Kooiman Marine Group has received an order from Verbund Hydro Power for a new pusher tug.
The vessel will serve two purposes – transporting split hopper barges and as an icebreaker on the River Danube in Austria.
Kooiman has worked with Verbund to create a tailored concept design for the company, which operates ten hydropower plants on the Danube. The pusher tug will be used to handler a pair of split hopper barges which Verbund uses to maintain the gravel bed around the dams.
“It became quickly obvious that the vessel would need to develop a very high pushing force in very shallow water,” explained Jiri de Vos, lead engineer at Kooiman.
“Due to our experience designing and building four powerful pusher tugs for Veerhaven and the very manoeuvrable workboats Zwerver 2 and 3, we were able to propose a suitable design.”
The pusher tug will also be used to break ice around the dams and must be easily convertible to hydrogen in the future.
“We sensed the willingness of Kooiman to develop a vessel with us which would be fit to carry and integrate zero carbon energy sources which could be easily adapted in the future,” said Christian Sagat, who is responsible for the fleet at Verbund.
There is work to be done before sea trials begin, added Jiri de Vos. Kooiman will first detail the design, after which the ship’s interior, piping, machining of the propeller shafts and outfitting will be completed inhouse at one of Kooiman’s three yards.
