New generation push boats for TK Veerhaven
Designing a climate-friendly pusher tug of the future
thyssenkrupp Veerhaven is exploring opportunities for a new generation of climate-friendly pusher boats: an EU Stage V emission standards push boat, and/or a dual-fuel methanol-diesel push boat. C-Job provided two different concept designs for each requested variation, which had to navigate the river Rhine, deliver low OPEX, and provide good crew comfort.
thyssenkrupp Veerhaven is always looking for opportunities in safety & innovation, while maintaining a strong focus on its sustainability ambitions. A new concept design should at the same time, be a more shallow draft vessel – to ensure operations during low water level periods on the Rhine. To ensure efficiency and sustainability in its future fleet renewal, C-Job worked to design and integrate new technologies and the most efficient propulsion configurations in a traditionally conventional vessel, using alternative fuels and modern powering configurations to reduce CO2 emissions.
Our design solutions met a demanding operational profile in combination with ambitions to reduce the OPEX of the vessel. Crucially, our naval architects and engineers investigated and achieved ways of reducing weight for the concept, to allow a reduced draught. This resulted in a new, attractive shallow draught design of just 1.60m to navigate the Rhine and ensure future-proof operations. For each design a 1.4m draught version was also investigated.
The new type of vessel would have four propellers and nozzles and a hybrid-direct propulsion by means of four main engines. The design is able to operate on diesel and methanol, and as a hybrid configuration with PTO/PTIs and batteries for peak shaving. This met the client’s requirement to have two options based on engine technology readiness and fuel availability, as well as lowering overall OPEX.
The concept vessel is designed to sail 8,000 hours per year on average and operate a round trip from Dintelhaven to Duisburg on the Rhine, typically pushing 6 fully loaded barges, to provide a constant flow of iron ore to thyssenkrupp Steel.
The engine room is located aft and the technical spaces – such as fuel preparation room, machinery room, battery room and bow thruster room – are located forward. The comfortable crew accommodation and the wheelhouse are air-suspended to the main deck by flexible mount supports.