Podcast

Podcast episode 22: Sustainable shipping: a methanol drive system makes a coastal vessel climate-friendly

As far as vehicles are concerned, whether cars or trucks – alternative drive systems are already firmly established. However, the picture is very different for marine operations. Sustainable shipping is still in its infancy. This was good reason for Rhenus to step out of the boat. Ralf Uebachs, the Head of Global Development at Rhenus Port Transport, uses the podcast to talk about a project very close to his heart: he purchased the hull for a coastal vessel in Romania and has turned it into a modern, climate-friendly vessel by inserting a low-emission Mitsubishi eight-cylinder diesel engine that is “methanol-ready”.

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.

 

Podcast
Logistics People Talk | Episode 22
18.04.2024

Logistics People Talk | Episode 22

Ralf Uebachs, the Head of Global Development at Rhenus Port Transport, explains how green methanol is paving the way for sustainable shipping and describes the Rhenus Group’s pioneering work here.