HGK Shipping orders eco-friendly dry cargo ship for Salzgitter Flachstahl

HGK Shipping, part of Germany’s integrated logistics group HGK, has ordered a new, low-emission dry cargo ship from the Dutch shipyard De Gerlien van Tiem.

Equipped with a diesel-electric drive system, solar panels and designed to be “future fuel-ready”, the newbuilding is specially tailored to the requirements of German steel producer Salzgitter AG.

Scheduled to enter service in July 2025, the canal-going ship will feature a length of 86 meters, a width of 9.5 meters, and a payload capacity of 1,535 tons.

The new vessel will specifically contribute to the sustainability efforts of HGK Shipping and Salzgitter AG, the companies said. As explained, the ship is being built as part of the recently agreed long-term partnership between the two abovementioned companies. Earlier this month, the duo signed a time charter agreement to lease three dry cargo vessels on a long-term basis. Once it goes into service, the new ship will replace one of the three vessels from the existing fleet.

Under the deal, the shipping company based in Duisburg will therefore become the preferred partner for the inland waterway shipping operations of Salzgitter Flachstahl. In return, the latter is using this development to secure itself access to transport capacity and is underlining its clear commitment to inland waterways.

The new unit is scheduled to be used for alternating services between the Salzgitter business sites and its customers in the Netherlands and Belgium in order to transport raw and input materials for steel manufacturing, such as scrap steel.

The dedicated teams of both companies are working hard to develop efficient and climate-friendly solutions for steel logistics on the waterway system. The new ship is said to be an important step in the newly expanded cooperation. The partners intend to continue working together on further innovative ships.

The concept of the dry cargo ship for the steel supply chain was developed and completed by the HGK Shipping Design Center. It will be possible to retrofit the diesel/electric-powered ship to future propulsion systems and fuels.

What is more, there is an option to install a void space in the midships section. Additional solar panels can be installed on the lids of hatches to generate electrical energy in a climate-neutral way. This energy will not only be integrated into the onboard power grid but will also, for the first time, be fed into the propulsion system.

“Modern shipping space is the basis for ensuring the future viability of dry shipping. Long-term and close strategic partnerships such as the one with Salzgitter AG are boosting our efforts to achieve sustainability. Working together, we can continue our journey towards achieving climate neutrality in a consistent and targeted manner,” Andreas Lemme, Managing Director, HGK Dry Shipping GmbH, commented.

“Thanks to the new vessel, we’ll be able to make significant savings in CO2 emissions in comparison with current drive systems on comparable dry goods shipping vessels. Further savings potential will emerge from future drive concepts and fuels, which we’ve already taken into consideration in the design,” Tim Gödde, Business Unit Director, Ship Management at HGK Shipping GmbH, added.