Eberhart Essberger and Heinrich Essberger now sailing the world’s oceans in an environmentally friendly manner.
The two LNG-powered chemical tankers Eberhart Essberger and Heinrich Essberger were christened in Hamburg on 21 June 2024. Both ships received funding totalling 1.58 million euros each from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV – Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr) within the scope of the German government’s Mobility and Fuels Strategy (MFS) and on the basis of the “LNGSeeschiffRL” guideline regarding support for the outfitting and conversion of seagoing vessels for the use of LNG (liquefied natural gas) as a marine fuel. The funding programme is being overseen by NOW GmbH.
The twin christening of the two chemical tankers took place as part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of the tanker shipping company John T. Essberger GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg. LNG (liquefied natural gas) contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions in maritime shipping and is regarded as a bridge fuel for the use of low-carbon and renewable fuel alternatives for the maritime transition to climate-friendly shipping.
The Chinese Yangfan shipyard was commissioned with the construction of the new vessels. Funding for the two identical sister ships Liselotte Essberger and John T. Essberger was also approved by the Federal Office for Administrative Services (BAV – Bundesanstalt für Verwaltungsdienstleistungen) as the authorising body on behalf of the BMDV via the LNGSeeschiffRL guideline. They were put into service last year and at the beginning of this year respectively.
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.