Caterpillar Marine, a global leader in marine power solutions, and Pon Power BV, an authorized distributor of Cat® power solutions in the Netherlands and Norway, announce a collaborative initiative to modernise and future proof inland waterway fleets operating on The Rhine. This partnership aims to help vessel owners comply with evolving emissions regulations while enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability.
Today’s inland waterway vessel owners face new construction considerations and compliance-related challenges that increase installation complexity, costs and maintenance. European Union (EU) Stage V legislation introducing stricter air quality emissions limits for non-road engines and equipment took effect on January 1, 2022 following the regulation’s adoption in 2016 (1). The requirements stipulate that only Stage V certified internal combustion engines can be installed on new build inland waterway vessels. Additionally, as of October 2022, Stage V certified engines are mandatory for the re-engineering of existing marine diesel engines.
To achieve compliance, diesel engines above 19 kilowatts (kW) in new marine vessel construction or repowers must meet emissions standards under the Commercial Craft Directive 2016/1628 (2), which also requires engine aftertreatment to reduce particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) and nonvolatile particle number (PN) emissions.
Because the cost of a new vessel can be significant, many owners evaluate repowering existing assets. In some instances, government financial incentives are available until January 1, 2026 to help subsidize the cost (3).
In addition to the financial impact of Stage V compliance, space considerations are another challenge for compact inland waterway vessels. Shipyards tasked with repowers and new builds must determine how to navigate these constraints for sizing and distance between the engine and exhaust. As vessel owners strategise how to future proof their fleet, they can benefit from choosing integrated, certified solutions.
Caterpillar Marine provides integrated engine and aftertreatment services and factory-certified Stage V solutions for the full power range used for inland shipping. For vessels powered by Cat C18, C32 or 3512E engines, the Stage V-certified solutions are engineered to optimise performance and support vessel longevity while achieving compliance upon installation.
The engine and aftertreatment — including a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) — operate as an automated-control system. This helps keep the engine within required emissions limits throughout its 10,000-hour maintenance lifecycle, lowering total cost of ownership (TCO). Many Cat engines offer fuel flexibility capabilities, allowing owners to use alternative fuels or adapt as methanol-ready options become more widely available (4).
While it might seem appealing to opt for aftertreatment products from a separate manufacturer to reduce short-term repower costs, working with multiple manufacturers can introduce complexities that may be difficult to troubleshoot. For example, communication issues between engine and aftertreatment technologies from different providers could cause the engine to consume more fuel than necessary. This issue could prevent the aftertreatment from reaching a sufficient exhaust temperature which could lead to the need to require a mechanic on board, resulting in downtime or unnecessary cost. Choosing a fully integrated system helps minimise these types of inefficiencies and prevent unplanned downtime.
Pon Power has demonstrated significant expertise in working with shipbuilders, and has reported that their facilities have equipped nearly 20 new builds each year since 2022 with Cat Stage V solutions.
Together with Caterpillar Marine, Pon Power also works with vessel owners and shipyards to repower engines. Their combined knowledge, experience and support have provided significant value to vessel owners. Whereas new builds can be designed with sufficient space to accommodate different engine and aftertreatment options, repowering requires specialised expertise to work within a vessel’s limited footprint.
Depending on vessel size and type, each repower project presents new challenges. Caterpillar Marine and Pon Power recently helped repower a dry cargo ship measuring 86 meters by 9 meters with a 1200 horsepower Cat C32 engine. The compact dimensions for the ship required careful planning to remove the old engine and install the new engine and aftertreatment. Pon Power worked with the shipbuilder to determine how to install the engine alongside the DPF and SCR. The process involved a schematics review and innovative installation tactics developed by Pon Power mechanics and project engineers, demonstrating another benefit of using an integrated engine and aftertreatment provided by a single solutions provider.
As inland vessel owners set their sights on the future, they can leverage cost-effective, certified solutions alongside comprehensive support to meet Stage V requirements and optimize fleet performance.
1. Regulation (EU) 2016/1628: Requirements relating to gaseous and particulate pollutant emission limits and type-approval for internal combustion engines for non-road mobile machinery; amended by Regulations (EU) 2020/1040 and (EU) 2021/1068, including relevant supplementing legislation.
2. EUR-Lex.europa.eu. “Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 of the European Parliament”. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02016R1628-20220717
3. Pon-Cat.com. “Stage V Engines Inland Shipping”. https://content.pon-cat.com/en/caterpillar-eu-stage-v-total-solution
4. Cat.com, “Caterpillar Marine Advances Plans For Methanol Dual-Fuel Technology”. https://www.cat.com/en_US/news/engine-press-releases/caterpillar-marine-advances-plans-for-methanol-dual-fuel-technology.html
