(Berlin) - An emission-free pushboat was put into operation in Berlin's Westhafen. The governing mayor Franziska Giffey named the ship “Elektra”. It was developed by the Hermann Barthel GmbH shipyard in Derben and, after almost two years of construction, was transferred to Berlin for long-term testing.
Completely supplied with hydrogen
According to the information, the Elektra is the world's first pushboat to combine battery-electric propulsion with hydrogen and fuel cell technology. In addition to the ship's propulsion, the on-board technology, the temperature control of the rooms and the wheelhouse as well as the energy requirements for the crew who live, cook and wash on board, are also provided by the fuel cells and supplemented by a brine heat pump.
400 kilometers range
The practical tests now planned will initially take place primarily in the capital region, and from 2023 the testing will be continued increasingly on long-distance traffic towards Hamburg, according to a statement from the Berlin Port and Warehouse Company (Behala). With 750 kilograms of gaseous hydrogen on board at a pressure of 500 bar and a battery capacity of around 2.500 kilowatt hours, the ship has a range of around 400 kilometers when pushed together with the loaded heavy-lift lighter “Ursus”. Therefore, only one additional land station is needed on the routes from Westhafen towards the Rhine/Ruhr, Hamburg and Stettin to supply Elektra with hydrogen and electricity.
Refueling through tank exchange
A supply contract was concluded with the Mittelelbe Industrial and Commercial Park/H2 Green Power & Logistics GmbH to fill and transport the tank systems with green hydrogen during the project period until the end of 2024. The tank units, known as “Multiple Energy Gas Containers” (MEGC), are easily replaced using the on-board crane. The shore power connection is made via a charging boom on which the cables are routed. This makes it easier for the ship's crew to use the charging station and the pier is free of cables, they say.
Collaboration between industry and research
The project management was the responsibility of the Department of Design and Operation of Maritime Systems at the Technical University of Berlin. The Berlin port and warehouse company Behala (logistics), Hermann Barthel shipyard (construction), Ballard Power Systems (fuel cells), Argo-Anleg (hydrogen system), SER Schiffselektronik Rostock (electrical energy system), EST- Floattech (battery system) and HGK Shipping (nautical operation).
The total costs amount to around 14,6 million euros. The funding from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) amounts to 9,1 million euros. The project management company Jülich (PTJ) and the federally owned National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) supervised and coordinated the development.
“The entire project is a blueprint for climate- and environmentally friendly inland shipping,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing on the occasion of Elektra’s christening. It can be transferred to a variety of types of inland vessels and coastal vessels.
Photos
The Governing Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey (fifth from right) named the pushboat “Elektra” in Berlin’s West Harbor. © Behala
