Large ‘Tesla ships’ all-electric container barges are launching this autumn

The Dutch company Port-Liner is building two giant all-electric barges dubbed the ‘ Tesla ships ‘. The company announced that the vessels will be ready by this autumn and will be inaugurated by sailing the Wilhelmina canal in the Netherlands. The 100 million-euro project supported by a €7m subsidy from the European Union is expected to have a significant impact on local transport between the ports of Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Rotterdam. Chief executive of Port-Liner Ton van Meegen told The Loadstar : “There are some 7,300 inland vessels across Europe and more than 5,000 of those are owned by entrepreneurs in Belgium and the Netherlands. We can build upwards of 500 a year, but at that rate it would take some 50 years to get the industry operating on green energy.” The battery-powered barges – pictured above – are capable of carrying 280 containers. The first 6 barges are expected to remove 23,000 trucks from the roads annually in the Netherlands and replace them with zero-emission transport. Port-Liner is developing its own vessels, but they developed a battery pack technology that houses the batteries inside a container. Meegen says that it could allow them to retrofit existing barges: “This […]

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