PRESS RELEASE
Arrival of the hull of the hydrogen-electric Ms Antonie in Rotterdam
28 February 2023 – Rotterdam
Welcome home, Ms Antonie!
The hull of Ms Antonie has been unloaded in Waalhaven. After a long journey from China, the hull of the world’s first newly built hydrogen-powered inland vessel has arrived in the Netherlands. Following the launching, the hull was transported to Werkendam aboard the pusher vessel L’Avenir.
The hull will be in good hands at the shipbuilder Concordia Damen in Werkendam for the next few months. This is where the completion of the hydrogen installation with storage tanks in the bow section will begin. With green hydrogen, we will generate electricity on board. It will be stored in batteries, allowing us to sail completely climate-neutral and silently.
Ms Antonie is better known as the Waterstof-Elektrisch Vrachtschip Antonie (WEVA). The ship will have innovative fuel cell propulsion on board. The bow section will house the hydrogen installation, including fuel cells, storage containers, and battery packs. With green hydrogen, electricity will be generated on board and stored in batteries. This means sailing emission-free and silently through the Netherlands.
On behalf of the inland shipping cooperative NPRC, Ms Antonie will transport salt for Nobian from the Eemshaven to the Botlek in Rotterdam. At the Botlek site, the chemical producer will convert the salt into chlorine, with hydrogen as a byproduct. This hydrogen will be converted into green hydrogen through electrolysis using wind energy. This integration of industry and logistics creates a unique circular chain, where a byproduct of a production process contributes to the sustainability of transportation.
Want to learn more?
Get in touch
Do you have any questions about this innovative hydrogen-electric inland vessel? Or would you like to know more about the results? I would be happy to answer them.
Harm Lenten
harm@wevaproject.nl