Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH, a subsidiary of HGK Shipping, is enhancing its charter fleet during the autumn of this year to now include the innovative river-going coastal vessel called “Amadeus Saffier”. The reasons to modernise the fleet include the high average age of the European short-sea fleet and the growing requirements for logistics operations triggered by the energy transition. At the beginning of October 2024, the “Amadeus Saffier” started its first journey from Antwerp to Gijon in Spain.
The vessel’s modern design is contributing to the necessary reduction in CO2 emissions within the transport sector. Equipped with a diesel-electric, “future-fuel-ready“ drive system, the vessel can switch from the fuel that is currently used, sulphur-reduced marine gas oil (MGO), to alternative, more sustainable energy sources. The new vessel is also equipped with so-called VentoFoils, a wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS). When combined with the adapted shape of the hull and an optimised propellor, this cuts up to 50 percent of emissions and is set to be able to achieve a level of energy efficiency that is up to 30 percent higher when compared to the existing international fleet.
An important element for greater sustainability
“Thanks to welcoming the ‘Amadeus Saffier’ into our fleet, we can offer our customers another important building block to provide a resource-saving supply chain. It enables us to implement a seamless, more environmentally-friendly transport solution both out at sea and along rivers. We’re consistently pursuing this development in conjunction with our longstanding partner, De Bock Maritiem B.V.,” says Wolfgang Nowak, the Managing Director of Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH.
Amadeus is operating the vessel, which is owned by the shipping company De Bock Maritiem, as part of a long-term charter agreement. The operational areas for the vessel, which has been designed by Conoship and has a payload capacity of 3,500 tonnes (tdwcc), include bulk and break-bulk cargo on European short-sea routes in the North Sea and Baltic Sea as well as in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. Thanks to having a low draught of just 5.00 metres when fully loaded, the vessel can also be used to handle the transition between the open sea and the river Rhine, the Albert Canal and other inland waterways.
“Commissioning the ‘Amadeus Saffier’ marks a new chapter for our company. We’re also continuing to espouse innovations and sustainability in shipping and are placing the partnerlike cooperation with Amadeus on a broad footing,” says Gilbèrt de Bock, the Owner and General Manager of De Bock Maritiem B.V.
Steffen Bauer, the CEO of HGK Shipping, comments on the expansion of the fleet in the following way. “The renewal of the European short-sea fleet is indispensable in order to meet the growing demands on the part of customers for modern transport logistics operations. The ‘Amadeus Saffier’ is an excellent example of a future-orientated, efficient fleet, which offers persuasive arguments both at sea and along inland waterways.”
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