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With the construction of the push barge Rhenus Berlin 1, the Rhenus Group is setting an important milestone in sustainable logistics for the wind energy industry. The tailor-made barge will be constructed specifically to ENERCON’s requirements for the transport of the newest generation of rotor blades and will facilitate the future-oriented shift of project transports from the road onto the waterway. Cooperation partner ENERCON thus receives an effective alternative for the supply of its wind farm construction sites.
The completion of Rhenus Berlin 1 is expected within the year, the vessel consists of a push boat and a barge built from three separate parts. The drive unit is intentionally fitted externally: The coupled push boat provides the needed flexibility and enables the transport even through restrictive lock chambers.
In future, the first ship of this possible new series will operate especially within the North German canals – in the first instance, for the transport of project partner ENERCON’s rotor blades within the supply of wind farm projects featuring the new E-175 EP5 turbine type. With a loading length of 92 metres and an external length of 100 metres, the barge prototype can transport up to two rotor blades of the newest ENERCON generation with a blade length of up to 86 metres.
Optimal usage of the inland waterways
“Our decades of experience in the inland shipping sector and for heavy lift logistics are the basis for this project. At the same time, it shows how fast we can develop tailor-made solutions to our customers’ requirements,” said David Schuetz, Senior Project Manager at Deutsche Binnenreederei, a company of the Rhenus Group. “Especially faced with the high capacity utilization of the roads and motorways, routes that are suddenly blocked due to construction as well as length restrictions within the locks, creative technical concepts are needed in order to use inland navigation as a reliable transport alternative, in particular for huge components such as the newest rotor blade models. With Rhenus Berlin 1 and together with ENERCON, we have developed a solution that is equally technically ambitious and future-oriented and contributes actively towards the CO₂ reduction of project logistics.”
Sustainable supply chains in focus
The construction of the push barge was matched exactly to the challenges of the inland waterway infrastructure. The Scharnebeck lock – a twin ship lift – with its chamber length of 100 metres as well as the vessel’s needed loading length of circa 92 metres provided the biggest logistical hurdle, which Rhenus and ENERCON want to master with this customization.
ENERCON is currently extensively preparing for the ramp-up of its new top model E-175 EP5, with which the manufacturer reaches new dimensions. With a rotor diameter of 175 metres, the E-175 EP5 is one of the largest onshore wind turbines in Europe. “We are systematically preparing for rising delivery figures, which the whole industry is expecting within the market upswing,” said Hendrik Peterburs, Vice President of ENERCON Global Logistics. “If the roads become congested or routes are closed, we want to have alternative means of transport available so that we can ensure that our components are delivered to our customers’ projects on time at all times.”
ENERCON is also pursuing ambitious sustainability goals throughout the entire supply chain, from building up its own fleets of e-trucks and e-transporters to using low-emission fuels and actively switching to environmentally friendly means of transport.
“To us, the inland waterway is a central part of a green logistics strategy,” explained Hendrik Peterburs. “We want to make our supply chain as sustainable as possible, from production to the last mile. Together with Rhenus, we are developing the fitting solution to a challenging pre-carriage transport for our wind energy components. With the new push barge, we can not only guarantee greater reliability thanks to less congestion-prone routes, but also reduce CO₂ emissions compared to road transport. We are certain that there is still a lot of potential in this solution.”
Rhenus and ENERCON pave the way for the energy transition
The push barge is currently being remodeled at the wharf port in Szczecin, where the new barge is being created from three individual segments. After its completion, Rhenus Berlin 1 will soon go into service and make a significant contribution to the energy transition in Germany and Europe, particularly for the wind energy sector.
“For us, shifting transport to the waterways is a strategic key to also securing the energy transition logistically,” said Michael de Reese, Head of the Rhenus Port Logistics Division. “The wind energy sector in particular requires sustainable solutions along the entire supply chain. With our decades of experience in heavy lift logistics and connections to central port locations such as Cuxhaven, we are working with partners such as ENERCON to build an efficient and future-oriented transport infrastructure for the wind power industry.”
As a pioneer of wind energy technology and a committed supporter of the energy transition, we have specialised in developing, producing, selling and servicing onshore wind turbines. Pursuing our mission of ‘Energy for the world’, we have been championing sustainable energy generation from onshore wind since 1984. Thanks to our innovative wind turbine technology, high quality standards and many years of experience, we are one of the industry’s leading manufacturers anywhere in the world.
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