Simone van Tongeren.
loaded. As the energy density of hydrogen is greater than batteries, travel distances can be longer.
Several hydrogen-powered ships are already sailing around, such as the ms Antonie and the H2 Barge 1 and 2, as well as training ship Ab Initio in Rotterdam, and, more recently, the ms Letitia. The intention is to have as many as 150 hydrogen-powered barges on Dutch inland waterways by the year 2030. To be able to smoothly refit and build new ships, the RH₂INE project urgently needs major international standardisations of laws and regulations. Gille: “It has to go faster and simpler, which currently is not possible.”
“The business case of the zero-emission barges is also difficult now”, Gille acknowledges. “Sailing a hydrogen ship is about twice as expensive as a diesel powered one. It would be possible to reduce costs through the certification and standardisation of board and shore technologies. Being able to recoup the extra investment is in the public interest. The soon obligatory pricing of C0₂-emissions is another piece of a big puzzle.”
Huge opportunities “There are huge opportunities in more cooperation within the whole value chain”, adds Simone van Tongeren of port entrepreneurs’ association Deltalinqs. “For entrepreneurs, it is important to create a market demand for sustainably transported goods. The new CSRD legislation will certainly encourage the demand. But it is of utmost important to invest in the necessary infrastructure.”
At the same time, the Deltalinqs project leader wants to guard against an overly one-sided focus on hydrogen. “We should not limit our scope to one technology only, like hydrogen-electric propulsion. Different types of cargo and of shipping routes might demand different propulsion technics and maybe new fuel options. We need to stay sharp and alert to new technical and market developments. As infrastructure does get ahead of the troops, we need to make decisions now on the necessary infrastructure for new fuels.”
Photo Mirjam Lems
Antwerp connection Arne Strybos is the fuel transition programme manager at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. For him it is obvious that there should be close coordination between the world ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges. “More cooperation to make inland navigation more sustainable is a logical thing to do, because we are both also major inland ports connected to the Rhine corridor. Barges often call both Rotterdam and Antwerp. We have a lot of traffic back and forth. Antwerp-Bruges has an important barge connection to Duisburg and to German industrial centers higher up along the Rhine”
According to Strybos, joint efforts can pave the way for a smooth introduction of hydrogen as a marine fuel. We need standardisation of technology, a similar policy approach and cooperation across national borders to accelerate the process and reduce costs. It is good to know that in Antwerp we have several hydrogen projects already in our daily routines, such as the hydrogen-powered port tug Hydrotug. Hydrogen is already readily available in Antwerp today. A multimodal refuelling station is operational, for instance, where ships can also go for bunkering hydrogen in gaseous form.
‘With green power ahead’
Port of Rotterdam intends to play a proactive role in the realisation of Europe’s hydrogen hub.Port of Rotterdam has a clear hub vision, bringing different parties together and developing plans to accelerate the energy transition.
Listen to the podcast ‘With green power ahead’ and find out more about current developments.
https://www.portofrotterdam.com/nl/node/3614
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