Giant on the way to the future
Naming the ‘Blue Marlin’. The companies HGK and Salzgitter have named their new inland waterway vessel ‘Blue Marlin’ in Hamburg. It has a solar system, remote control and has also been especially designed to cope with low water levels.
A ship was named recently for the companies Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK) and Salzgitter. As the two partners revealed recently, they have named a newbuilding the ‘Blue Marlin’ in Hamburg. In future the ship will primarily transport steel and bulk materials for Salzgitter.
Projects of the future
“The close partnership with Salzgitter enables us to implement sustainable projects in a targeted manner,” says Florian Bleikamp, the managing director of HGK Dry Shipping. The ship has a length of 86 m and is 9.5 m wide. Combined with a draught of 1.1 m, it is “ideally suited for low-water situations on Central European waterways,” according to the manufacturer.
Propulsion is achieved with two Veth rudder propellers and a bow thruster. In addition, the ship can be coupled with a push barge, which, according to HGK, enables the transport of up to 3,110 t.
Remote control gets the green light
“Emission-free solar technology, remote-controlled navigation of the ships and resource-saving propulsion systems” are ideas that the companies are putting into practice with the ship, according to Bleikamp. After successful test runs, the ‘Seafar technology’ may be used between Salzgitter and Friedrichsfeld to control the ship remotely.
With a PV system on board, it should also be possible to save 36,000 kg of CO2 annually. The rudder propellers can be operated for a limited period of time with the electricity produced. Fabian Gerdes, the head of customer logistics at Salzgitter, emphasised the role that the ‘Blue Marlin’ will play in future commercial activities. “It’ll actually contribute to a very significant improvements in our CO2 balance in the logistics field.”