Dutch company Conoship is designing a hydrogen-fuelled short sea cargo vessel, of about 5000 dwt, in a partnership with Tata Steel and Van Dam Shipping of Groningen.
The steel company wants to reduce CO2 emissions resulting from sea transport of steel coils. The new ship is believed to be the first of its type; existing hydrogen-powered vessels, either pure hydrogen or hybrid, are mainly small ferries and inland waterway vessels.
Cem Ugur, head of chartering and operations, Tata Steel, said: “We want to be a sustainable company on all fronts. That means that we will not only be making green steel with hydrogen in the future, but at the same time we are also looking at how we can use hydrogen even more. For example, to make our logistics more sustainable. We are therefore also investing in green ships to transport our steel coils.”
Jan van Dam, MD Van Dam Shipping added: ‘I am delighted to be working with Tata Steel on the delivery of an emission-free vessel. Our relationship with Tata Steel goes back many years and every week one of our ships loads steel in IJmuiden. This collaboration will intensify our relationship and contribute to our energy transition goals as a company and the shipping industry.’
Tata Steel ships 2m tonnes of steel coils per annum to various European countries. Van Dam is an established name in the Dutch shipping industry and the collaboration will give Tata Steel the opportunity to transport steel coils in a more sustainable way, expected from 2024. The goal is for the hydrogen-powered ship to sail 100% CO2-free, saving around 3000t of CO2 per year compared to a ship that sails on conventional fuels.
