Hull of first inland hydrogen vessel reaches Rotterdam

On board the large lift vessel “Sun Shine”, the hull of the first inland hydrogen vessel ever reached Rotterdam.

After a month-long journey from China, the hull has arrived and is now undergoing final adjustments at Concordia Damen’s Werkendam shipyard.

The ship, called “Antonie,” will be 135 meters long, with a 3,700-ton cargo capacity, and have a cutting-edge fuel cell propulsion system. The Dutch shipyard Concordia Damen is constructing Antonie for local inland shipping firm Lenten Scheepvaart.

From Nouryon’s salt factory in Delfzijl in the north of the Netherlands to the Botlek in the Port of Rotterdam, the vessel will deliver salt for the company, a major supplier of chemicals.

Lenten Scheepvaart has been given a EUR 4 million subsidy by the Dutch government’s Infrastructure and Water Management department to build the vessel. The goal of the subsidy is to promote the use of hydrogen as a fuel in inland transport as a step toward zero emissions.