Right on schedule, the Scheldestroom – the third multi-purpose vessel developed and built by Bijlsma Wartena for Rijkswaterstaat – slid down the slipway on the morning of Friday, 2 November 2018. All of the parties involved in the vessel’s construction were in attendance for the festive occasion.

Rijkswaterstaat awarded the international tender for the three sustainable vessels to the Friesland-based Bijlsma Wartena in recognition of the Dutch shipbuilder’s uniquely innovative ideas. After two previous launches in March and June of this year, the Scheldestroom is the third and last ship of its class to slide sideways from the slipway into the water.

Sustainable and efficient

With the three new multi-purpose vessels, Rijkswaterstaat will be able to accomplish its missions efficiently and sustainably, both on the Netherlands’ inland waterways and at sea. The vessels are energy-efficient, and have extremely low CO2 emissions.

Successful launch of the hybrid MPV-30 Scheldestroom

The official programme for the launch was hosted by master of ceremonies Mart de Goffau, Project Manager for Rijksrederij Fleet Replacement and Maintenance. After speeches by Rijksrederij Director Bianca Janssen, Chief Engineer and Programme Director Tjeerd Roozendaal, and Bijlsma Wartena’s General Director Tjeerd Wiebe Bijlsma, in which the speakers emphasised the importance of sustainable operations and the congenial collaboration by the parties, the moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived. The Scheldestroom slid into the water to thundering applause. After the launch ceremony, the attendees raised a toast to the third successful launch of the year; a unique milestone for the Bijlsma Wartena shipyard.

Sustainable, efficient and innovative

The Scheldestroom’s construction incorporated the latest developments in ship design. Bijlsma’s in-house design for the MPV-30 is exceptionally sustainable. The hydrodynamic form of the hull generates little resistance as it moves through the water. The MPV 30 is equipped with batteries that provide power for day-to-day activities. The generators are only activated when the batteries need to be recharged. With the efficiency meter in the wheelhouse, the crew know exactly how to operate the vessel with maximum efficiency.

Solar panels on the boat generate power for the crew accommodations, and the residual heat from the engines is used for the vessel’s heating installation. This gives the MPV30s exceptionally low energy consumption and CO2 emissions. With its rotating propulsion pods underneath the vessel, the MPV-30 can sail in two directions at once, allowing it to maintain its position and perform tasks such as marking the shipping channel, patrolling, and conducting measurements and surveys, regardless of the height of the waves.

Lithium Energy Storage by EST-Floattech

At an early stage in the multi-functional vessel’s design, Bijlsma Wartena asked EST-Floattech to support how to make the MPV-30 vessels and the concept behind it as sustainable as possible. The result is a future-proof hybrid system using lithium batteries provided by EST-Floattech, which provide a combined power of almost 900 kWh of energy. The battery system has been developed in accordance with the latest, most stringent safety requirements imposed by the classification societies, which means it is extremely safe and reliable.