Europe’s inland waterway shipping company HGK Shipping has placed an order for an innovative gas tanker with the Dutch shipyard De Gerlien van Tiem Scheepsreparatie – Nieuwbouw.
The new vessel, characterized by its unique features, is optimized to sail in shallow waters.
The vessel is equipped with a highly efficient diesel-electric drive system, a technological innovation that promises reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions. The environmentally friendly feature aligns with the industry’s increasing emphasis on sustainability and carbon footprint reduction.
The gas tanker boasts an extra-wide design, which significantly enhances its load-carrying capacity. This added space ensures that the vessel can accommodate a substantial volume of gas cargo, making it a formidable contender in the gas shipping market.
“The latest addition to our fleet will once again enable us to set a new benchmark for the sector. The unconventional dimensions guarantee a particularly high load capacity, even if water levels are low,” HGK Shipping said.
HGK Shipping has a fleet of more than 350 company and chartered vessels, and transports approx. 43 million tonnes of freight every year. The company focuses its transportation on the river Rhine and its tributaries as well as the associated canal system, connecting industrial regions in the BENELUX countries, France and Germany.
The company is actively pursuing the development of alternative drive systems at its shipping design center, including diesel-electric hybrid drives and purely electric or hydrogen-powered vessels in line with its decarbonization efforts.