Batteries for barges

GREEN RIVER

INLAND SHIPPING • THE GREENING OF BARGE TRANSPORT IS ACCELERATING AS AUTHORITIES, OPERATORS AND CHARTERERS LOOK AT WAYS TO CUT EMISSIONS

PROMOTING THE USE of inland waterways to move freight in bulk is seen as part of a broader effort to reduce the environmental impact of the haulage industry in general, by moving trucks off the roads where possible. That is particularly the case in the industrial corridor along Europe’s rivers and canals but also in China, where there is growing political pressure to reduce polluting emissions.

But inland waterway transport can become even more beneficial to the environment if it can take advantage of the same sorts of developments seen already in the oceangoing maritime sector, by switching from fossil fuels to alternatives with a lower environmental impact.

At the end of May this year, for example, the provincial authorities in Guangdong, China signed an agreement with China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) to implement a massive conversion project involving some 1,500 vessels working on the Pearl River. The framework cooperation deal is designed to support the conversion of these vessels to use LNG as fuel, rather than conventional fuels. It also anticipates the construction of 19 bunkering facilities by 2025.

It is expected that the project will involve the supply of up to 400,000 tonnes of LNG per year, replacing oil-based fuels. The partners calculate that this will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from inland ships in the province by 12.6 per cent and 19.5 per cent, respectively.

PLUG AND GO In Europe, where LNG has been used by inland vessels for some time, attention is now moving towards the next generation of alternative fuels, with the aim of decarbonising the fuel chain altogether. At the start of June this year, a consortium established Zero Emission Services BV (ZES), which has designed a new energy system to make inland shipping even more sustainable (below).

ZES is planning to offer a complete range of products and services based on the concept of battery containers, charged with renewable power, along with charging stations, technical support and attractive payment terms. The idea is that inland barges will pick up a battery along with their cargo call, run the barge until the battery is exhausted, and swap it out for a recharged battery at the next charging station.

Explaining more, ZES CEO Willem Dedden says: “With ZES, we are introducing a systemic change in inland navigation, allowing barges to sail emission-free thanks to replaceable battery containers. These ‘ZESPacks’ are charged with sustainably generated power. A network of open-access charging points will be set up for exchanging battery containers. Here, depleted ZESPacks are exchanged for full ones, so that ships can sail on quickly, with minimal waiting time. The energy containers are designed for multiple applications, so they can also be temporarily used on shore to stabilise the electricity grid or to meet momentary local demand for electricity.

“The system is future-proof because it is independent of the energy carrier,” Dedden adds. “We will start out using batteries, but if hydrogen becomes cheaper in the future, hydrogen technology-equipped containers will be able to supply power in the same way.”

In order to make the transition to emissionfree sailing easier for skippers, an innovative ‘pay per use’-based financing model has been developed. As a result, ZES only charges the cost of consumed renewable energy and a battery container rental fee, so that the skipper’s operating costs remain competitive. However, ships must be equipped with an electric propulsion line.

ALL CONNECTED A total of €20m has been invested in the project’s first phase, with contributions from ING Bank, Engie, Wärtsilä, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Dutch government, the last by means of grants from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works and the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, in support of its goal of making transport more sustainable.

Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, states: “The Netherlands is frontrunner in sustainable

transport by water. More than a third of all goods and 80 per cent of bulk transportation takes place via inland waterways. Not only does this lessen truck transportation, which reduces traffi c, inland vessels also emit signifi cantly less CO². That advance is extended even further with these new emission-free ships.”

The fi rst customer has already signed up to ZES: brewer Heineken has signed a long-term transport agreement and contributed to the startup cost by helping develop a new vessel to be operated by its carrier CCT. Under the deal, beer will be moved from the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude via the Alpherium terminal in Rotterdam and on to Moerdijk.

This contract will establish the fi rst ZES corridor, with plans to extend this to run from Amsterdam to Antwerp via Rotterdam, with a connection to Nijmegen. zeroemissionservices.nl

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