Imperial Logistics adds energy-efficient gas tankers to barging fleet 26 September 2017

Two new gas tankers have been christened by Imperial Logistics, and will join the fleet that operates from the German city of Duisburg, which is the world’s biggest inland port. The state-of-the-art, energy-efficient vessels will be used to transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and pressurised gaseous products, among other things.

The vessels are 110 metres long and 11.45 metres wide. Because the gas tankers are suitable for operations on canals and secondary inland waterways, they can be used in the complete river Rhine area, including its tributaries. The new units will replace two older gas tankers from the fleet that will now be decommissioned.

The new vessels’ fuel efficiency has been made possible by their sophisticated ‘dual Z-drive’ rudder propellers, developed by global propulsion specialist Veth, which is based in the Netherlands. The rudders and propellers form a single unit. Compared to older drive systems, this system requires less fuel and maintenance.

Gas tankers are a flexible solution for supplying energy and raw materials to industries. Gases have to be liquefied before they are transported. The reduction in volume resulting from this enables the vessels to accommodate greater loads. This means that inland waterway vessels have become a very efficient and eco-friendly means of transport.

Imperial Logistics currently operates 17 gas tankers and has over forty years of experience in the gas tanker shipping sector, one of the few providers in Europe that ships gases liquefied under pressure via inland tankers. Imperial Logistics is also the only European inland shipping company that meets Tanker Management Self-Assessment (TMSA) on level 2.