MerlinGroup to Retrofit Vessel with Stage V Engines
Netherlands-based inland shipping company MerlinGroup is starting a conversion project for the Sayonara to retrofit Stage V engines.
The Sayonara will be equipped with two DAF MX 13-390 Stage V engines, supplied and fitted by CCM3 from Werkendam. The Sayonara is expected to resume operations on Dutch, Belgian and German rivers in Q4 2023.
The retrofit will make it future-ready and able to sail anywhere with minimal emissions of harmful substances.
The company, which operates on a participation model of cooperation between company and equal partners, wants to prepare its fleet of nine vessels for the future and actively contribute to the energy transition.
Partner Aad Kleine said: "As far as I'm concerned, reducing emissions is simply part of your business model nowadays. Transporting cargo responsibly is becoming increasingly important for our customers too. We align ourselves with them, but it also has to be feasible. We therefore try to take the most commercially and technically feasible measures for each ship.
“For the Sayonara, for instance, we also looked at electrification, but this ship does not lend itself to that. So we opted for Stage V engines, which provides a significant environmental improvement. For subsequent conversion projects, which are certainly coming, we, together with our clients and associates, are always looking again at the best suitable options, such as Stage V, electrification or alternative fuels."
In addition to its own investments, the conversion is made possible by a subsidy from the RVO, a Dutch governmental financial arrangement specifically for inland shipping vessels.