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Covestro and HGK Shipping have implemented a new measure to promote sustainability in the maritime transport sector. The coastal motor vessel *Amadeus Titanium*, belonging to Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH, has been equipped with a wind assistance system that utilizes wind power to support propulsion. This technology, known as VentoFoils® by Econowind, enables an average fuel savings of about ten percent, thereby contributing to the reduction of the ship’s CO₂ emissions. The retrofitting took place in the Dutch port city of Harlingen and was completed at the end of March 2026.
Nils Peterzelka, Sourcing Manager Regional Bulk Shipping at Covestro, emphasizes the importance of this measure: “We have a long-standing and trusting partnership with our logistics partner HGK Shipping. The equipment of the *Amadeus Titanium* represents another important step in this cooperation and promotes a more sustainable design of our supply chains.” Wolfgang Nowak, Managing Director of Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH, adds: “By using WAPS, or so-called ‘Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems’ like the VentoFoils®, we are able to save fuel in short-sea shipping for Covestro. This has both economic and ecological benefits.”
Strategic Partnerships for Lower Emission Logistics
The companies aim to make transport logistics in the maritime sector more environmentally friendly. Steffen Bauer, CEO of the HGK Group and Chairman of the Management Board of HGK Shipping, emphasizes: “Technological progress will create further options in the future to implement transport logistics in the maritime sector and in the waterway system with lower emissions. With strategic partners like Covestro, we are pushing the possibilities that the market opens up, for example, with new propulsion technologies or designs that we often develop together with our clients.”
Cristina-Maria Danila, Head of Global Supply Chain & Logistics at Covestro, explains the company’s long-term goals: “Our aim is to reduce our CO₂ emissions in logistics by 30 percent by 2035 and to be climate-neutral by 2050. Today is another step in our transformation towards green logistics.”
The collaboration between Covestro and HGK Shipping has a long history, extending to inland shipping and short-sea shipping. In 2025, the companies signed an extension of their cooperation until 2040 at the “transport logistic” trade fair in Munich. As part of this partnership, the *Amadeus Titanium* will exclusively transport Covestro products on European short-sea routes.
