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Grant Covered $470,400 of costs to repower MARCO V with cutting-edge electric propulsion system

SAN DIEGO (May 2, 2025) – Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW), a boatbuilding and repair company operating a shipyard in Chula Vista, Calif., completed the electrification of its own diesel-powered 26’ truckable yard tugboat MARCO V. The conversion of MARCO V involved outfitting the tug with a fully integrated electric operating system, battery and charging system—offering comparable horsepower and torque to its diesel counterparts and continuous, emission-free power to run the tug. On average, the yard utilizes the tug approximately 80 hours a month. The electrification was made possible by the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust) which awarded the grant to MGBW in 2023 in the amount of $470,400 to cover 75% of the repower costs.

“Sustainability is truly at the forefront of our operations.   We don’t just meet environmental regulations, we exceed them,” said MGBW President Todd Roberts. “Being the first to convert a truckable tug to electric meant there was no one to ask, and this was a highly complex repower.  Through extensive engineering and close collaboration between component manufacturers and our expert team of mechanics, we navigated through it.”

MARCO V is a small harbor tug used in the towing of vessels to and from the boat lift piers and docks and transporting vessel crews prior to their vessels being hauled or after launch.  MGBW worked with an engineering team to program a user-friendly, battery-powered system.  More than 2,000 hours of MGBW labor went towards the removal of the existing engines and installation of the new system.

“We used this platform to produce a real-life demonstrator for an ‘off-the-shelf’ system commonly used in marine construction that would easily fit into a passenger vessel or truckable tugboat,” said Roberts.  “You don’t have to take our word of it; you can now come along for a ride to see for yourself.”

MGBW’s electric repower follows on the heels of Crowley Maritime and the Port of San Diego when they built the nation’s first fully electric tug, eWolf, in the spring of last year—pioneering steps to reach the California Air Resource Board’s (CARB) goal of zero-emission propulsion systems on newbuilds by 2035.

“MARCO V’s electrification is proof that zero-emission conversions are possible with a tugboat.  You don’t have to start from scratch which gets costly.  We have the expertise, resources, abilities—and now the proven application—to offer our electrification repower services to anyone in the industry,” said Roberts.

In addition to its newly electric tug, more than 85% of MGBW’s fleet of vehicles and forklifts are electric.  As part of a modernization project, MGBW is scheduled to install a 750kW solar plan system later this year primarily intended to support the new construction of vessels. Upon completion, it will be the only solar-powered boatbuilder in California.

The MARCO V is named after one of its longest running employees, Paint Supervisor Marco Vega, who has managed the shipyard’s vessel paint projects for more than 34 years.

About Marine Group Boat Works

Marine Group Boat Works is a family-owned, full-service maritime vessel construction and repair company with two waterfront facilities, on San Diego Bay and in Los Cabos, Mexico. Its largest shipyard in Chula Vista, Calif., encompasses one million square feet, with over 2,000 feet of dockage and a new 820-ton lift, rough terrain cranes, a machine shop, metal working equipment and a propeller shop. Its sister boatyard in San Jose del Cabo features over 300,000 square feet of land and water, with a 150-ton and 75-ton Travelift. Between the two facilities, MGBW employs over 200 ABS-certified welders, shipfitters, pipefitters, mechanics, electricians, painters and other boatbuilding and repair specialists. For more information, visit www.marinegroupboatworks.com.

About the VW Trust Grant

This VW Trust was established in 2018 as part of a settlement with Volkswagen intended to offset excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitted from countless 2.0- and 3.0-liter VW diesel vehicles equipped with illegal emissions testing devices between 2009 to 2015. The VW Trust provides about $423 million in grants for California entities to mitigate the excess emissions caused by VW’s use of illegal emissions testing devices.

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