Inland Shipping News

Van Oord’s cutter suction dredger Biesbosch and trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Apolonia are teaming up to dredge the Prinses Amaliahaven located on Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.A consortium of Van Oord, HOCHTIEF and Ballast Nedam has constructed 2.4 kilometres of new quay wall. The new quays are being dredged to a depth of more than 20 metres below sea level. This development means that the Port of Rotterdam Authority is ensuring an expansion of container capacity in Rotterdam.In total 1…

Uruguayan shipowner and operator TFF has contracted Dutch inland shipping construction yard Concordia Damen to build a CDS2410 Shallow Draft River Pusher (2.500 HP) to expand its fleet of pushboats. TFF will use the pusher for transporting cellulose pulp from Fray Bentos to the port of Nueva Palmira.Concordia Damen has thoroughly researched the river characteristics in the region in relation to the desired operational profile of the vessel. Based on this its engineers designed the most efficient pusher considering local conditions. This resulted in a proven low draft push boat design.

SEAFAR, a Belgian technology and service provider for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping operations, has set up the first Remote Operations Center in Germany; a project completed in conjunction with HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann.The Remote Operations Center, opened on February 28, 2024, enables captains to navigate vessels on inland waterways from dry land, a development seen as central to stemming problems from the shortage of specialist workers. The partners are working with the public authorities to use the permits…

Netherlands-based inland shipping company MerlinGroup is starting a conversion project for the Sayonara to retrofit Stage V engines.The Sayonara will be equipped with two DAF MX 13-390 Stage V engines, supplied and fitted by CCM3 from Werkendam. The Sayonara is expected to resume operations on Dutch, Belgian and German rivers in Q4 2023.The retrofit will make it future-ready and able to sail anywhere with minimal emissions of harmful substances.The company, which operates on a participation model of cooperation between company and equal partners…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and inland shipping operator PortLiner signed a contract for the construction of a charging and storage pontoon for flow batteries in the Hartelkanaal.From this bunkering station, PortLiner will supply electrically powered inland vessels with flow batteries. Construction is set to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with completion of the Netherlands’ first electrolyte bunkering station expected in Q1 of 2024.Pioneer in zero-emission transport solutionsDue to growing demand for electrically powered inland vessels…

Concordia Damen recently delivered a special project that involved the conversion of a Dutch barge into a Nigerian dredger. The trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Sayonara has now arrived and is at work on the Lagos Lagoon.Three years ago, the Werkendam shipyard came into contact with a Nigerian dredging company via Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. This eventually led to the start of the complex conversion project in December 2021. After extensive testing to ensure that the vessel…

Optimized to deal with shallow water levels, a diesel-electric drive system and an extra-wide design for the vessel are the main features of a gas tanker that HGK Shipping ordered from the Dutch shipyard, De Gerlien Van Tiem, on September 15, 2023. The latest addition to the fleet will enable the Duisburg, Germany inland shipping company to maximize cargo carriage even if water levels are low. “GAS 96” has been developed in close cooperation in line with the requirements of two large chemicals companies in the Netherlands and Germany.

Paraguayan shipowner and operator Girona S.A. – Rio Sur Transporte y Logistica has contracted Dutch inland shipping construction yard Concordia Damen to build a CDS4115 Shallow Draft 5.400 HP River Pusher to expand its fleet.Concordia Damen said it has thoroughly researched the Paraguay River characteristics in relation to the desired operational profile of the vessel. Based on this, its engineers designed the most efficient pusher considering local conditions, the builder said.

Cargill will charter the world’s first fully electric pusher boat and barges to transport cocoa beans in the Netherlands.The company will use Kotug International’s zero emission E-Pusher and E-Barges to transport cocoa beans from the Port of Amsterdam, the largest cocoa import port in the world, to its cocoa factory in Zaandam. The fully electrified pusher and barges eliminate both emissions and noise pollution for inland shipping.The E-Pusher 1 was christened this week, marking the official start of the operations with the vessel for Cargill…

HGK Shipping and the Port of Rotterdam signed a long-term cooperation agreement to promote sustainable concepts for inland waterway services leading to and from seaports. The document primarily focuses on the energy revolution and logistics for hydrogen as well as reducing CO2 emissions by using innovative drive concepts and digitalization. These topics are crucially important to ensure reliable and sustainable supplies for industry. The agreement therefore ensures that stable…

Jeffersonville, Ind. based American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) on Tuesday announced it has signed a contract with Belle Chasse, La. shipyard C&C Marine and Repair to build a 11,000 horsepower (HP) class towboat.Designed by Portland, Maine-based CT Marine, the twin-screw towboat will measure 198 feet long, with 50-foot beam and 12-foot depth. With accommodations for a crew of up to 12, the vessel incorporates a floating, spring-mounted superstructure for additional onboard comfort.

Last week, Dutch shipyard Concordia Damen was commissioned to build and equip an inland shipping tanker for Quinto Scheepvaart B.V. from Zwijndrecht. At This also marks the switch, after 25 years, that family business Quinto makes from container shipping to tanker shipping.Quinto Scheepvaart has opted for a tanker of the Parsifal type, a new generation of mineral (oil and light chemicals) tankers that Concordia Damen has developed itself and several of which are already operational.

Low water levels in the Rhine are worsening capacity shortages at Dutch river barges, a spokeswoman for the industry said on Monday.Demand for the largest barges, in the class of 135 meters, has surged as German users seek to import more coal, said Maira van Helvoirt of Netherlands Royal Inland Shipping (KBN).However, due to low water levels on the Rhine, many can only carry half their normal loads or less.In addition, out of the roughly 150 such ships usually on Dutch waterways, 15 have recently been sold or leased to Romania where they will be used to transport grain from Ukraine on the Donu

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a research grant to a consortium aiming to contribute to the transition to emissions-free inland waterway shipping.The PATH2ZERO (PAving THe way towards Zero-Emission and RObust inland shipping) project, led by Alex Kirichek, will see researchers, companies and social organizations start developing sustainable business models and action perspectives for partners in the inland navigation chain, such as skippers and shippers, to make use of.As part of the project…

A first-of-its-kind emissions-free push boat has been christened and delivered in Germany.The unique and innovative vessel, Elektra, was built over the course of nearly 2.5 years at Hermann Barthel GmbH in Derben and features battery-electric propulsion system combined with hydrogen and fuel cell technology, reportedly the world's first for a push boat. It will now undergo long-term prior to commencing commercial operations.The basis of the newly developed hybrid system is the battery package…

Kotug will deploy the E-Pusher type M and four barges for zero-emission barging of cocoa beans from CARGILL between the Port of Amsterdam, the largest cocoa import port in the world, and their cacao facilities in Zaandam. The innovative vessel is equipped with swappable battery energy containers from Shift Clean Energy (Shift). Cargill will be the first company with this fully electrified industrial setup for inland shipping. With the 100% electric E-Pusher is designed to be modular and scalable, with the type M designed to push barges with up to 4,000 tons of cargo.

Future Proof Shipping (FPS) joined FLAGSHIPS, a European innovation project, to bring the shipping company’s second zero-emissions inland container vessel, the FPS Waal, to Europe’s waterways.FPS will strengthen the FLAGSHIPS consortium and expand its green hydrogen-fueled fleet with the addition of the FPS Waal to the project. The FLAGSHIPS consortium aims to raise the readiness of zero-emission waterborne transport to an entirely new level by deploying two commercially operated zero-emission hydrogen vessels in the coming years.Over the coming months…

Germany's Rhine river has re-opened to shipping as water levels fell from recent highs in the last southern stretches blocked after last week's record rains, authorities said on Friday.Shipping had been stopped last week following the rains and flooding that caused heavy loss of life in Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century.The drop, which follows this week's hot, dry weather, allowed the re-opening of sections of the river around Maxau, the German inland waterways navigation agency said…

KOTUG International B.V. (KOTUG) established an inland shipping division to provide electric powered pusher tugs and smart AI-driven dispatch and route planning applications for the inland water transportation industry, aiming to support the worldwide energy transition and the modal shift from road transport to waterways while meeting the growing demand for electric-powered vessels. "The inland shipping market offers a great opportunity for sustainable logistical solutions," says Ard-Jan Kooren, CEO of KOTUG International B.V.

Finnish marine equipment and technology company Wärtsilä said on Thursday it is working to develop an autonomous, emissions-free intra-port, inter-terminal container shuttle that would help address the emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container transportation.The project is part of an international alliance headed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, which has this month been awarded nearly €25 million in EU funding to implement projects aimed at sustainable and smart port logistics.

Dutch shipbuilder Concordia Damen said Friday it has signed a contract for 40 eco-friendly dual-fuel barges with institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. The barges will be chartered by Shell and operated by the VT Group/Marlow. Frachtcontor Capital Partners was the broker for the deal.The 110- by 11.5-meters vessels will have liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion and extreme shallow draft capabilities – 2,800 ton on 3.25 meter draft – to maximize cargo carrying capacity on Dutch…

Concordia Damen announced Monday it has launched a capital fund to facilitate the purchase of new and/or used inland vessels.The company has made available a business plan tool on its website, providing its customers—on a nonobligatory basis—the possibility of having a customized plan calculated for a motor vessel of its stock database.The resultant plan is specifically designed to serve as the first assessment of the financing of a vessel. Following the data capture on the website…

Concordia Damen signed a contract with Lenten Scheepvaart for the construction of the first ever inland waterway vessel to run on hydrogen.MV Antonie will be 3,700 tons and 135m long, outfitted with fuel cell propulsion. The vessel will be used to transport salt between Delfzijl in the north of the Netherlands to Botlek in the Port of Rotterdam for Nouryon – a leading global chemical supplier."Hydrogen is likely to play an important role in the achievement of zero emissions in inland shipping…