Discovering the hull at a Romanian shipyard was a real stroke of luck: for economic reasons, vessels of this size (2,950 DWAT payload capacity) have no longer been built for European coastal shipping for years – but they fit perfectly into the Rhenus portfolio in this sector. By inserting a low-emission engine, the latest digital technology on the bridge and a system for preparing ballast water in order to protect marine flora and fauna from contaminating organisms, the steel hull has become a coastal vessel that is ideally equipped for the future and meets current and future CO2 standards.
“The crucial issue for a good climate footprint, however, is that the methanol used in future is obtained from renewable energy sources – that is to say, it’s ‘green methanol’,” Ralf Uebachs states clearly. “When the time comes, we can modify the engine to make it an almost climate-neutral ‘methanol engine’ without a great deal of effort or expenditure.”
It is already certain how the vessel will be deployed: it will operate under the name, WILSON WEDAU, and be chartered to the Norwegian shipping company, Wilson ASA; Rhenus has had a cooperation arrangement with this company since 2021.
Have we aroused your interest? You can find the whole story at Logistics People Talk. Take a listen!
Note: This episode is only available in German.