World's first hybrid solar-powered inland shipping vessel launches

HGK Shipping has taken delivery of a solar energy system for inland shipping cargo vessel Blue Marlin, making the vessel the first inland shipping vessel in the world capable of hybrid sailing with solar power, according to the companies involved. 

HGK Shipping is a European inland waterway shipping specialist company operating a fleet of 350 vessels and has significant operations in European dry bulk, gas and chemical transport. 

The vessel’s 192-panel solar array came from Wattlab, which has worked previously with HGK Shipping on HGK’s 135-m dry cargo vessel Helios which earned an entry in The Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest solar panel installation on an inland shipping vessel at 312 solar panels.

According to Wattlab, Blue Marlin’s solar panel system is a more advanced, fully integrated system capable of contributing power directly to the ship’s high-voltage electric propulsion. For the system on board Helios, solar energy was used exclusively for low-voltage onboard (hotel) systems.

"This means HGK Shipping can proudly state it is the first inland shipping company to operate a vessel that uses solar power directly for propulsion," Wattlab co-founder and chief operating officer David Kester said.

Delivering up to 35 kW under optimal conditions, Blue Marlin’s solar power system will operate alongside four diesel generators to power the electric propulsion system.

This fully integrated system could even see the vessel sailing solely under solar power. 

"In situations where the ship is lightly loaded and travelling downstream, we anticipate it may even sail using only solar power for limited periods," Mr Kester said, noting the vessel will also use a combination of solar energy and batteries for ’peak shaving’ to prevent the need for activating an additional generator during periods of high-demand operations.

Blue Marlin’s solar panels were installed at De Gerlien van Tiem shipyard in the Netherlands.