


Trial under way with solar panels on the hatches of an inland vessel
Shipbuilding group Damen Shipyards, hatchbuilder Blommaert Aluminium and solar energy specialist Wattlab have developed hatches with solar panels for inland vessels. Since this month, a first trial installation has been sailing through Europe.Read more
The Netherlands to deploy autonomous drones for incidents on the water
Rijkswaterstaat has put a new drone area into operation along the river Waal between Tiel and Nijmegen. In this area, Rijkswaterstaat and emergency services will test and fly autonomous drones under the name ‘Drone2Go’ in...Read more
[VIDEO] 4 injured after ferry and barge collide in Amsterdam
In Amsterdam, four people were injured on Friday evening 20 November when a ferry from the GVB transport company collided with an inland waterway vessel. The accident happened on the IJ.Read more
Enough tools for shipping to survive the energy transition
The maritime manufacturing industry is making it easier for inland navigation to survive the energy transition. During the online event Maritime Platform, a series of companies exhibited what innovations they have to offer to make...Read more
Huge order for Concordia Damen: 40 inland LNG tankers for Shell
Concordia Damen has signed a contract for 40 eco-friendly dual-fuel barges with institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. The vessels will have LNG propulsion and extreme shallow draught capabilities – 2800 tonnes on...Read more
Periskal and Tresco integrate real-time water depths into ECDIS
CoVadem’s Smart Navigation module will soon be available for users of the Inland ECDIS viewers of Periskal and Tresco Engineering. The module shows real-time water depths of the Waal and Rhine rivers integrated in the...Read more
Belgian and Dutch ports want single shore power system
Dutch and Belgian ports will set up a single shore-based power system for inland shipping and the river cruise industry. The Port of Rotterdam Authority has published a European call for bids to find a...Read more
Minister allots €1.5 million to development of green marine engines
Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure and Water Management) is allocating 1.5 million euros to boost the development of sustainable shipping engines for inland navigation. With the money, the Minister will support the manufacturers of ship engines...Read more
Video: Drone delivers parcel to inland navigation vessel in Rotterdam
The Dutch Drone Delta has carried out a pilot in which a package was delivered by means of a drone to the inland container ship Duancis. At the time of delivery, the Duancis was sailing...Read more
2.6 billion euros for maintenance of Dutch waterways, roads and railways
Dutch Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen and State Secretary Van Veldhoven have set aside more than 2.6 billion euros from the Infrastructure Fund to ensure the maintenance of roads, railways and waterways. This is to mitigate the...Read more
‘Europe finally sees shipbuilding as vital industry’
The European Council has finally acknowledged that the European maritime industry is of vital importance to the EU. An important development according to SWZ|Maritime’s Editor-in-Chief Antoon Oosting, because it is now included in Horizon Europe,...Read more
Twenty Dutch hydrogen projects underway in inland navigation
Inland navigation and shortsea shipping are taking the first steps towards completely emission-free propulsion using hydrogen. There are approximately twenty projects underway in the Netherlands in this field. The first hydrogen-powered demonstration vessels are expected...Read more
Automated barge transports polluted soil in port of Antwerp
Zonga, an automated 135-metre barge, has started transporting polluted soil from a former BP site in the port of Antwerp. The project is being carried out by Seafar, specialised in remote ship management, and DEME...Read more
Dutch shipbuilding order intake plummets by 45 per cent
The Dutch shipbuilding industry for seagoing vessels is in dire straits. Several shipyards have gone into the red and the order intake in 2019 amounted to just 351 million euros, a 45 per cent decline...Read more
Dutch inland shippers see 2020 as a year lost
The transport of goods by water has fallen sharply due to the corona crisis. Inland navigation had already been losing ground in the transport of mineral fuels, but the corona crisis has made this much...Read more
‘Seaport throughput to decrease by eleven per cent in best-case scenario’
In the best possible scenario, transshipment in the Dutch seaports will decrease by eleven per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year due to the corona crisis. For road, rail and inland navigation, the...Read more
‘Sustainable inland navigation comes with a price tag’
‘Greening inland navigation will cost a lot of money,’ says Ruud Verbeek, Senior Technical Consultant at TNO. In addition, the alternative fuels specialist expects there will be a shortage of biofuels from 2030, which will...Read more
Interchangeable batteries to ‘electrify’ Dutch inland navigation
With exchangeable batteries it is possible to operate barges electrically on a larger scale. They do not need to be plugged in for a long time, but can place a new battery on board during...Read more