BNR 186 - Veerhaven XI – IJsbeer

One of the first vessels to be built in the Netherlands and delivered to ThyssenKrupp is Veerhaven XI. This vessel forms part of a series of pusher boats which are used between the port of Rotterdam and Duisburg in Germany, where ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe operates a steelworks.

Veerhaven XI will push four or six barges upstream that are loaded with iron ore and coal. Since ThyssenKrupp does not have large storage capacity in Duisburg, just-in-time river transport is an essential link in the production chain. It can be regarded as a kind of floating conveyor belt. That is the reason why the company owns and operates its own fleet of eight pusher boats and barges, which operate in a continuous 24/7 sailing regime. The reliability of the equipment is of the utmost importance, since any interruptions to the production of steel are extremely costly.

Veerhaven XI is a sister ship to Veerhaven X. The most important factors in the new design were the required speed, the reliability through redundancy, minimal draught and excellent manoeuvrability for the busy and curving Rhine. The major changes to Veerhaven XI are an adjusted bow thruster arrangement, different generators and a different system for saving fuel. But many other, smaller changes were made to make the vessel more cost-effective, more reliable and more comfortable.

Veerhaven X and XI belong to the so-called fourth generation of pusher boats and, depending on the water level and quantity of the load, can push four to six 2,800-tonne pontoons with their installed capacity of 3 x 1,850 HP. The transition to six barges was made possible by the bow rudders on the front barges. With six barges, the entire combination is 269.5 metres long and 22.8 metres wide. The maximum cargo capacity in that case is 16,000 tonnes per voyage.

SHIP TYPE:

Triple screw pusher boat for Rhine and inland service (able to push 6 loaded barges)

MAIN DIMENSIONS:

• Length O.A. 40.00 m
• Beam (mld) 15.00 m
• Depth 2.75 m
• Draught 1.74 m (with 50% consumables)

PROPULSION SYSTEM:

• Main engines: 3 x MAK 8M20, Reintjes reverse gear WAF 1943 reduction 3,52:1
• Total output: 1360 kW at 900 rpm
• Propulsion: 3 x five bladed propellers Ø1550 mm
• Bow thrusters: 2 x Verhaar Omega 3 channels bow thrusters, driven by 2x Scania Diesels DI-16 52M 441 kW

AUXILIARY ENGINES:

• 2 x Scania DS-12-70 M211 kW at 1500 rpm (with 240 kVAStamfordgenerators)
• 1 x Sisu diesel 49 DTAG 95 kW at 1500 rpm (with 100 kVA Stamfordgenerator) 

AUXILIARY DEVICES:

• Anchor en coupling winches: Scheepswerf Gebr. Kooiman B.V.

ACCOMMODATION:

• 9 cabins, fitness room, wet room, mess, galley, wheelhouse and control room
• The accommodation is placed fully elastic on air filled supports and the accommodation is equipped with a fully ducted airco system