Greening the Dutch State Fleet
On 25 June 2019, the Dutch government and the maritime industry signed a Green Deal on Maritime and Inland Shipping and Ports. The agreement aims for measures to meet the climate objectives of the government fleet: ‘twenty per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, carbon neutral by 2030 and fully climate-neutral and climate-resilient by 2050’.
The first step is to launch at least one zero-emission seagoing vessel by 2030. To verify the feasibility of the objectives, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management initiated various actions, including a study on the use of methanol and hydrogen as a source of energy for the design of a typical seagoing vessel. This study aimed to prove the feasibility of these technologies, leading to timely introduction on the first carbon neutral newbuilds.
Marnix Krikke has written a valuable article about the studies led by a Dutch consortium focused on greening the state fleet. To launch zero-emission seagoing vessels, you must look at the impact of storing alternative fuels as methanol and hydrogen; it will take more attention for the operation and design of a ship than fossil fuels. In the consortium detailed designs were developed for both methanol and hydrogen options, with methanol proving feasible while hydrogen faced challenges due to space constraints, highlighting the importance of scalability. They have provided design concepts and engineering packages for both methanol and hydrogen-powered vessels, aligning with the goals set in the Maritime Masterplan. Below you can find the whole article.