Germany Opens Funding for Low- and Zero-Emission Inland Vessels

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday August 14, 2026

Germany has opened a new funding programme to support the shift to low- and zero-emission inland shipping.

The Federal Ministry of Transport has made up to €70 million available in the first funding call for the development of green inland waterway corridors, it said in a press release on Monday.

The funding will support the installation of cleaner propulsion systems on new and existing inland vessels, as well as the infrastructure needed to operate them.

This includes charging and refuelling facilities for alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol at ports and other locations along inland waterways.

Funding will also be available for renewable electricity and renewable hydrogen production facilities, along with storage systems and mobile supply facilities at transshipment and berthing locations outside ports.

German Transport Minister Steffen Bilger said the programme would help bring emission-free propulsion systems and the infrastructure needed to support them into operation more quickly.

The scheme is also intended to encourage more freight and passenger traffic to move onto Germany’s waterways while supporting the competitiveness of the country’s inland shipping sector.

Companies, municipalities and other economically active entities based in Germany are eligible to apply.

Applications for the first call will open through the government’s funding portal on August 17.

The deadline for applications will be announced at a later date.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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