Tata Steel has entered into a partnership with Van Dam Shipping of Spijk, Groningen, to develop a hydrogen-powered vessel. The steel company wants to use the ship to reduce the CO2 emissions caused by the sea transport of steel coils.
The vessel to be developed is a so-called shortsea vessel with a loading capacity of approximately 5000 tonnes and will be the first vessel of this type. The hydrogen-powered shipping sector currently consists mainly of inland waterway vessels and small ferries; both hybrid, partially hydrogen-powered and fully hydrogen-powered.
‘We want to be a sustainable company on all fronts,’ says Cem Ugur, head of chartering and operations at Tata Steel. ‘That means that we will not only be making green steel with hydrogen in the future, but at the same time we are also looking at how we can use hydrogen even more. For example, to make our logistics more sustainable. We are therefore also investing in green ships to transport our steel coils.’
Jan van Dam, managing director of Van Dam Shipping adds: ‘I am delighted to be working with Tata Steel on the delivery of an emission-free vessel. Our relationship with Tata Steel goes back many years and every week one of our ships loads steel in IJmuiden. This collaboration will intensify our relationship and contribute to our energy transition goals as a company and the shipping industry.’
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CO2-free from 2024
Each year, Tata Steel ships 2 million tonnes of steel coils to various countries within Europe. Van Dam is an established name in the Dutch shipping industry and the collaboration will give Tata Steel the opportunity to transport steel coils in a more sustainable way, expected from 2024.
The goal is for the hydrogen-powered ship to sail 100 per cent CO2-free, saving around 3000 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to a ship that sails on gas oil and fuel oil.
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