German federal funding for low-emission coaster newbuildings

The grant was allocated to a Damen Combi Freighter (CF) 3850 vessel currently under construction, as well as for a second vessel. Damen, together with Gerdes Green and vessel charterer Cargill, has developed a low-emission vessel design, the CF 3850 Hybrid, to lower the environmental footprint of coaster vessel operations.

The vessels will feature a number of efficiency enhancements, including a diesel-electric propulsion system capable of operating fully on energy from an energy storage system (ESS). This will allow the vessels to sail short-term fully electrically with zero emissions, for instance when approaching ports and when passing through populated areas.

The vessels will also be able to sail on B100 biodiesel, significanty reducing CO2 emissions. Furthermore, they will include a 130kW shore connection, eliminating emissions when the vessels are docked. 

The vessels will also feature wind assisted propulsion in the form of foldable ventofoils from Econowind. This innovative wing-shaped device harnesses the wind to provide additional propulsion force, lowering dependence on the engine, thereby reducing emissions.

Damen noted that the new CF 3850 includes the Damen Triton remote monitoring platform, which is connected to systems throughout the vessel and provides feedback on their performance. In this way Damen can assess performance, gaining valuable data that enables it to continue to improve efficiency, ensuring further evolutions of efficiency in subsequent generations of vessels.