Damen Group susbsidiary Concordia Damen has signed a contract with Dutch vessel operator Lenten Scheepvaart for the construction of the first inland waterway ship to run on hydrogen
Named MV Antonie, the 135-m ship will weigh 3,700 tonnes and boast a unique fuel-cell propulsion. MV Antonie will be used to transport salt between Delfzijl in the north of the Netherlands to Botlek in the Port of Rotterdam for chemical supplier Nouryon.
Concordia Damen chief executive Chris Kornet said of the contract, “At Concordia Damen we have always been at the forefront of bringing increased sustainability to our industry. Greening the inland shipping sector is something we feel passionate about and we will continue to work towards this goal. I believe there will not be one single way to reduce emissions in our sector, but a number of approaches. Hydrogen is likely to play an important role in the achievement of zero emissions in inland shipping. Lenten Scheepvaart are to be commended for taking this leading role.”
Lenten Scheepvaart has received a subsidy to construct the vessel worth €4M (US$4.8M) from the Netherlands Government’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, with the aim of stimulating the development of hydrogen as a fuel on the path towards zero-emissions inland shipping.
Likewise, the vessel and its operation will benefit from the subsidised hydrogen bunker station in Delfzijl.
Concordia Damen specialises in designing and building inland waterway vessels, including hybrid propulsion vessels.
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