“Greening the fleet” and “Technology Matchmaking Workshop”
The inland waterway sector has a clear goal with regard to 2050 zero-emission targets. However, why do we only see a scarcity of vessels transitioning towards low emission technologies? It is clear we have more than one bottleneck at state and on the 20th of March were zooming in on a few of them.
The bottlenecks we describe:
- Financial bottleneck (lack of a business case for green vessels)
- Technological bottleneck (Which technology is a no-regret investment?)
- Regulatory bottleneck (What are we obliged to do today and what about tomorrow?)
We start with a session which gives an overview of all difficulties in the IWT sector on greening the fleet. Afterwards, a possible solution for the financial bottleneck will be discussed in depth as we will talk about an IWT Greening Fund. This is done by the secretary of the EU IWT platform Innovation & Greening Committee Daisy Rycquart.
Next in line, we have a presentation by Prof. Sebastian Verhelst from Ghent University who will present a technical comparison of all alternative fuels we talk about today. Think about the questions: “Why methanol and what about the toxicity?” or “What is the role of hydrogen in IWT?” or “Do we see a place for ammonia in our sector?”.
After these clarifications for our audience, we have a short overview of current EU Projects which are true pioneers in the transition towards zero emission. The project involved today are:
- Synergetics – creating a decision tool for retrofit technology application on IWT vessels
- Rh2iwer – a pilot demonstration of 6 hydrogen IWT vessels
- Needs – a simulation tool for governmental impact on alternative fuel infrastructure at shore for IWT vessels
After a lunch break, we are organising a Technology Matchmaking Workshop together with our colleagues from the EU ENTRANCE project.
We focus on technologies which are available today and will present their technical aspects. Afterwards, we’ll look for common interests and possibilities for joint procurement which could lead to market uptake and stimulate a business case.
The results of the day will be discussed in a conclusion whereafter we close the event.
Discover other events of the “Inland Navigation Week 2023”
The Inland Navigation Week 2023 Partners
