Ineos takes delivery of giant Rhine gas barges

Built by Veka Shipyard in the Netherlands, gas barge Onion measures 110 m x 17.5 m and has a 5,583 cu.m capacity

London-headquartered Ineos Trading & Shipping has taken delivery of three of four new barges that will be the largest gas barges operating on the River Rhine and the first to be fully built to the new European ADN gas barge 2019 standard.

Two have cargo capacities of 4,460 cubic meters each and two have capacities of 5,538 cubic meters each.

Ineos says the new barges will enable the efficient and competitive delivery of butane gas from the ARA region (Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam) to the Ineos ethylene cracker facility at Cologne, Germany. In addition, they will provide Ineos Trading & Shipping with options to effectively trade butane in Europe.

The build project was managed by Hamburg-headquartered Imperial Gas Barging, which will also operate the barges on behalf of Ineos.

The construction of the barges was split between two Netherlands companies:

• Teamco Shipyard in Heusden, which subcontracted hull construction to Rensen-Driessen Shipbuilding B.V of the Netherlands and then had work completed by a Polish partner shipyard. The two 110- by 15-meter Teamco-built barges each have six cargo tanks holding a combined 4,446 cubic meters.

• Veka Shipbuilding Group in Werkendam, which completed all of the construction in the Netherlands, and is building two 110- by 17.5-meter barges with six tanks holding 5,538 cubic meters. The first of these has been delivered, the sister ship will follow later this year.

The gas tanks for all the barges were manufactured by Barlage GmbH. The self-propelled barges all use a Veth pod-drive system.