EU stopt 40 miljoen in faciliteiten voor LNG-gas voor schepen op Donau-Rijn watercorridor (en)

The European Union will support with over €40 million from the TEN-T Programme a series of studies and trials to assess the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a shipping fuel in the European inland waterway sector. It contributes to the completion of the “Waterway axis Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube” (TEN-T Priority Project 18) and will be implemented by a consortium of 33 companies and organisations from 12 EU Member States*.

The studies, which were selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Multi-Annual Call, involve the creation of an European strategy plus pilot deployments both for LNG as fuel for inland vessels as well as cargo transported on waterways and distributed via inland ports along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.

LNG is rapidly emerging as a more environmentally friendly fuel for the shipping sector and its uptake is encouraged by the European Union. As part of the project a set of feasibility studies, technical reports and trials and pilot deployments of vessels and terminals will be carried out. The objective is to provide a platform for key public and private stakeholders to discuss LNG uptake in the inland waterway sector and the necessary regulatory framework for LNG as vessel fuel and cargo.

The results are expected to have a significant impact on LNG’s introduction on this very important European inland waterway axis and promote this means of transport in general.

The studies will be monitored by the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) and is set to be completed by December 2015.

*Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia