EMEA News
First European Inland Waterway Vessel with New Fuel Saving "Flex Tunnel Technology"
Rhenus PartnerShip (Rhenus) says it held a naming ceremony on August 14 for the Rhenus Duisburg, the first European inland waterway vessel to be equipped with newly developed fuel-saving "flex tunnel technology" and "father/son" engines, said to "significantly increase efficiency levels."
"The advantage of the 'father/son' power train system is that we can always guarantee the best possible consumption and emission levels when on the move," said Dr. Wolfgang Hönemann, Managing Director of Rhenus.
The "father" engines, which have a 1,500 bhp capacity, are intended for use on fully laden trips up the Rhine with three dumb barges, says the company.
Meanwhile, the 500 bhp capacity "son" engines are said to be intended for use on canals and empty runs downstream.
"As an important partner of industry, we offer our customers environmentally-friendly, safe and cost-effective means of transport. We pay particular attention to continually making use of new developments in technical equipment," said Hönemann.
The 110 metre long Rhenus Duisburg, said to have a smooth stern with a hydraulically extendible flex tunnel and a payload capacity of 2,900 tonnes, will be used as a motorized barge combination between Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Lünen, supplying coal to a power station.
Rhenus notes that two other motorised barge combinations, Rhenus Dillingen and Rhenus Thionville, were also named during the ceremony, both of which have they have been part of the company's fleet since July.
Both vessels are said to be 172 metres long, with a payload capacity of about 5,000 tonnes, and are being used to transport coal on the rivers Rhine, Mosel and Saar.
Last year, the first inland waterway vessel retrofitted with liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines under the European Union (EU)'s "LNG Masterplan Rhine-Main-Danube" project was launched.
