Minister Harbers gives go-ahead for new construction of inland vessel propelled by green hydrogen

Fully emission-free inland shipping

On 30 March, Minister Harbers of Infrastructure and Public Works officially gave the starting signal for the construction of the ms Antonie, the first inland ship in Netherlands to run fully on green hydrogen. It is expected that the ship will embark on its maiden voyage in mid-2023. The project is a partnership between Nedstack, Nobian, Lenten Scheepvaart, Concordia Damen, Energy TransStore and inland ship cooperative NPRC, and is contributing to the realisation of fossil-fuel-free inland shipping.

The propulsion of an electric inland ship running on hydrogen is completely new and a demo project for Dutch inland navigation. The construction of the ms Antonie as such contributes to further development of this technology aboard ships. This among other things applies to the fuel cells used, with which the hydrogen can be converted to electricity. The parties involved also want to use the project as a means to accelerate the drafting of legislation surrounding the use of hydrogen in inland shipping.

The experiences gained during the development phase, construction, and launch of the ms Antonie will contribute to determining the viability and costs of comparable projects in the future. The project allows for mapping what is necessary in terms of regulations and facilities in order to safely use hydrogen in inland shipping on a larger scale.

The costs for the construction and development of the first 135-metre-long hydrogen-electric inland ship are about twice as high as that of a regular ship. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works is therefore making a significant contribution in order to cover the additional costs. Nobian, NPRC, and Lenten Scheepvaart made long-term agreements about this for the deployment of the ship. The ministry views the project as an important part of realising the European goal of making all inland shipping emission-free by 2050.

On 30 March, minister Harbers in the presence of inland shipping entrepreneur Harm Lenten, the CEO of NPRC, Femke Brenninkmeijer, and Nobian CEO Michael Koenig, signalled the official start of the construction of the ms Antonie. This was done symbolically through handing over an artist impression of the ship to be built to the minister.

The WEVA project is supported by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the European Commission (FCH-JU), the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Port of Rotterdam, Groningen Seaports, ABN AMRO, Koedood Dieselservice, the Province of South Holland, and the Province of Groningen.