Covered by 192 solar panels, Blue Marlin seems more a floating installation than a traditional freighter. But under that futuristic aspect a remarkable advance is hidden: this ship, designed to operate in interior waters, is the first in its class capable of Use sun energy to drive. We do not talk about auxiliary or lighting systems on board: panels feed their electrical propulsion system. And best of all, he is already sailing.
The technical advance is not alone in the design: it is in how it moves. The Blue Marlin combines solar energy, batteries and diesel generators in a hybrid system capable of adapting to each section of the trip. Under good light conditions, panels can generate up to 35 kilowatts, enough to feed the propulsion system without external help. At other times, what is known as peak shaving: Automatic management that allows reducing the use of generators, activating them only when it really takes.
Solar panels and diesel: all that at the service of a specific task
Solar energy has already been the protagonist in other maritime proposals: from cruises that install panels on the balconies, to flexible candles with perovskitas that promise a new generation of sustainable ships. There were even those who, more than a decade ago, dared to go around the world with the largest ever built.
Blue Marlin has not been created to go around the world or to travel oceans. Its objective is much more concrete: transport steel and bulk by northwestern Germany. These types of routes, which cross interior channels, are key to reducing the use of trucks and emissions in the logistics chain. By incorporating electric propulsion, they affirm, Blue Marlin allows you to lower up to 36,000 kilos of CO2 a year, a figure no lower for a single ship.
In addition to its hybrid propulsion system, the Blue Marlin incorporates a second relevant innovation: remote navigation. Thanks to Seafar technology, the ship can operate without crew on board in certain stretches of the journey. After overcoming the evidence successful, the German authorities have authorized that the Blue Marlin sailing in a telecontrolled way between Salzgitter and Friedrichsfeld. This not only reduces operational costs, it also opens the door to a new logistics model in which part of the control can be done from the ground.
One of the biggest challenges of river transport is to maintain operability when water level drops. Blue Marlin has been built with that problem in mind. Its helmet has been designed to guarantee stability and maneuverability with a draft of only 1.10 meters. Thanks to its veth helm propellers and an additional bow propeller, it can maneuver precisely even in complex sections. This capacity makes it a robust tool for an increasingly unpredictable environment.
Behind the Blue Marlin there are two key actors: HGK Shipping, which moves 43 million tons per year in Europe, and Salzgitter AG, responsible for one of the largest steel productions on the continent. Together they have developed a freighter that not only fulfills a logistics function, but also symbolizes a change of course. The construction has been carried out in several phases and countries, with very demanding standards.
Images | HGK Shipping GmbH
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