Electric propulsion in the Dutch inland shipping sector

By Tom Scott

Ambitions
for carbon neutrality come in many sizes. On the international stage, numerous
countries around the world have declared their intentions to attain a state of
net zero carbon emissions. This list is quite exclusive; comprising less than
ten countries, including ‘big names’ such as Norway and Sweden as well as small
low-lying island nations such as Maldives and Tuvalu. The Swedish government
has taken the issue a step further than specified by the Paris Climate
Agreement, using it as a springboard to pass legislations with even more
ambitious goals.

It must be
said, however, that these national ambitions can only be achieved with an
all-inclusive approach. In other words, switching energy policies from coal to
renewables is not enough to accomplish carbon neutrality. Emissions originating
from transport and industry also have to be addressed.

In bringing
the story back to the Netherlands, even though the Dutch government has yet to
announce official aims for its zero carbon footprint, there are still signs
showing that the country is taking steps towards a more sustainable future, if
not yet full carbon neutrality. One notable example is the zero carbon
footprint of the country’s train network; accomplished by using electricity
gained from wind energy.

Considering
the substantial size of the inland shipping fleet in the Netherlands, this is
also a sector that has great potential for reducing its carbon footprint. The
question to ask is: just how big a part will electric propulsion play in the
future of maritime transport in the Netherlands? Part of the answer lies in the
fact that cooperation between companies is leading to more sustainable
transport. Sometimes subsidies are involved; as in the case with the 100 per
cent battery powered Port-Liner vessels receiving a 7 million euro European
subsidy. The so-called ‘Green Corridor’ is another pertinent example. An
initiative involving 20 partners, including Nedcargo, the Port of Rotterdam
Authority and Heineken, the overall ambition is to create a carbon neutral,
economically sustainable transport solution between Zoeterwoude, Alphen aan den
Rijn and the port of Rotterdam.

“We have an
agreement with Heineken to transport containers from their brewery in
Zoeterwoude to the Port of Rotterdam – with the goal to make this route carbon
neutral,” says Bert van Grieken, managing director Nedcargo Multimodal,
referring to the sustainable inland vessel Gouwenaar 2, which was launched in
September last year.

For Van
Grieken, increasing the sustainability of inland shipping is also a way to stay
competitive. “Even though inland shipping is still seen as an efficient and
‘green’ mode of transport, we have to make sure that we don’t sit still – we
have to keep developing. This is especially in light of the fact that the road
transport industry is getting more and more technologically advanced in terms
of sustainability. It is important to maintain inland shipping’s competitive edge.
Moreover, climate change issues are very important to us. We feel the
responsibility to address environmental problems.”

Nedcargo’s
own sustainability goals, just like those of the small group of countries who
have declared their intentions for carbon neutrality, are also not tied to
regulations. “Our ambitions are to go much further than compliance with
upcoming EU legislation for the inland shipping sector. We are working towards
carbon neutrality – and there are no regulations set up for this,” he says.

To this
end, electric propulsion features significantly in Nedcargo’s plans for the
future. With the  Gouwenaar II, the
company has made the conscious decision to develop it further. “This is a very
important step, and therefore we have designed the vessel with a modular
propulsion system. Electricity is currently generated by diesel generators, but
we can replace these with batteries at a later stage without making
modifications to the ‘heart’ of the ship; the propulsion line. We have that
flexibility.”

Van Grieken
concludes by pointing out the importance of a well-developed supportive
infrastructure for an possible electric-powered inland shipping sector. “We
might end up with a chicken and egg scenario,” he notes. “There will have to be
sufficient infrastructure for charging vessels, but on the other hand there has
to be enough demand in order to construct the infrastructure in the first
place.”

With its
DNV‐GL approved Lithium battery systems, EST‐Floattech is a major player in
energy storage systems for the maritime sector. The company has realized a
strong track record since its establishment in 2009, supplying battery systems
to tugs, workboats, canal boats, yachts and ferries.

“We are close to the tipping point”

“Electric
and hybrid propulsion in the Dutch inland shipping sector is still in the
beginning phase”, says EST‐Floattech commercial director Paul van Wijk. “The
situation with the inland shipping sector is that, apart from a few big
players, many of the operators are small family businesses and self-employed
entrepreneurs. Although they have insufficient resources to invest, they still
know that they need to develop and become more sustainable in order to stay
competitive and comply with upcoming regulations.”

Despite the
lack of investment, inland shippers are still preparing for the future: “What
we are currently seeing is that although new barges are being built as
diesel-electric, they have the possibility at a later stage to install
batteries.”

One of its most
recent contracts of EST‐Floattech was for three multi-purpose vessels for the
Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. Van Wijk: “For most of our
clients, it will be their first project involving electric propulsion, but we
can think along with them from the start to the finish of their project, and
provide support during the conceptual design, detailed engineering and final
installation on board the vessel.”

Although,
compared to the automotive industry, electric and hybrid propulsion has kicked
off slowly, companies like EST-Floattech see great potential in the inland
shipping sector. “It is the most mature and sustainable method of propulsion,
but like the automotive industry, people need to get used to the idea. What is
also very important is the infrastructure on land shows the same development.
Charging an electric vessel needs be done in an efficient way without causing
congestion,” notes Van Wijk.

“The technology has proved itself though; the first test cases have shown that, in terms of maintenance and operations costs, there are even more benefits than predicted. Therefore people are less sceptical and see more of possibilities.” Taking into account that the lion’s share of life cycle costs for a conventional diesel powered inland vessel are taken up by fuel costs, the reduced OPEX of electric and hybrid vessels should counteract their greater initial investment. “If you compare today with three years ago, then electrification and energy storage in the maritime sector is on the verge of becoming really big”, Van Wijk concludes. “We are really close to the tipping point.”

This article was previously published in Maritime Holland magazine, issue 3, 2018