Last week the H2 Barge 1 was taken into service in Rotterdam. This zero-emission ship from Future Proof Shipping (FPS) is 110 metres long and will sail for Nike several times a week between the port of Rotterdam and BCTN’s inland terminal in Meerhout, Belgium. This is expected to result in annual greenhouse gas emission savings of 2,000 tonnes of CO2.

The Netherlands’ Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers was there to present FPS founder Huib van de Grijspaarde with a special A-Zero (A0) emissions label that is only awarded to emission-free vessels. Future Proof Shipping (FPS) aims to build and operate a fleet of more than 10 zero-emission inland and shortsea vessels over the next five years.

Future Proof Shipping is a partner of Condor H2. This is a project for emission-free hydrogen-powered inland and coastal shipping. Condor H2 has more than 40 partners and was launched by a consortium, in which the Port of Rotterdam Authority participates, at the World Hydrogen Summit earlier this month. Thanks to Condor H2, it should be possible for 50 emission-free vessels to operate by 2030, achieving a total annual CO2 reduction of 100,000 tonnes.