” power system and combine it with battery technology to create a hybrid tugboat.