it to become rich”, says Treur, “but idealism alone won’t do the trick either.” For skipper Lenten, for instance, a ‘clean’ future for his children was a major motivation for taking on this technical venture. Nobian wants to be climate-neutral by 2045, which includes its own transport chain. The long-term transport contract with Nobian ensures Lenten reliable income. It also helps that Nobian itself supplies the green hydrogen for the Antonie, which is a by-product at its own sustainable chemical plant in Delfzijl.
Treur sees that large Dutch companies are open to higher freight rates. After all, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) guidelines require them to report annually on their environmental and climate impact. The directive includes transport activities. Based on this ‘balance sheet’, companies will be taxed for their CO₂-emissions. “Among German shippers, unfortunately, this CSRD directive has hardly been an issue so far”, the NPRC manager laments. This is because in Germany, implementation of the directive is still pending.
While the cooperative is consistently pursuing the Antonie hydrogen project in terms of personnel and finances, it is also keeping all options open for alternative propulsion systems. “While it may not quite fit within the zero-emission RH₂INE concept”, explains Treur, “we are also supporters of bridging concepts to zero-emission. After all, anything that contributes substantially to an emission reduction is a step forward.”
Aboard the Letitia.
Photo Scheepvaartkrant
Whenever Marcel Heuvelman talks about the all-new Letitia, he is always immediately asked about uncertainties and risks. The word ‘risk’, he says, does not describe what this is really about. It is about taking responsibility for a huge social problem, the climate changes that require an energy transition. “Not only us, but all parties involved in the Rhine corridor know that something has to be done to get the low-carbon energy transition done. This is a huge challenge, of which we are all very aware and which we are taking up together as partners within RH₂INE.” Social responsibility underpins the construction of the Letitia. The cooperation within RH₂INE has helped the HTS Group to choose cutting edge innovative technology to build a sustainable vessel.
Arno Treur
If as an industry we want to go emission-free with hydrogen, we have to do it
Wherever it goes, NPRC is trying to help its members who operate mainly smaller vessels to go green. “They are particularly at risk of losing out to road transport where we see a much faster decarbonisation process”, says Treur. He sees opportunities, though, as the Netherlands has 200 million euros available next year from the Climate Fund for greener shipping. Treur is now busy trying to get a slice of the cake for his members.
Marcel Heuvelman, managing director of family business HTS Group
In early November this year (2024), SDS Shipping, part of the HTS Group, officially launched the low-emission container ship Letitia. It is a new-built vessel that was created in cooperation with a large number of RH2INE partners.
It is the first hydrogen-fuel-cell electric-powered barge to sail up the Rhine. The container ship will have a fixed trajectory between Rotterdam and Duisburg. The industry is watching closely to see how the Letitia will perform. Will the vessel have trouble bunkering? Will there be enough shippers willing to pay higher transport costs for sustainable transport? How robust is the technology on board?
Heuvelman sees RH₂INE definitely as a good initiative, involving serious parties. “Sailing a completely new type of ship like the one we commissioned, with everything that comes with it, is something you cannot do alone. It is too complex and comprehensive.”
Marcel Heuvelman ‘Sailing a completely new type of
ship like the one we commissioned, with everything that comes with it, is something you cannot do alone. It is too complex and comprehensive for that’
There is, of course, a risk factor. Heuvelman won’t deny that, but in his view, it is part of being an entrepreneur. “Things happen all the time and these things are not always agreeable”, he says. Heuvelman therefore prefers to keep talking about a socially responsible choice, which he sums up as follows: “If everyone waits, nothing will happen.”
Asked about the special challenges SDS had to face when building the Letitia, Heuvelman mentions two aspects. On the one hand, there is the technical part of the on-board energy system, which has hardly been applied in inland navigation yet. However, the project has shown that a lot is possible.
RH2INE • 7
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