Shell has added its weight to the move to LNG fuelling, signing up to the charter of two barge newbuildings powered entirely by the product.
The 110-metre long vessels will be contracted by Interstream Barging and built at Peters Shipyards in Kampen, the Netherlands.
The units (illustrated), which will go on charter to Shell from 2013, feature a bridge at the front.
This enables better trim, more efficient movement through water and the potential for a higher level of safety, Shell said. The supermajor added that the new barges, the first of which is scheduled for delivery in the spring, will join the Shell Rhine Fleet and operate in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.
They will carry enough LNG to sail for up to seven days, from Rotterdam to Basel and back, without refuelling.
The barges will house the LNG in 40-cbm tanks located at the rear and mounted on the deck.
As yet Rotterdam has no bunkering facilities although its port authority is working on plans to grow these activities.
A Shell spokeswoman said: “At this stage we intend to refuel the barges using trucks at the Seine harbour at Rotterdam.
“The supply will come from third-party contractual agreements.”
The supermajor’s vice president for shipping Grahaeme Henderson said: “Shell sees real growth opportunities for LNG as a fuel in coastal and inland shipping in Europe.”
