(Leverkusen/Rotterdam) – Covestro AG and the logistics service provider Nederlandse Particuliere Rijnvaart-Centrale Coöperatie UA (NPRC) want to work together to convert the transport fleet for industrial salt on the Rhine to hydrogen power. In terms of transport volume, salt is the most important raw material for the Covestro locations in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Two ships from 2024
Covestro and NPRC are supporting the development of a hydrogen infrastructure at ports and loading stations along the Rhine so that the first two emission-free ships can sail between the Netherlands and Covestro's three Lower Rhine locations in 2024. More are to follow.
The hull of the new ships will be designed so that they can also be used at low tide. It is also being examined whether hydrogen from Covestro's own chlorine electrolysis could be used to fuel inland waterway vessels.
“We want to completely align our company with the circular economy and produce greenhouse gas-neutral products in the long term,” explains Klaus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer of Covestro AG. The logistics sector is particularly relevant and the transport sector is the only industry in the European Union in which emissions have increased instead of decreased since 1990.
“RH2ine” initiative
The project is part of the “RH2ine” (Rhine Hydrogen Integration Network of Excellence) initiative. The joint venture also wants to put several hydrogen-powered ships into operation between Rotterdam and Cologne with other partners from the consortium. The long-term goal is to create a climate-neutral “Rhine-Alps” transport corridor. In addition to the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Dutch provinces of South Holland and Gelderland, the supporters include the ports of Duisburg, Neuss/Düsseldorf, Cologne and Rotterdam as well as other logistics and industrial companies.
“RH2ine” also wants to put 400 fuel trucks for heavy goods and 500 buses for local public transport on the road and set up a number of “Green Energy Hubs”. There are also three hydrogen filling stations, eight to twelve hydrogen inland waterway vessels (four of which are on the German side), twelve locomotives and six so-called reach stackers, i.e. industrial trucks for stacking and handling containers.
With 135 members, the NPRC cooperative generates an annual turnover of 90 million euros. It has around 200 ships in use every day, transporting twelve million tonnes of bulk goods, containers and breakbulk on European inland waterways. NPRC has branches in Rotterdam, Mannheim, Duisburg, Antwerp and Paris. Covestro is a listed manufacturer of polymer materials based in Leverkusen. The company emerged in 2015 from the former plastics division of Bayer AG. Covestro produces at 30 locations worldwide and employed around 2019 people at the end of 17.200.
Photos
Unloading a salt ship in Leverkusen / © Covestro/ Michael Rennertz
