Funded by the EU Innovation Fund

eSeaRiverBarge

Electric sea-river container vessels

A new class of vessel built to carry containers from seaport to inland hinterland without transshipment — and able to sail without emissions. Funded by the EU Innovation Fund as part of Europe's maritime decarbonisation mission.

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100%
Electric propulsion
~90% less
GHG vs baseline
16
Swappable energy containers
2029planned
First vessel in service · build start 2027

One ship.
Sea and river.
Zero-emission ready.

The Vessel

The eSeaRiverBarge is a new class of electric sea-river container vessel — purpose-built to carry containers directly from European seaports to inland destinations along Europe's waterways, without transshipment, without delay — and able to sail without local emissions. The first service will connect the Rhine valley with the United Kingdom.

It combines the shallow draft and low air draft of an inland barge with the seaworthiness of a short-sea vessel, backed by an electric drivetrain and energy-reducing technologies. A single vessel replaces the conventional chain of seagoing ship and inland barge — and minimises the emissions footprint.

Developed by Tharsis Ship Management — building on almost five decades of sea-river experience and a track record of early adoption: the first diesel-electric propulsion in its segment (around 25% savings in practice), launching customer for hull air lubrication, and a pilot for wind-assisted ship propulsion — the eSeaRiverBarge is designed as a first-of-a-kind, replicable and scalable vessel class for Europe's green logistics corridors.

eSeaRiverBarge Outline Specification, issued for shipyard tender

A strategic piece
of Europe's green logistics puzzle

Why it matters

Transport accounts for about a third of all EU greenhouse gas emissions (EEA, 2023). Waterborne transport has among the lowest emissions per tonne-kilometre — but only if the vessels themselves evolve. The eSeaRiverBarge addresses exactly that.

100% electric

Zero-emission capable

Electric drivetrain powered by swappable, pay-per-use energy containers, supplemented by energy-reducing technologies. With zero-emission energy on board, the vessel sails without emissions.

−1 stop

No transshipment needed

Eliminates the traditional seagoing ship-to-barge handover at hub ports. Less damage risk, less cost, less time — and dramatically less emissions per container-kilometre.

2 first-of-a-kind vessels

Replicable & scalable

Two first-of-a-kind vessels demonstrate a new sea-river container liner service. Both the vessel design and the swappable energy container model are built to be replicated — at shipyards across the EU and on short-sea routes throughout Europe.

Aligned with the EU Innovation Fund mission

The Innovation Fund is one of the world's largest funding programmes for demonstrating innovative low-carbon technologies. It supports first-of-a-kind projects across net-zero mobility — including maritime — that deliver significant, measurable greenhouse gas reductions and can scale across Europe.

Learn more ↗

Engineered for the
post-fossil era.

Technology

Every system on board has been designed around electric, zero-emission capable operation — from the propulsion train to the energy supply chain.

ZES energy containers at a charging station
Length O.A.
~126m
Container capacity
~336TEU · at Rhine clearance
Sailing draft
1.7 – 4.0m
Air draft
< 9m · Rhine clearance
Container types
20ft · 30ft · 40ft · 45ft Plus special sizes between 20 and 30 ft, incl. extra-wide reefer & bulk

Indicative specifications — subject to detailed design.

  • Swappable energy containers Pay-per-use energy modules in a standard container footprint — swapped at the quay like cargo. With zero-emission energy on board, the vessel sails without emissions and without lengthy shore-side charging. The containers are ZESpacks, supplied by our associated partner Zero Emission Services (ZES) under its Energy- and Charging-as-a-Service model. Dedicated storage positions for 16 energy containers on the fore and aft ship are shielded from seagoing conditions and connected via Megawatt Charging System (MCS) connectors — the same high-power charging standard emerging for heavy-duty road transport. The containers can hold batteries today and other energy carriers, such as hydrogen or ammonia, in the future.
    Illustration: a quay crane lifting a ZES energy container on board a vessel
  • Energy-reducing technologies Wind-assisted ship propulsion, hull air lubrication and an optimised hull design — with room for further energy-saving measures — cut the propulsion load, extending range and reducing the energy demand on the electric drivetrain.
  • Electric drivetrain A triple electric propulsion setup for quiet operation, lower maintenance and higher reliability. Biofuel generator sets are installed as back-up.
  • Sea-river hull architecture Air draft below 9 m keeps the vessel within Rhine clearance height; a sailing draft from 1.7 m reaches inland container terminals; reinforced hull and seakeeping design cope with coastal waters, while the hull form is optimised to keep navigating rivers during low-water periods. One vessel, one voyage — from the sea to deep into the Rhine corridor.
  • Optimised for 30ft & 45ft containers Cargo hold geometry is purpose-built for 30ft and 45ft units — including extra-wide reefer and bulk containers, as well as special container sizes between 20 and 30 ft — a niche poorly served by standard feeder vessels and inland barges.
  • Energy management Onboard energy flows between the energy containers, energy-reducing technologies and auxiliary systems are managed to use energy as efficiently as possible.

Built with
the right partners.

Consortium

Tharsis Ship Management leads the project with support from the EU Innovation Fund and ZES as associated partner. Further partners will be announced as agreements are finalised.

Project Lead
Project owner · The Netherlands
Associated Partners
Swappable energy containers
Funding
Funded by
the European Union
EU Innovation Fund · CINEA
Commercial & Logistics
Cargo & Chartering Partner
To be announced
Technology & Engineering
Shipyard Partner
To be announced
Technology Providers
To be announced

Results &
Publications.

Project results

Project results, publications and news are shared here as the eSeaRiverBarge project progresses.

Press release: Tharsis Ship Management secures EU Innovation Fund support for the eSeaRiverBarge project
April 2026 · Press release

Tharsis Ship Management secures EU Innovation Fund support for the eSeaRiverBarge project

Download press release ↓
Coming

Project results

Technical and commercial results will be published here as project milestones are reached.

Interested in
joining the mission?

Contact

Whether you're a cargo owner, a port, a technology supplier, an investor or a journalist — we'd be glad to hear from you. Reach out via the channels below.

General enquiries
esrb@tharsis-management.nl
Press & media
press@tharsis-management.nl
Project coordinator
Jan Albert Bosma
jabosma@tharsis-management.nl
Follow the project LinkedIn ↗