Thyssenkrupp Veerhaven, the logistics subsidiary of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe based in Rotterdam, has commissioned designs for a climate-friendly pusher tug.
For thyssenkrupp Veerhaven, this is the next port of call on its voyage to the sustainable fleet of the future, the parent company says. Following the evaluation, its seven pusher boats are to be gradually superceded by environmentally friendly models at the end of their technical service life, Kallanish hears.
The seven tugs ply a route between Europoort Rotterdam and the Ruhr area throughout the year, transporting around 18 million tonnes of raw materials for the iron and steel plants. According to tk Steel, the use of methanol as a fuel could save around 80% of current CO2 emissions, compared with the fossil-fuel diesel. The planned ships will be optimised for lower water levels, as the River Rhine tends to dip below critical levels more and more frequently during the summer months.
Normally, thyssenkrupp Veerhaven directly commissions shipyards to build a new vessel.
“For the uncharted waters of sustainable fuels, however, we took an innovative approach and arranged for specialist design offices to prepare offers for three separate designs,” says the unit’s ceo, Frank Tazelaar.
Christian Koehl Germany
