BREB gears up to deploy wind-powered methanol-ready MPP fleet in 2025

German transporation company BREB is preparing to welcome four wind-powered methanol-ready multipurpose dry cargo vessels in 2025.

The Cuxhaven-based company recently unveiled the design of its new environmentally friendly BREB-B class of eco freighters.

The flagship of the quartet—to be named BREB Baltia—and its three sister ships are currently under construction at Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industries in China.

Designed by Dutch design and engineering company Groot Ship Design, the vessels feature a length of almost 90 meters and a width of 15.55 meters. The 5,200 dwt units will have a service speed of 10.5 knots and will have ‘the highest’ Swedish and Finnish Ice Class 1A.

BREB Baltia and its sisters will fly a European flag and operate in Unrestricted Navigation as well as NAABSA in ports with restricted draft.

Special features among others are CLEAN-ship class notation, minimized carbon footprint, optimal Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), low fuel consumption, and shore power connection (retroffiting required).

The main engine runs on low sulphur marine gas oil, hydrated vegetable oil and is convertible to methanol.

The company told Offshore Energy it has been following the marine fuel discussions for many years and seen a tendency towards methanol, at least in Europe.

„As BREB we have experience with environmental-friendly vessels for a long time. MV BREMER JOHANNA, built 2008, was awarded with the international environmental label RAL UZ 110 “Blauer Engel”. The quartet of BREB BALTIA-type vessels is a major milestone on BREB´s way towards a greener shipping-future with zero-emissions into the marine environment. The industry has identified environmental-friendly logistics among the most important tasks for the future,” Arne Ehlers, Managing Partner at BREB GmbH & Blue Water BREB GmbH, explained.

The shipping company is also preparing to install wind assisted propulsion systems (WAPSs) on the newbuilds and has selected systems by Dutch WAPS provider eConowind.

Two Ventofoil sails working as non-rotating suction wings can further reduce fuel consumption to below 4 tons per day at sea, according to BREB. Normally, fuel consumption at sea would be 4.2 t/day and with Ventofoil 3.75 t/day.

“The Ventofoil sails will be most certainly be installed in Europe but are subject to public subsidiaries and funds,” Ehlers revealed.

BREB arose from Bremer Reederei Eilemann & Bischoff, established in 1951 in Bremen. The company has a fleet of own and chartered multipurpose vessels with a cargo capacity of 4,000-9,000 tons under the German and European flags.

The company has also been active in the German offshore wind industry since 2008.