Electric barges could change future of European waterways

The ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam have invested in private projects to operationalize fully electric – and potentially crew-less – barges from manufacturer Port-Liner for European waterways.    European ports will launch a network of fully electric, emission-free and potentially crew-less container barges this summer, multiple sources said.
   The ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam have invested millions of dollars in private-company projects, one of which being the electric barges known as the “Tesla of the canals.”
   Dutch company Port-Liner, which specializes in building “zero-emission” barges, submitted the project to the Port of Antwerp last year. The barges are designed to fit beneath bridges and operate without any crew, although the vessels will be manned in their first period of operation as new infrastructure is built in and around European waterways, according to The Guardian.
   The barges’ electric motors will be driven by 20-foot batteries, charged on shore by the carbon-free energy provider Eneco. The vessels are also expected to reduce the use of diesel-powered trucks for moving freight.
   Starting in August, five, 52-meter-long barges will carry 24 containers each, fitted with a power box giving them 15 hours of power. About 23,000 trucks, mainly running on diesel, are expected to be removed from the roads as a result.
   Six, 110-meter-long barges, which can carry 270 containers each, will be released later, according to The Guardian. The batteries on the larger barges can provide 35 hours of autonomous driving, which could lead to a reduction of about 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the manufacturer said.
   Port-Liner believes it could produce about 500 barges a year to revolutionize the freight industry, although the electric motors and batteries could also be retrofitted into older boats, The Guardian said.
   The company’s chief executive, Ton van Meegen, told shipping industry news outlet The Loadstar the barges would be the first in the world to sail on carbon-neutral batteries, adding that the smaller ones could handle more containers, but low bridges in Belgium and the Netherlands prevented this, The Guardian said.