Parliamentary State Secretary Kluckert: “Reducing ship emissions with cutting-edge technologies”
As part of its ‘BordstromTech’ funding guideline, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV – Bundesministerium für Digital and Transport) is supporting further projects to reduce shipping emissions. The funding decisions totalling almost 1.4 million euros were handed over by Parliamentary State Secretary Daniela Kluckert on 17 June 2024 at a workshop on alternative technologies for environmentally friendly on-board power and mobile shore-side power supply for sea-going and inland waterway vessels at the BMDV.
Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport: “Our goal is to reduce polluting and harmful ship emissions in maritime and inland shipping. With the BordstromTech funding programme, we are therefore providing targeted and technology-neutral support for promising future technologies for on-board power supply and the use of shore-side power. With this approach, we are strengthening our technological leadership, making an important contribution to environmental and climate protection and securing new market opportunities for ourselves. We have approved funding totalling around 10 million euros to date.”
A whole range of alternative technology options are available to reduce the use of conventional diesel generators on board seagoing and inland waterway vessels in harbours. The technological spectrum of the funded projects is therefore very diverse: Alongside the procurement of mobile shore-side power systems, ship upgrades for the use of shore-side power as well as other climate-friendly technologies for on-board power generation are also being funded. This will stimulate the market for these technologies and achieve a significant reduction in the emission of air pollutants. The projects now being funded have the potential to save a further 353 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and up to 123 tonnes of air pollutant emissions per year, particularly in German ports.
The funded projects in detail:
Climate-friendly passenger shipping on the Danube
Regensburger Personenschifffahrt Klinger is retrofitting the on-board power supply system on its MS Johannes Kepler day excursion boat. Instead of a diesel generator, a battery will now provide sufficient power, which will be charged using shore-side power during lay times. The hot water supply will be switched to a service water heat pump. To collect additional energy, a solar system will be installed on the open roof area. The project is being supported with 165,000 euros of funding.
Mobile jetty system supplies boats with solar power
The aim of the Relax Wassersport project is to develop a self-sufficient, mobile floating boat mooring system with berths for boats used for commercial tourism. The mobile jetty system generates electricity with a PV system, stores it in batteries and supplies it to the boats as required – bidirectional energy transfer is also included here. The project is being supported with around 230,000 euros in funding.
Floating e-charging station
Onwater GmbH is to receive funding for the procurement of a floating e-charging station. This will be equipped with a battery storage system and an environmentally friendly on-board power supply system for on-board and mobile power supply in leisure boating. The project is being supported with around 240,000 euros in funding.
Environmentally friendly service boats for Lake Constance
Boat service provider MIZU GmbH is electrifying its fleet of service boats so that the three workshop, assembly and safety boats can be equipped with on-board batteries and operated emission-free. The projects are being supported with around 30,000 euros each in funding.
Emission-free tugboat lay times
Otto Wulf GmbH & Co. is upgrading its WULF 4 tugboat to run on shore-side power. This involves converting the diesel generators and the main control panel. In this way, the tug can be operated emission-free during lay times. The project is being supported with around 70,000 euros in funding.
About NOW GmbH
Since 2008, NOW GmbH has been supporting the federal government’s targets in its climate and industrial policy. The tasks of the federally-owned company include developing, monitoring and evaluating funding programmes about climate-neutral mobility and energy supply. NOW GmbH experts supervise projects in the areas of hydrogen, fuel cells, battery and renewable fuels. They reimagine mobility and fuels for cars, buses, trains, commercial vehicles, ships and airplanes, and support the establishment and further development of charging infrastructure and hydrogen refuelling stations for cars and trucks. More information on NOW can be found here.