Freight News, Inland waterway

Rhenus makes inland waterways even greener

[ June 29, 2022   //   Chris ]

German logistics company Rhenus’s PartnerShip arm is investing in hybrid alternative fuelled articulated push barge units for its inland waterway services.

The Rhenus Mannheim I+II and Rhenus Wörth I+II are being built at the Den Breejen shipyard in the Netherlands and are due to be completed in September 2023 and the first trials should take place in the following month.

The units consist of a motorised vessel and up to three barges. The vessels weight distribution and novel propulsion allow them to operate in water depths of as little as 1.20 metres. Hull weight of the motorised vessel has been reduced to 510 tonnes, while the barges weigh just 390 tonnes.

The first Rhenus vessel of this new class, the Rhenus Mannheim I+II, are driven by a hydrogen fuel, a scalable and a long-lasting lithium-ion battery. It can also be operated by remote control. The Rhenus Wörth I+II uses a hybrid drive system consisting of batteries and motors and can be converted to operate on fuel cells.

The combination of drive technologies can reduce CO₂ and NO_x emissions by up to 72%, says Rhenus.

Tags: Rhenus