Transporting items by inland waterways could be a soiled enterprise, however an EU-backed mission is seeking to clear up its act – launching a container vessel powered by inexperienced hydrogen on a serious cargo route between the Netherlands and Germany.
Future Proof Delivery’s first inland delivery container vessel powered by inexperienced hydrogen was launched final yr, a 110 x 11.45-m (360 x 37.5-ft) barge that had its combustion engine whipped out and changed by electrical motors, hydrogen tanks, a fuel-cell system and batteries. The H2 Barge 1 started working between the Port of Rotterdam within the Netherlands and a BCTN inland terminal in Meerhout, Belgium, from June 2023.
The H2 Barge 2 mission – from Future Proof Delivery, the EU’s Flagships H2020 mission and ZEM Ports NS – is one other retrofit undertaken on the Holland Shipyard Group’s Werkendam facility close to Rotterdam, once more changing the diesel engines and gasoline tanks with a green-hydrogen-powered propulsion system, this time utilizing six 200-kW gasoline cells and making 1.2 MW of energy out there to the motors.
“Inland waterways are vital for freight transport in Europe, we’re thrilled to see a high-power container vessel being transformed to zero-emission,” mentioned Mirela Atanasiu, Government Director advert interim of Clear Hydrogen Partnership. “The H2 Barge 2 will carry data on how you can retrofit vessels from diesel combustion to zero-emission options, by utilizing batteries together with inexperienced hydrogen in a gasoline cell.”
The brand new demonstrator vessel has capability for 190 20-ft delivery containers, and can transport items on the Rhine between Rotterdam and Duisburg in Germany, a serious cargo route. The conversion from diesel to hydrogen is estimated to scale back CO2 emissions by 3,000 tonnes.
“We have been working exhausting for a number of years to get up to now,” mentioned Jyrki Mikkola, senior scientist at VTT and Flagships Venture Coordinator. “Having the primary demonstrator on the Rhine is actually a fantastic achievement by Future Proof Delivery and the remainder of the companions. The purpose of the Flagships mission is to take zero-emission waterborne transport to a wholly new degree. Now we’re one vital step nearer to reaching our objective.”
A second hydrogen-powered Flagships demonstrator known as the Zulu 06 is predicted to launch in Paris later this yr. Future Proof Delivery is aiming to construct and function a complete of 10 zero-emission inland/short-sea vessels over the following 5 years.
Supply: Future Proof Delivery