December 17, 2024
Last year in October, we wrote that it “sits and feels like a Porsche, is utterly powerful, and blazing fast on the water, yet silent as a sailing boat, but it will cost you more than twice the price of the most expensive Taycan”: the Frauscher x Porsche 850 ‘eFantom’ Air. Now it gets a […]
December 03, 2024
Chinese battery maker and electric carmaker BYD is heading for Europe with a brand new ro-ro carrier and 5,000 EVs on board. It’s the third giant car carrier and the second one it owns and operates itself, as the first one, the Explorer One, is leased from international shipping company Zodiac Maritime. The BYD Changzhou […]
November 19, 2024
The Dutch province of Zeeland wants to replace the Westerschelde Ferries, which currently sail across the Western Scheldt, with zero-emission ferries. Hybrid ships (diesel/electric) are also being considered. The States of Zeeland unanimously agreed to that proposal on Friday. The two ships currently transporting cyclists and pedestrians between Vlissingen and Breskens are approaching the end […]
October 28, 2024
According to a new Oxfam report titled ‘Carbon Inequality Kills’, super-rich Europeans, with their investments and intensive use of superyachts and private planes, emit as much greenhouse gases in one week as the world’s poorest one percent do in their entire lives. In other words, fifty of the wealthiest billionaires in the world emit more […]
October 17, 2024
The brand new Höegh Aurora is currently the world’s biggest auto carrier, capable of storing 9,100 cars on its fourteen decks. It has visited Zeebrugge’s car terminal and the Antwerp harbor before sailing further to Gothenburg. The Höegh Aurora is making its maiden trip as it is the first launched of twelve Aurora Class ships […]
August 30, 2024
Several environmental organizations are suing the European Commission for not imposing sufficiently strict CO2 standards on member states under the 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming. First and foremost, they are calling for fossil-fuel-powered planes and ships to be removed from the EU’s list of sustainable investments, which they say is an example of greenwashing. […]
August 19, 2024
Swedish electric foiling boat start-up Candela has hooked a big fish by selling eight of its P-12 foiling shuttles to Saudi Arabia, which can accommodate 20 to 30 passengers, for Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s NEOM project. It’s the most significant commercial order in Candela’s history. The first batch of eight vessels will be delivered […]
August 14, 2024
Parkwind, a Belgian offshore wind energy company, has installed the first electric ship-charging station at sea. The station runs on wind power and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from maintenance and transport vessels. The charging system was installed in Parkwind’s third offshore wind energy project, Nobelwind, which is 29 miles (47 kilometers) offshore in […]
August 09, 2024
As a world-first global offshore wind leader, Ørsted has successfully deployed heavy cargo drones for operational work in the Netherlands. These emission-free drones replace the costly, more polluting ships that usually fit the bill. The launch is a pat on the back for offshore renewable energy production reaching net zero. Following successful tests at the […]
August 09, 2024
Cruise ships are getting bigger and bigger. According to environmental organization T&E’s latest report, today’s biggest ships are more than twice as big as in 2000. At the current growth rate, the organization predicts that the biggest cruise ships in 2050 could amount to a staggering 345,000 gross tonnage, making them almost eight times bigger […]
August 05, 2024
The Ghent start-up and non-profit organization Straal refurbishes neglected boats to give them a second life. Straal’s initiators want to do something with the many neglected boats left along the banks of the Ghent and European waterways. They focus on the numerous polyester pleasure boats because polyester creates a lot of waste. Refurbishing those boats […]
July 12, 2024
Dutch Technical University Delft students have accomplished their mission to create the first foiling hydrogen-powered boat to cross some 160 km of rough water of the North Sea between the Netherlands and England. To set their record, they took a ‘ride’ of 12.5 hours hovering above the waves between Breskens (Netherlands) and Ramsgate (UK), normally […]
July 09, 2024
It’s beautifully designed, as you might expect from an iconic Italian brand, but this one is rather meant to ‘fly’ on the water than on wheels: the Maserati Tridente. It’s a fully electric, 10.5-meter speedboat with 447 kWh or 600 hp of power and a top speed of 40 knots (74 km). But with a […]
June 24, 2024
Belgian high-voltage operator Elia is calling on the market to be vigilant this summer. There is a chance that Belgium will produce too much power because all available nuclear power plants are running, and especially because a lot of solar panels have been added this year. This threatens to put pressure on the electricity system. […]
June 20, 2024
Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell has inaugurated its first self-developed megawatt charger for dual use by electric trucks and shipping vessels at the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam (ETCA) in the Netherlands. The Shell megawatt charger provides a crucial additional charging facility for local operators and facilitates end-to-end testing for high-power charging solutions across marine and road […]
June 11, 2024
Maritime contractor Jan De Nul is partnering with Australian Fortescue, a mining company and producer of green energy, to lay a 1,000 km long submarine cable between Morocco and Europe and transport renewable energy generated in North Africa to Europe. A high-voltage cable between the two continents would enable Europe to tap directly into that […]
May 28, 2024
Those planning an electrified car holiday for the upcoming summer must plan their trip when visiting Greek islands. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) have imposed new safety guidelines on electric and hybrid vehicles traveling on ferries, which Greece has adopted as restrictions. For safety reasons, electric […]
May 21, 2024
After Jan De Nul ordered the largest cable-laying vessel in the world at the end of last year, the group is now investing in an identical vessel. It shows the group’s ambition to become a major player in the market for the construction of long submarine power cables. With an actual fleet of three cable […]
May 16, 2024
Lantis and contractor consortium TM Roco have started the construction of the channel tunnels between the future Oosterweel junction, located on the right bank of Antwerp near the Noordkasteel, and the Antwerp Ring Road. The tunnels, which start at the America Dock and run under the Albert Canal, should be ready by 2030 and form […]
May 15, 2024
On Tuesday, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges launched the first methanol-powered tugboat, a world premier. The Methatug, as the vehicle is called, is used by the port authorities to investigate the feasibility of methanol as a more sustainable fuel for shipping. When methanol is produced from renewable sources, using biomass or renewably sourced hydrogen and carbon […]
May 06, 2024
Chinese shipping giant COSCO launched the world’s first 10,000-DWT pure electric container ships, which it developed and constructed at the Heavy Industry Shipyard at Yangzhou. The ‘Green Water 01’ and its sister ship, Green Water 02, have a large-capacity battery combining for over 50,000 kWh. However, as it consists of multiple 20-foot battery containers offering […]
May 01, 2024
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), one of the world’s largest providers of ocean cruises, has been accused of misleading advertising. The company claims its LNG-fueled ships are better against global warming than the ones on traditional shipping fuel. Still, environmentalists say that liquefied natural gas (LNG) also contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect. On Monday, April […]
April 29, 2024
Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS, one of Northern Europe’s largest shipping companies, is to deploy a fleet of battery electric vessels on the English Channel. The company reports this in a press release, after meeting with UK Minister for Investment and Regulatory Reform, Lord Dominic Johnson. DFDS’s long-term goal is to have up to […]
April 29, 2024
The Waterbus, which connects Brussels and Vilvoorde, will resume its service on the canal from 1 May. This has been announced by Brussels by Water. The liner will commute every weekday until October and at weekends during the summer holidays. The Waterbus sails between the Stone Quay in Vilvoorde and the Barges Quay in Brussels, […]
April 18, 2024
The dredging works required for the construction of the new Scheldt tunnel for the Oosterweel connection have started in the Scheldt off the Antwerp port area. Specifically, this involves creating a temporary navigation channel so that ships can safely pass by the works and then a sinking trench so that the tunnel elements can be […]
April 10, 2024
Western European ports, particularly Zeebrugge and Antwerp, face unprecedented challenges as they morph into vast car storage facilities. The influx of vehicles, especially from Asia and America, has outpaced the outflow, leading to significant congestion. The bottleneck has several automakers scouting for inland parking lots to keep up with the pace of factory output. The large […]
January 29, 2024
At the shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) in Ulsan, South Korea, the world’s first vessel on ‘green methanol’ carrying up to 16 592 twenty-feet shipping containers (TEU) has been baptized ‘Ane Mærsk’. At the beginning of February, it will enter service connecting Asia and Europe The 350-meter-long vessel is Mærsk’s second container […]
January 26, 2024
Venice will install speed cameras for boats along its world-famous canals. The city hopes this measure will limit the speed of motorized boats and ships, make the city safer, and prevent erosion due to high boat waves. Wave motion – ‘moto ondoso’ in Italian – causes erosion of the canal walls below the waterline, damaging […]
January 23, 2024
Japanese Yamaha Motors, a big name in marine engines – outboard and inboard – has fully acquired German electric outboard motor pioneer and world leader Torqeedo from Deutz. German ‘historic’ combustion engine manufacturer Deutz AG is more into burning hydrogen now, focusing on construction equipment and agricultural machinery, among others. It says in a press […]
January 17, 2024
BYD (Build Your Dreams) has commissioned the first of what will probably become a fleet of four giant ro-ro ferries with up to 7 000 cars to ‘fuel’ its expansion into Europe. According to Chinese press agency Xinhua, the BYD Explorer 1 has set sail from China’s southern city of Shenzhen to the Dutch port […]
December 27, 2023
Japanese motorbike and marine engine manufacturer Yamaha will present at the next Miami Boat show in February 2024 a prototype of a 5.6 liter V8 outboard motor running on hydrogen. Specs are scarce, but Yamaha already developed a 5.0 liter V8 car engine on hydrogen for Toyota in 2021. Yamaha is also working on fuel […]
December 26, 2023
The Belgian oil tanker company Euronav, specializing in the transportation and storage of crude oil, is gearing up for a ‘greener’ future with the take-over of CMB.Tech. That Belgian cleantech maritime group builds, owns, operates, and designs large marine and industrial applications running on hydrogen, ammonia, or dual fuels. It’s a significant step to gradually […]
December 18, 2023
After creating a foiling glass lounge boat with BMW and presenting it in June at the Cannes Film Festival, German electric boat start-up Tyde is launching a second project with the premium carmaker’s design daughter Designworks. The ‘Tyde Open’ is a 49-foot foiling electric yacht, the world’s largest to be seen (in autumn 2024). BMW’s […]
December 13, 2023
Three years after the initial announcement, the world’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat, baptized appositely ‘Hydrotug 1’, has arrived at its workstation in the Antwerp Port to start its real-world testing from mid-January. It features BeHydro V12 dual fuel medium speed engines, each providing 2 megawatts, that can run on hydrogen or diesel fuel. The idea is […]
December 07, 2023
The Belgian gas system operator Fluxys has decided to partner with two German companies to develop cross-border CO2 pipelines to transport and store CO2 in the North Sea. The companies announced the deal on Wednesday, during the Belgian state visit to Germany. Fluxys previously concluded an agreement with the German oil and gas company Wintershall […]
December 05, 2023
The CEOs of five of the world’s biggest shipping companies called at the COP28 for an end date for fossil-only powered newly built ships in an ‘unprecedented’ joint declaration. They urge the global regulator, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to create regulatory conditions to accelerate the transition to green fuels. The five are Danish A.P. […]
November 21, 2023
On Monday, November 20th, the Belgian contractor Jan De Nul announced that it had signed a “milestone agreement” with the Egyptian government, represented by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), to start the study for the construction of an undersea export cable between Egypt and Europe. Compared to the greater part of Europe, conditions for […]
November 17, 2023
Belgian grid operator Elia and its Norwegian counterpart Statnett are investigating whether installing a submarine power cable between Belgium and Norway is possible. The cable would connect both countries’ high-voltage grids and integrate Norwegian offshore wind farms. A similar project was previously launched in Denmark. The study is intended to analyze the “technical and economic […]
November 06, 2023
Danish container shipping company Maersk, which accounts for about a sixth of global container trade, is to cut at least 10 000 jobs worldwide. The industry is struggling with falling rates and increasing competition and the company is so protecting its profitability says CEO Vincent Clerc. The layoffs are expected to save the company 600 […]
October 19, 2023
Porthos, the Rotterdam carbon-dioxide-capturing project given the green light in August, has entered a new phase. The final investment decision has been made, and in 2024, the construction of the first large CO2 transport and storage system in the Netherlands will start. The project will cost 1,3 billion euros and is expected to be ready […]
October 18, 2023
It sits and feels like a Porsche, is utterly powerful, and blazing fast on the water, yet silent as a sailing boat, but it will cost you more than twice the price of the most expensive Taycan. We’re talking about the Frauscher x Porsche 850 eFantom Air that was presented at the beginning of this […]
October 17, 2023
Belgian shipowners’ family Saverys puts its money where its mouth is in taking the forefront of greening the world’s tanker business. Exmar, a leading player in transporting liquefied gas products like LPG, butane, propane, and ammonia, has ordered the world’s first two gas tankers that can run on the ammonia they transport. Two 46 000 […]
October 10, 2023
Antwerp-based tanker shipping company Euronav remains in Belgian hands. Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) and the Norwegian Frontline, Euronav’s two major shareholders, have reached an agreement on the matter. The agreement is described as one of the largest deals in the shipping industry in recent decades. “A huge milestone”, says CMB CEO Alexander Saverys, who is […]
October 09, 2023
In the Antwerp port area, logistics company Wijngaard Natie is now driving around with four fully electric trucks, produced by Volvo Trucks. This would be the first all-electric port transport in Antwerp, although Katoen Natie is also using the Volvo FH Electric. The four trucks should mark a turning point in the transition to sustainable […]
October 02, 2023
Belgian dredging and offshore energy giant Jan De Nul has ordered the world’s biggest cable-laying vessel to be built, with a carrying capacity of 28 000 tons and capable of embedding power cables in the ocean floor some 3 000 meters deep. The new ship, to be delivered in 2026, will carry the name of […]
September 29, 2023
Belgian company CMB.TECH is building Africa’s first public filling station in Namibia with on-site green hydrogen production. The site in Walvis Bay uses solar energy to make the hydrogen. Its strategic location should provide direct access to major shipping routes. “Our facility will supply hydrogen to trucks, ships, and railway applications,” the company says. The […]
September 28, 2023
The Belgian government and the government of the Brussels Capital Region, together with the Port of Brussels, railway network manager Infrabel, and landowner SFPIM Real Estate, have agreed to reconnect the Port of Brussels and its container terminal to the railway network. Planning permission has just been granted for this. By June 2024, the connection […]
September 28, 2023
For several months now, the Antwerp Waterbus has stopped its 8 a.m. shuttle service to from Kruibeke to Antwerp, causing a lot of resentment among commuters. By canceling the 08:10 a.m. ferry, people are forced to take the early-morning 07:40 a.m. boat, but sometimes, the ferry is overcrowded, and passengers cannot board. That is why […]
September 15, 2023
Danish container shipping company Maersk has launched the world’s first container ship to run on green methanol in its fleet. The ship, the ‘Laura Maersk’ was christened in Copenhagen by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “This ship embodies Europe’s decision to be a pioneer in the fight against climate change,” von der Leyen […]
September 08, 2023
The Global Maritime Trends 2050 Report, commissioned by Lloyd’s Register, revealed that some of the world’s largest ports could become unusable due to rising sea levels. According to the study, efforts to decarbonize the maritime shipping sector and introduce new technologies will be crucial. Weather-related disruptions are already impacting ports across the globe. These include […]
September 05, 2023
The transport of goods by inland navigation from the North Sea Port, the merger of the ports of Ghent, Terneuzen, and Flushing, to the hinterland has continued to increase. In five years, it rose from 54% to 60%. The port reports this based on the fifth survey conducted among companies in the 60-kilometer-long cross-border port […]
August 16, 2023
After the fire on the car cargo ship ‘Fremantle Highway’ off the Dutch coast, many popular media hastily identified an electric car as the cause. Now it turns out that this is untrue. Many publications used the fire accident to highlight the (real) difficulties of extinguishing a fire on an EV. Still, they immediately concluded […]
July 13, 2023
The Port of Brussels terminal will expand from 1,67 hectares to an area of 6 hectares. It has concluded a service concession for the container terminal and the development of a logistics zone with Van Moer Logistics. The agreement is part of the regional strategy to supply the Brussels service economy with goods in a […]
July 10, 2023
The international shipping industry is going to reduce emissions from cargo ships. An agreement to this effect was reached between 175 countries at the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London last Friday. The sector, which accounts for almost 3% of global CO2 emissions, aims to cut polluting emissions by at least 20% by 2030 to […]
May 19, 2023
As already mentioned earlier, BMW will launch its dedicated electric ‘new class’ of cars in 2025, with initial production in Europe and also in the United States. Today, the Munich car manufacturer announced that the ‘Neue Klasse’ will also be built in China. Meanwhile, the Group showed off on another level in Cannes (where the […]
April 26, 2023
Maritime contractor Jan De Nul has been indicated to pull the cables for the Thor project, Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm. The company announced the news on Tuesday. Jan De Nul was awarded the contract together with partner Hellenic Cables. The latter will design and manufacture all cables in Greece; Jan De Nul will perform […]
April 12, 2023
In Germany, Freudenberg e-Power Systems and the MEYER WERFT shipyard are working to equip a new 728-passenger cruise ship with a huge fuel cell and battery system that will support all the hotel functions of the ship, promising zero emissions. A world first, sponsored with €15,6 million by the German government. Now under construction in […]
April 12, 2023
The waterbus between Brussels and Vilvoorde carried 45 535 passengers in 2022. This reports the operator Rivertours, which has been offering waterbus trips since 2013. The figures are more than a five-fold increase compared to the launch year. Because the boats’ capacity was limited during the corona years of 2020 and 2021, comparison with those […]
March 15, 2023
The planned connection between the Belgian and Danish energy islands will be delayed. The Danish authorities estimate that the project will be finalized by 2033 and not in 2030. Nevertheless, Minister for Energy Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) is planning a meeting with her (new) Danish colleague Lars Aagaard (Moderates) to shorten that period. Denmark […]
March 09, 2023
The Belgian marine engineering companies DEME and Jan De Nul and engineering office Tractebel have jointly developed new floating solar technology capable of operating in harsh marine conditions. This summer, they will set up a test installation off the Belgian coast for experiments. SEAVOLT, as the project is called, combines the expertise of solar, environmental, […]
