Container barge with collapsible sails tested

Last week TMA Logistics did a test on container barge Ms Royaal with eConowind. This is a container with collapsible sails that can be sailed partly on wind.

The container takes up little space and can therefore easily be placed on board (inland) vessels.

10% fuel savings with eConowind
On the IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea, between Harlingen and Amsterdam, it almost always blows. This made that location ideal for testing the eConowind. Folding the system only takes five minutes. The test yielded a fuel saving of 10%. Enough reason to test this further.

Inland shipping connections with the port of Amsterdam
Logistics service provider TMA Logistics connects terminals in Harlingen, Hasselt, IJmuiden, Velsen and Amsterdam with the deep sea terminals in Rotterdam and Antwerp. TMA has fixed agreements with the deep sea terminals and bundles large volumes. With these inland shipping connections, fixed and reliable sailing schedules have been created for their customers.

Further greening
By using inland navigation, unnecessary waiting times with trucks are avoided. It also reduces traffic jams and CO2 emissions. TMA logistics wants to make their ships even greener. For example, by making more use of the wind, such as the eConowind. TMA has also been using the MS Phoenix since 2018. This is a fully hybrid ship.