Thyssenkrupp Veerhaven, the logistics subsidiary of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe based in Rotterdam, has commissioned the design of an environmentally friendly tugboat.
For Thyssenkrupp Veerhaven, this is the next port of call on the road to a sustainable fleet of the future, according to the parent company. According to the results of the assessment, seven pusher tugs will be gradually replaced by environmentally friendly models at the end of their technical service life.
Seven tugs ply the route between Europort Rotterdam and the Ruhr region all year round, transporting approximately 18 million tons of raw materials for steel plants . According to tk Steel, using methanol as a fuel can save around 80% of current CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuel diesel. The planned vessels will be optimized for lower water levels, as the Rhine River increasingly drops below critical levels in the summer months.
Usually Thyssenkrupp Veerhaven directly commissions shipyards to build a new vessel.
“However, In the uncharted waters of clean fuels, we took an innovative approach and organized the preparation of specialized design offices for proposals for three separate projects,” says division CEO Frank Tazelaar.
