The first hydrogen inland vessel in the world: FPS Maas

Source: futureproofshipping.com

Future Proof Shipping invites to the new FPS Maas Open Day on Friday, 26 May 2023. Here, it will be possible to visit the first zero-emissions vessel: FPS Maas. A container ship that transports any cargo with no emissions. FPS Maas is a 110 x 11,45 m inland container vessel, typical of the vessels that sail on the Rhine. Having completed months of energy profiling, the container vessel was retrofitted at the Holland Shipyards Group’s yard in Hardinxveld and will sail 100% on hydrogen power by 26 May 2023. The event will take place at BlueCity, Maasboulevard 100, 3063 NS Rotterdam, from 10.00-15.00 h. For more information on the project, see https://futureproofshipping.com/projects/the-maas/

Efficient waterways are indispensable for climate protection

Source: Image by Markus Distelrath from Pixabay

At the Rhine Conference 2023, four German states called for more speed in the interest of better inland waterway transport and signed the updated “Düsseldorf List”. The list contains 30 necessary infrastructure projects to strengthen inland navigation. Solidarity for the timely expansion of Europe’s most important waterway: At the Rhine 2023 state conference, three state ministers responsible for transport called for more speed in the interest of better inland waterway transport.

The effect of severe drought on the navigability of the Rhine was once again drastically evident in the summer of 2022. Due to climate change, but also due to the poor condition of the federal waterways, such events will increasingly endanger the supply chains along Europe’s most important waterway if countermeasures are not taken promptly with moderate expansion.

The Transport Ministers Winfried Hermann (Baden-Württemberg), Tarek Al-Wazir (Hesse), Oliver Krischer (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Daniela Schmitt (Rhineland-Palatinate) signed the updated “Düsseldorf List” on 4 May 2023 in Mannheim: Great urgency is required to strengthen climate-friendly inland shipping. The list, also signed by Minister Christian Bernreiter (Bavaria), contains 30 urgently needed infrastructure projects to strengthen the important water transport route, the inland ports and the accompanying infrastructure. Compared to the first list, which was signed around ten years ago, eight projects have been dropped. However, 27 important projects are included unchanged, including all waterway projects.

Source (in German): https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilung/pid/leistungsfaehige-wasserstrassen-fuer-klimaschutz-unverzichtbar-1