World’s first newly built hydrogen-powered barge to transport salt for Nobian, 2023
The hydrogen-powered barge, named MS Antonie, the first 135-meter-long hydrogen-electric inland ship, made its maiden voyage in late 2023. The barge will soon transport around 3,700 tons of salt at a time for Nobian from Delfzijl to the Botlek plant in Rotterdam, the equivalent of 120 trucks.
Greening the transport of our products is an important step towards our goal of carbon neutrality by 2040 and contributes to reducing our Scope 3 emissions. The MS Antonie will be powered by Nobian’s green hydrogen, which is produced in Rotterdam and Delfzijl. Sailing on hydrogen is completely emission-free, unlike when using fossil fuels such as diesel.
His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander (fifth from left) and German Minister-President Hendrik Josef Wüst of North Rhine-Westphalia (fourth from left) visited the zero-emission ship that will transport salt for Nobian. They were given a guided tour by the ship’s owner, Harm Lenten, in Duisburg. The tour was part of the King’s visit to several hydrogen-related companies and institutes in North Rhine-Westphalia (November 2023). Other guests included Nobian's CEO Michael Koenig (third from left) and Hans Vijlbrief (third from right), the Dutch State Secretary for the Extractive Industries.
The project is a partnership between Nobian, NPRC, EnergyTransStore, Lenten Scheepvaart, Concordia Damen, and Nedstack. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, province of Zuid-Holland and the EU are making significant contributions to cover the additional costs of building and developing the vessel. This project shows that with the right cooperation and innovation, it is possible to take tangible steps towards the greening of inland shipping.