DB Schenker to sail on the fjord
Who would have thought that DB Schenker, regularly active on land and on rail, would be setting sails – will a fully electric vessel? The company says that it is planning the operation of a zero-emission coastal container feeder in Norway. The German group's cooperation partners are the furniture manufacturer Ekornes, the vessel designer Naval Dynamics, along with Kongsberg and Massterly.
The new autonomous and electric short-sea container feeder leverages Naval Dynamics’ NDS Auto Barge 250 concept. It is intended to replace the traditional feeder vessels deployed along the stretch of the Norwegian coastline around Ikornnes and Ålesund, which serves the main ocean freight ports in Europe.
The ship will complete the 43 m (23 nautical miles) journey within three hours, at a speed of 7.7 knots. The vessel will be 50 m long and will be able to carry 300 deadweight t of cargo. It is designed from the keel up for autonomous and zero-emission operation. It will run without a crew but will be monitored and controlled by staff at Massterly’s remote operation centre (ROC). (ben)