Port of Rotterdam has launched ZES a new company that helps increase the sustainability of the inland shipping sector by leasing exchangeable battery containers (known as ZES-Packs) to businesses in inland shipping.
This year, the first ship fitted with ZES-Packs, De Alphenaar, will already be carrying beer from the Heineken brewery in Alphen aan de Rijn to the port of Moerdijk. This first vessel will be joined by another five over the course of 2021.
The first ZES charging station will be realised in Alphen aan de Rijn. The network of charging stations will be gradually expanded to form a national grid of approximately 20 charge points. An inland vessel can travel some 50 to 100 km on two charged ZES-Packs – depending, among other factors, on the currents and the vessel’s size and draught. ZES will initially be limiting its focus to the container inland shipping segment. By 2030, the company expects that around 150 inland vessels will be powered by the new battery containers.
Today, Zero Emission Services B.V. (ZES) was founded. ZES is introducing a new energy system for making inland shipping more sustainable. This will be realized with emission-free navigation infrastructure that is accessible to everyone. Clean, climate-neutral and ready to compete with fossil fuels.
ZES offers a complete range of products and services, based on interchangeable battery containers charged with renewable power, charging stations, technical support and an innovative payment concept for ship owners.
The company was founded by ING, energy and technical service provider ENGIE, maritime technology company Wärtsilä and the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management supports this first step in the transition to emission-free inland shipping. The HEINEKEN beer company has entered into an agreement with ZES, who will be providing emission-free beer transports from the brewery in Zoeterwoude to Moerdijk for ten years – a vital vote of end customer confidence.
The Paris Climate Agreement calls for a more sustainable transport sector. Today, the Dutch transport sector is collectively responsible for 21% of all carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the Netherlands. Within the transport sector, inland navigation makes up 5% of carbon dioxide emissions. The Green Deal Zeevaart, Binnenvaart en Havens (Maritime, Inland Shipping and Ports) includes agreements that aim to make inland shipping more sustainable. With a transformation from diesel-powered inland shipping to fully electrically powered transport, the inland shipping sector is taking an important step towards realizing climate agreement goals. In addition, electric barges will no longer emit nitrogen oxide.
Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, states: “The Netherlands is frontrunner in sustainable transport by water. Well over 1/3 of all goods and 80% of bulk transportation takes place via inland waterways. Not only does this lessen truck transportation, which reduces traffic, inland vessels also emit significantly less CO₂. That advance is extended even further with these new emission-free ships.”
How does it work?
Willem Dedden, CEO of Zero Emission Services: “With ZES, we are introducing a systemic change in inland navigation, allowing barges to sail emission-free thanks to replaceable battery containers. These ‘ZESPacks’ are charged with sustainably generated power. A network of open access charging points will be set up for exchanging battery containers. Here, depleted ZESPacks are exchanged for full ones, so that ships can sail on quickly, with minimal waiting time. The energy containers are designed for multiple applications, so they can also be temporarily used on shore to stabilise the electricity grid or to meet momentary local demand for electricity. The system is future-proof because it is independent of the energy carrier. We will start out using batteries, but if hydrogen becomes cheaper in the future, hydrogen technology-equipped containers with will be able to supply power in the same way.
Low threshold through innovative financing
In order to make the transition to emission-free sailing easier for skippers, an innovative ‘pay per use’-based financing model has been developed. As a result, ZES only charges the cost of consumed renewable energy and a battery container rental fee, so that the skipper’s operating costs remain competitive. However, ships must be equipped with an electric propulsion line.
This systemic change involves a total cost of € 20 million for the first phase. Financial supported is provided by ING bank, ENGIE, Wärtsilä, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Dutch government. The government’s contribution is in the form of a grant from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works and a grant from the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland supporting the goal of making transport more sustainable.
Additional support comes from HEINEKEN, in the shape of a long-term transport agreement and an initial contribution to the development costs of a first ship operated by its carrier CCT. CCT will not charge any handling costs for the loading and unloading of the first ship.
A strong team effort, in which all parties have contributed to making this systemic transition financially feasible and ensuring the lowest possible threshold for skippers, ship owners and forwarders to make the switch.
First order
HEINEKEN has been involved as a forwarder since the initial development of the system and is now the first end customer to sail with this new system. The first ship will be used to transport beer from the HEINEKEN brewery in Zoeterwoude via the inland shipping terminal Alpherium to the port of Moerdijk. HEINEKEN considers it important to contribute to the development of clean climate-neutral logistics with sustainably powered transport. The company aims to make its entire chain climate-neutral.
Ambition
ZES plans to use this concept to move the entire inland navigation and short sea sector toward emission-free sailing. The first loading point will be along the Zoeterwoude – Alpherium – Moerdijk corridor. Next, the focus will be on setting up an Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp corridor and making a connection to Nijmegen. In the first phase the emphasis will be on converted and newly built inland container ships.
The Port of Valencia begins electrification of its docks. Image: Port Authority of Valencia
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A new step in the decarbonisation of the Port of Valencia and its firm commitment to be an emission neutral site by 2030. The Port Authority of Valencia (APV) has put out to tender the drafting and execution of the works for the electrical connection to ships for the Transversal Costa-MSC quay. This is the first electrification or Onshore Power Supply (OPS) project to be carried out by Valenciaport in the Valencian precinct.
The APV is thus initiating the procedure for the award of the contract for the drafting and execution of the project for the installation of electrical connections for ships and the maintenance of the same at the Transversal de Costa quay. To this end, Valenciaport has jointly launched the drafting of the construction project, the execution of its works and the maintenance of the installations in the same procedure for an amount of 12,468,626.8 euros (VAT included).
Onshore Power Supply (OPS) electrification infrastructures have been consolidated as a very useful tool for the decarbonisation of ports, as this system avoids the use of auxiliary engines of ships when they are docked in the enclosures. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions – due to the use of electricity that eliminates the consumption of fossil fuels used in these auxiliary engines – and stops the emission of particles and polluting gases.
This OPS initiative in the Port of Valencia will be carried out in parallel with the works on the new electrical substation – a second substation is also planned – which was put out to tender last month with a base budget of around 11 million euros and a completion period of 24 months. This infrastructure will be responsible for supplying green energy to the first OPS electrification project of the Transversal de Costa-MSC quay.
In this regard, Joan Calabuig, president of Valenciaport, stressed that “these are just two examples of real projects in the execution phase that confirm the firm commitment that Valenciaport is making to achieve the goal of being a zero-emissions port by 2030, twenty years ahead of the European Green Pact. It is a commitment to sustainability and to the society of our environment that is supported by initiatives such as the electrification of the docks, the use of hydrogen in port operations, the installation of photovoltaic plants or the commitment to intermodality with the railway. We are committed to sustainable growth that reinforces our position as a port of reference in the Mediterranean”.
Project included in the Next Generation Funds
The joint contracting of the preparation of the project and the execution of the corresponding works in the same procedure is carried out in response to the fact that there are no references in Europe compatible with the ISO/IEC/IEEE 80005 standard and in Spain there is currently no previous experience of OPS projects in operation with the characteristics of the pilot project defined by the Port Authority of Valencia. The combination of the individual components required for this type of installation (transformers, protection cells, disconnectors, frequency converters, etc.) with infrastructures for supplying electricity to ships requires specific projects, with technically complex solutions that have to be designed specifically for each location. In addition, and given that the execution of the construction project is subsidised by the European Union’s Next Generation funds and the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the joint tender is the only way to meet the established deadlines, since if two separate contracts were launched, the one for the execution of the construction project could not be launched until the one for the drafting of the construction project had been awarded, which would mean that the work would be completed beyond the deadline for the execution of the works to meet the target set by Europe.
MOL joins GCMD as impact partner to accelerate decarbonisation. Image: Pixabay
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The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation GCMD and MOL announced the signing of a five-year Impact Partnership agreement. On the same day, both parties held a signing ceremony at the GCMD office in Singapore.
Decarbonisation in the maritime industry is a challenge that needs to be achieved through accelerating collaboration and increasing investment by shipping companies, their customers, ports, energy suppliers and public sector actors. As an Impact Partner of GCMD, MOL will utilise its expertise developed over their long history and make various contributions and collaborations through its participation in GCMD’s projects, including providing access to vessels, operating data and evaluation reports so that internal learnings can be shared publicly and used for future trials.
MOL is one of the world’s leaders in the maritime industry and has been leading worldwide discussions on achieving decarbonisation. The carbon budget concept imposes a ceiling to the cumulative amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that can be emitted globally in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius by 2050. Intermediate targets to reduce emissions, in addition to a net-zero target, are necessary. While plans are in place to adopt low or zero emissions vessels in the future, it is important to deploy measures to reduce emissions now. Such measures include the use of low-carbon and transition fuels that are available today, and deploying energy savings devices onboard vessels. MOL will bring its extensive capabilities and experience to bear as it joins GCMD and existing partners to accelerate international shipping’s decarbonisation.
Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, said: “We are proud to have MOL, one of the leading shipowners in Japan, come onboard as an Impact Partner. We are excited to tap on MOL’s track record in developing technical energy efficiency measures to broaden our perspective as we scope an initiative to help increase industry adoption of measures that can increase fuel efficiency of ships.”
Toshiaki Tanaka, Representative Director, Executive Vice President Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of MOL, said: “We are very pleased to be a partner of one of the most important global coalitions. We will make our biggest effort to contribute and accelerate progress towards the net zero future in maritime industry, together with GCMD and all its partners.”
About the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) was set up on 1 August 2021 as a non-profit organisation. Our strategic partners include the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), BHP, BW Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Foundation Det Norske Veritas, Ocean Network Express, Seatrium, bp, Hapag-Lloyd and NYK. Beyond the strategic partners, GCMD has brought on board 15 partners that engage at the centre level, in addition to more than 80 partners that engage at the project level.
Strategically located in Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering hub and second largest container port, GCMD aims to help the industry eliminate GHG emissions by shaping standards for future fuels, piloting low-carbon solutions in an end-to-end manner under real-world operations conditions, financing first-of-a-kind projects, and fostering collaboration across sectors.
Wan Hai Lines establishes its new office in India. Image: Unsplash
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Aiming to further enhance service quality and gain a stronger foothold in the Indian sub-continent, Wan Hai Lines has established its India new office in Kolkata in July 2023. Contact details for the new office are as follows: WAN HAI LINES (INDIA) PVT. LTD 3rd Floor, Block C, Apeejay House, 15 Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700016 TEL: 91-33-4450 4500 According to the 2023 Foreign Trade Policy announced by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India’s export trade volume will reach 2 trillion US dollars in 2030.
Therefore, benefiting from government policy incentives and the shifting trend of the global supply chain, India’s status in global manufacturing and international trade is increasing, which is conducive to maintaining long-term high economic growth. And the proportion of global exports has increased significantly. In addition, the continuous economic stimulus policy will help revitalize the domestic economy, and domestic demand is expected to increase significantly. Therefore, Wan Hai is optimistic about India’s future import and export situation. And also through the establishment of a new office to improve the overall operating efficiency.
Wan Hai India Kolkata office held a grand opening reception in the evening of 27th July. During the banquet, there were many important customers & guests. The Kolkata Port Authority, Kolkata terminal operators, feeder operators and important local customers were invited to send representatives to attend the meeting to express their blessings to Wan Hai’s opening of the Kolkata market. At present, Wan Hai has six owned offices in India, namely Mumbai, Chennai, Mundra, and Vizag, Delhi and the sixth office Kolkata office. In addition to directly providing river port services, it will also simultaneously strengthen service links between India and neighboring countries, such as Nepal and Bhutan. It is expected to pursue customer first through continuous expansion in the future and sustainable business philosophy.
