Specifically, these are what’s known as ship-assist tugboats, which help nudge behemoth cargo ships into and out of major ports like Los Angeles.
Arc CEO and co-founder Mitch Lee told TechCrunch these kinds of tugboats are “torque-generating machines, which is really cool.” But the standard versions are powered by monster diesel engines that “just spew black carbon, [and] spew sulfur oxides” into the air, damaging the surrounding environment and risking the long-term health of the crews who work them.
