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.
Like every sector of cargo and passenger shipping, “digitalization”—where computerized processes are replacing onboard routines previously handled manually— is an ongoing trend coastwise, on the waterways and harbors. Regulatory compliance, especially with Subchapter M for towing vessels
Water levels on the river Rhine in Germany have fallen again in dry weather on Friday, with some vessels no longer able to sail, shipping operators and brokers said.Rhine cargo shipping continues, but with vessels sometimes forced to sail three-quarters empty with cargo owners often needing to pay for four vessels to transport their loads instead of one.
The European Union is underwriting a project, called Current Direct, to facilitate and hasten the transition to battery powered commercial maritime vessels. It's funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. It also has 13 private sector partners, including Blackstone Resources, Spear Power Systems and Wärtsilä.
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).
KOTUG International B.V. and Shift Clean Energy announced the formation of a partnership to use Shift’s new PwrSwäp clean energy service—which uses swappable batteries on a pay-as-you-go basis—on KOTUG’s E-Pusher vessels.The signing of the MoU coincides with COP26 in Glasgow, where reducing global greenhouse gases (GHGs) is at the top of the agenda.
Wärtsilä will supply the engines for two new pusher tugs being built for the Brazilian operator Hidrovias do Brasil at the Uzmar Shipyard in Turkey. There is an option for an additional two vessels. The Hidrovias fleet already includes a number of vessels operating with Wärtsilä engines