Duisburg. HGK Shipping has reached another milestone in terms of designing
innovative vessels: Europe’s largest inland waterway shipping company is expanding
its fleet to include the extremely modern, diesel-electrically-powered tanker, “TMS
Monomera”. The naming ceremony for the vessel took place in Druten in the
Netherlands on 30 October. The vessel, which has been developed in close cooperation
with the company’s long-standing business partner, VESTOLIT, will transport sodium
hydroxide between the western German canal system and the ARA ports for the
chemical company. What sets the “Monomera” apart is its focus on sustainable
technologies, optimised load-carrying capacity and energy concepts. Thanks to its
“future-fuel-ready” technology, it is already equipped to handle climate-neutral, future
energy sources.
In the presence of the ship’s godmother, Sandra Seyer from VESTOLIT, HGK Shipping
officially put the “Monomera” into service in the Dutch province of Gelderland; the vessel will
operate for HGK Shipping’s Liquid Chemicals business unit from now on. Designed to transport
a maximum payload capacity of 1,809 tonnes, the vessel, which is 100 metres long and 9.5
metres wide, is equipped with a diesel-electric drive concept. When combined with an
intelligent power management system, this provides particularly low-emission operations with
optimised fuel consumption. Two empty areas integrated into the vessel’s hull, so-called void
spaces, also provide room for future energy storage solutions. As a result, the new tanker is
prepared to use climate-neutral energy sources as soon as they are available.
HGK Shipping has made use of the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods when
developing the “Monomera” in order to reduce the resistance caused by water and maximise
energy efficiency. One of the main innovations on this vessel is its optimised draught, allowing
it to transport a load weighing up to 348 tonnes with a draught of just 1.20 metres, even if water
levels are low. Two rudder propellors, each developing 500 kW of drive power, ensure
outstanding manoeuvrability, making the vessel particularly suitable for service on canals and
cost-effective operations in difficult water conditions.
“With the ‘Monomera’, we’re setting a clear course toward the future of sustainable inland
waterway transport. It’s another step in our construction strategy for new vessels, aimed at
preparing our fleet for climate-neutral drive systems as part of the energy transition and setting
the stage for programme implementation,” says Steffen Bauer, the CEO of HGK Shipping.
The vessel’s design was developed at HGK Shipping’s Design Center, which worked in close
cooperation with Koninklijke Wijnhoff & Van Gulpen & Larsen B.V., a Dutch subsidiary of HGK
Shipping in Druten. The Severnav shipyard in Romania completed the construction of the hull
before the Dutch shipyard, De Gerlien van Tiem B.V., which is a long-standing partner of HGK
Shipping, took over responsibility for the final interior fitting work up to the time that the vessel
was commissioned.
Norbert Meixner, the Business Unit Director Liquid Chemicals at HGK Shipping, who will be
responsible for the new vessel in his unit in future, adds, “Our long-standing cooperation with
VESTOLIT is based on shared values of sustainability and innovations. As a result, we’ve been
able to successfully and efficiently complete this project and, acting as a strong business
partner for this industry, guarantee reliable supply chains even during phases when water
levels are low.”
