Future Proof Shipping (FPS), a Dutch-based company renowned for its sustainable maritime solutions, has successfully launched its inaugural hydrogen-powered inland container ship, the “H2 BARGE 1.” The vessel was unveiled in Rotterdam on May 25th.
Nike, the multinational corporation, has already engaged the H2 BARGE 1 for its operations. In line with Nike’s own zero-carbon and zero-waste mission, the company has partnered with FPS and the BCTN Network of Inland Terminals to progress towards emission-free shipping.
With dimensions of 110 meters in length and 11.45 meters in width, the ship can accommodate 200 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers, and it also has provisions for an additional push barge. The retrofitting process to convert the vessel to hydrogen power was financed by the government and carried out by the Holland Shipyards Group over a span of five years. The ship’s original internal combustion engines were replaced with electric motors, hydrogen tanks, a PEM fuel cell for hydrogen generation from electricity, and a battery storage system.
Currently, the vessel has been chartered by the BCTN Network on behalf of Nike. It will operate multiple times per week between BCTN’s inland terminal in Meerhout and Rotterdam. The extensive use of this zero-emission vessel is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Future Proof Shipping aims to expand its fleet by operating ten of this hydrogen-powered inland and short-sea vessels within the next five years.
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