Port of Rotterdam : National Growth Fund supports ZES concept with 50 mln investment for inland shipping sector

Zero Emission Services (ZES) – co-founded by the Port Authority in 2020 to stimulate, among other things, electric waterborne transport – has received a €50m investment from the National Growth Fund for the accelerated implementation of their innovative system solution for inland navigation.

The investment will be used for the development of 75 battery containers for maritime applications (ZESpacks), 14 docking stations where the ZESpacks are loaded, and 45 electrified inland vessels.

Bart Hoevenaars, CEO of ZES explains: “This is not only good news for the inland shipping sector and for ZES, but above all leads to a better living environment

Now truly clean sailing will be possible, without CO2, nitrogen, and particulate matter emissions. It is also silent.

The National Growth Fund supports skippers in investing in an electric power train. Zero Emission Services can now invest in the most expensive part, the battery containers, so that these skippers only pay for use.

The support will also enable the realization of publicly accessible charging stations along some crucial waterways for inland navigation in the Netherlands.

By making it possible to invest in these three things simultaneously, the well-known chicken-and-egg problem for green transport is broken. We thank the Ministry of I&W for their cooperation in the past year is going through this careful process together.

Together with them, we are convinced that the National Growth Fund will strengthen the competitive position of this important transport sector for the Netherlands with this support.”