Institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management have ordered 40 LNG-powered inland waterway barges at the Dutch shipbuilder Concordia Damen. All of the barges will go on charter to Shell while VT Group/Marlow will operate them.
The eco-friendly dual-fuel barges will be 110 meters long and 11.5 meters wide.
Furthermore, they will feature extreme shallow draught capabilities – 2800 ton on 3.25 metre draught, according to Concordia Damen.
This is in order to maximise cargo carrying capacity on Dutch, Belgian and German canal and river networks.
The Parsifal tankers will transport mineral oils between Antwerp, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Rhine network.
Concordia Damen says it would will begin construction of the tankers in December this year with the delivery of the first vessel scheduled in November 2021.
After that, the yard will deliver one vessel each month, completing the order by December 2024.