Dutch company Aqua Navis BV, Dordrecht, has received funding to research the feasibility of a small, sustainable container ship that meets the requirements of inland navigation vessels.
According to Aqua Navis, the new ship fills a gap in the market. The co-financing stems from the SME catalyst fund (MKB-katalysatorfonds) Drechtsteden. The project explicitly seeks to connect with the Duurzaamheidsfabriek (Sustainability Factory) and education (Da Vinci College), as a result of which it also contributes to open innovation in the region.
Compact, Sustainable Container Ship
To meet the various logistical demands, inland shipping needs different sizes of ships. Over the past ten to twenty years, however, ships have mainly been built for large waterways, which means that there is a shortage of smaller ships. In concrete terms, there seems to be a market for the transport of cargoes between the Scheldt basin and the Seine basin (Paris).
Aqua Navis has now devised a concept for a compact container ship that makes smart use of both the physical space and the space in current legislation and regulations. By making the ship modularly suitable for current and future cleaner fuel concepts, it also meets the demand for sustainability in inland shipping.
Technical and Economic Feasibility
In a feasibility study, Aqua Navis wants to investigate how whether its concept is technologically feasible. What are the latest insights, techniques and materials that can contribute to an optimal and high-quality result? At the same time, the study is also intended to examine how big that "gap in the market" really is. For this it is essential to have a reasonably concrete picture of the final ship.
SME Catalyst Fund Drechtsteden
The SME Catalyst Fund Drechtsteden offers co-financing, and access to relevant networks and facilities. Companies with innovative ideas in the (maritime) manufacturing industry can call on this fund. For more information, please visit the fund's website.
Picture by Rob Kamminga.
