New barge technology applied to reduce inland navigation emissions

Let me tell you the story of the Victoria, a barge that produces 80 percent less NOx, 99 percent less SOx and 98 percent less particulates than standard barges on its travels. Oh, and the CO₂ production levels are also about 5 to 15 percent less.

How did the Victoria manage to accomplish this? First of all because she's using regular diesel instead of ship fuel. Regular diesel in Europe is low in sulfur as well as less polluting and more efficient. The Victoria also got a set of filters and a catalytic converter which had a relatively modest cost of 200,000 EUR. This makes the technology feasible and realistic for current barges and makes inland navigation really competitive against road freight in terms of environmental protection.

The Victoria was designed under the Creating Project, which is supported by BP and the European Union. The barge has been tested at work in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to carry ship lubricants around.

[Source: El Pais]