Cargill food company has partnered with Kotug International maritime company to deploy the zero emission fully electric pusher boat and barge to transport cocoa beans from the Port of Amsterdam, the largest cocoa import port in the world, to Cargill’s cocoa factory in Zaandam, the Netherlands.
The E-Pusher 1 was christened according to maritime tradition by Marieke Taal, operations manager at Cargill, representing the next generation. It marked the official start of the operations with the vessel for Cargill, whereby Kotug will operate the zero-emission E-Pusher and E-barges.
Pushers and barges are essential, efficient methods of delivering goods by water from Dutch ports to the Netherlands and beyond.
The new zero-emission vessel, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge propulsion systems, eliminates harmful emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM).
The fully electric pusher boats and barges are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 190.000 kg per year, the equivalent of 15.000 one-way trips by truck from the Port of Amsterdam to Cargill’s cocoa factory in Zaandam.
It’s worth noting that the boats will run on green energy from the wind farm that Cargill and Vattenfall operate in partnership with Windpark Hanze.
Ard-Jan Kooren, President & CEO of Kotug International, noted that together with Cargill ‘’we are making history and reshaping the future of maritime transportation. This ground-breaking achievement aligns with our mission to provide sustainable solutions to the maritime industry”.
Kooren added that ”by introducing the world’s first zero emission vessel of this set-up, we aim to inspire other shipping companies, governments, and stakeholders to embrace clean energy solutions and make significant strides towards achieving the global climate goals for the next generation.”
Kotug is maritime family-owned company, offering its towage and maritime related services on a global scale.
Kotug´s expertise is divided across five pillars: Towage, Training & Consultancy, Intelligence, Subsea and Maritime Excellence.
