On July 3, the “Blue Marlin“, the new dry cargo vessel developed by HGK Shipping for Salzgitter AG, was christened in Hamburg. This integration expands Europe’s largest inland shipping fleet and redefines the standard for sustainability and efficiency in inland waterway transport.
Blue Marlin technology
In collaboration with Salzgitter Flachstahl, the “Blue Marlin” was designed with a focus on energy efficiency and climate change adaptation. In addition, its “Future Fuel Ready” diesel-electric propulsion system makes it suitable for future cleaner energy sources. Added to this is the integration of SEAFAR, a remote navigation technology that has already been approved for routes in Germany.
This vessel is equipped with Wattlab solar modules with generation capacities of up to 37,500 kWh per year. This energy can directly power the propulsion system, enabling emission-free navigation phases and minimizing up to 36 tons of CO₂ annually.
The sea trials of the MS Blue Marlin. Source: HGK Shipping GmbH
With dimensions of 86 meters long, 9.5 meters wide and a minimum draft of 1.10 meters, the “Blue Marlin” was optimized to face low tide situations, an increasingly frequent reality in Central Europe. In addition, its ability to be coupled to barges enables it to transport up to 3110 tons of steel or bulk cargo efficiently.
The project strengthens Salzgitter AG‘ s strategy of improving its carbon footprint through the intensive use of river transport.
With this innovative vessel, we continue our efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions and improve the efficiency and resilience of our supply chains.
To this end, we are increasingly focusing on river transport, which is particularly environmentally friendly in the combination of transport modes.
In this respect, the “Blue Marlin” plays a key role in the environmentally friendly transport of our steel products and bulk goods.
It contributes to a significant improvement of our carbon footprint in logistics and therefore fits perfectly into the path we have taken towards greater sustainability.
Fabian Gerdes, Head of Customer Logistics at Salzgitter Flachstahl.
The vessel’s hull was built at the Orsova shipyard in Romania and its technical equipment was integrated by De Gerlien van Tiem BV in the Netherlands. For HGK Shipping, this project represents a successful synergy between technological innovation and environmental commitment in European inland shipping.
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Source and photo: HGK Shipping
