Hydrogen-powered inland cargo barge ready to sail on the Rhine

Rotterdam – The retrofit has been completed and a new hydrogen-powered cargo barge is now ready to begin operations on the Rhine sailing between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Duisburg in Germany. Dutch shipowner Future Proof Shipping (FPS), the EU-funded Flagships project, and the Interreg-funded ZEM Ports NS project celebrated that milestone in a project that they believe will serve as a model for the industry. “This is another proud moment for us, it proves moving cargo with zero emissions and zero impact is not only possible, it’s scalable too, - said Richard Klatten, CEO of Future Proof Shipping. – Successfully launching our second hydrogen-powered inland cargo vessel is just as important an achievement as the first, not just for Future Proof Shipping, ZEM Ports NS, and the Flagships project, but for the future of green shipping.” FPS announced its plans for the conversion of the two barges in 2021 and working with partners including Holland Shipyard Group´s Werkendam facility, just outside Rotterdam, overcame key hurdles to bring the ships to service.

The first barge was completed in May 2023 with the plan calling for the vessel to operate between Rotterdam and Antwerp. It is chartered to BCTN Network of Inland Terminals on behalf of Nike EMEA. The company has said its plan is to put 10 inland and short-sea vessels into service in the five years. The ‘H2 Barge 2’ is the first of two demonstrators in the EU-funded Flagships project, and the second demonstrator of the ZEM Ports NS project.

The vessel, formerly ‘Fenny 1’ and ‘FPS Waal’, was built as a conventionally powered containership. It is 360 feet (110 meters) in length with a capacity of approximately 200 TEU. During 2023, ‘H2 Barge 2’ was stripped of all combustion engines and fossil fuel tanks by Holland Shipyards Group after reaching the yard in August. Now, the vessel has a completely emission-free propulsion system including PEM fuel cells, hydrogen storage, battery packs, and an electric drive train installed below deck.

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