The first ever inland hydrogen vessel has reached the Netherlands onboard the heavy lift vessel Sun Rise. Named Antonie, the vessel will be 135 metres long and feature a cargo capacity of 3,700 tons boasting a revolutionary fuel cell propulsion. 

Antonie will be used to transport salt between Delfzijl in the north of the Netherlands to Botlek in the Port of Rotterdam for Nouryon – a leading global chemical supplier, Concordia Damen said in its statement. The yard will carry out the final outfitting of the vessel.

Concordia Damen CEO Chris Kornet said, “At Concordia Damen we have always been at the forefront of bringing increased sustainability to our industry. Greening the inland shipping sector is something which we feel passionate about and we will continue to work towards this goal. I believe there will not be one single way to reduce emissions in our sector, but a number of approaches. Hydrogen is likely to play an important role in the achievement of zero emissions in inland shipping. Lenten Scheepvaart are to be commended for taking this leading role.”

Lenten Scheepvaart has received a subsidy for the construction of the vessel to the value of €4 million. The subsidy, from the Netherlands Governmental department of Infrastructure and Water Management, aims to stimulate the development the use of hydrogen as a fuel on the path towards zero emissions inland shipping.

Likewise, the vessel and its operation will benefit from the subsidised hydrogen bunker station in Delfzijl.