Electric inland vessel christened in Rotterdam

A naming ceremony was held at the Port of Rotterdam, on 9 September, for the electric container ship BON JOVI, type Gouwenaar 2.0, that was built to transport 600 million Heineken beer bottles per year, in a sustainable manner, between Alphen aan den Rijn and Rotterdam.

As informed, the vessel consumes 25% less fuel than other vessels with the same dimensions and is able to carry more containers. In addition, the ship experiences less drag thanks to its special hull design, so that it only needs two 192KW diesel generators to power its electric propulsion system. This is equivalent to two of the standard diesel generators found in a contemporary car.

To cut the vessel’s CO2 emissions to virtually zero, there are plans to replace these generators by a hydrogen cell at some point in the next four years, the port informed.

    “This is the very first ship to comply with EU requirements regarding the substantial reduction of inland shipping emission levels by 2020. As such, it forms an important next step in the realisation of a Green Corridor running between Zoeterwoude, Alphen aan den Rijn and the port of Rotterdam,” the port stresses in an official statement.

On 29 June 2017, a large number of companies, public authorities and research institutes – including Nedcargo, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Heineken – signed a letter of intent, setting ambition to realise one of Europe’s first sustainable corridors in this region. Some 20% of the total CO2 emissions of the Netherlands currently relate to activities in the traffic, transport and logistics sector.

Under the agreement, the 104 TEU inland barge ‘For Ever’ was chosen to transport Heineken beer from the company’s brewery in Zoeterwoude to the deep-sea terminals in Rotterdam, fueled with 30% biofuel.