Electric barges to tackle 'hidden' pollution from shipping

Over 50,000 ships ply the world's oceans to carry an estimated 90 per cent of everything we buy, sell and consume. And yet shipping remains a 'hidden' polluter - the only sector of the European economy not covered by the EU’s existing emissions reduction target, which is surprising given emissions from international maritime transport have grown by 70% since 1990.

There is little doubt the Paris climate agreement’s target of limiting global warming by less than 2°C will be near impossible without curbing shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions – not least because a recent European Parliament study found that shipping will be responsible for 17% of total emissions in 2050 if left unregulated.

A Dutch shipbuilding company may have part of the solution with its new battery-powered container ships. The barges, which can be operated autonomously, will take around 23,000 trucks off the roads when they go into service on three routes later this year.

Port-Liner is developing the electric barges in the Netherlands with €7 million in EU subsidies and additional support from the ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The power for the batteries is from sustainable sources - effectively making the barges emissions-free after manufacture.

The first five barges will be 52 metres long and 6.7 metres wide, and are designed to fit under bridges.

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