Photo: © Georg Lukas
The Weisse Flotte Baldeney's fully electric passenger ships are being inaugurated.
Essen, Baldeneysee, July 16, 2024. „City of Essen“, „Baldeney“ and „Heisingen“ are the three major passenger ships The Weisse Flotte Baldeney GmbH, operator of passenger shipping on the Baldeneysee, Ruhr and Rhine-Herne Canal, received its new vessels. Previously, the ships operated on diesel power. On July 11, 2024, they were personally inaugurated by Mayor Thomas Kufen and other representatives. Baldeneysee ceremoniously put into operation with full electric drive.
CO2-neutral fleet
The conversion is a milestone in the history of passenger shipping in Essen, which began with the first vessel, the Baldeneysee, in 1933. With this measure, the city of Essen is sending a strong signal for sustainability, as it is the first major city in Germany with a CO2-neutral fleet operating on a reservoir.
Costs of approximately 3.5 million euros
The project was made possible by federal funding of €2 million and a contribution of €1.5 million from the city of Essen itself. The mayor emphasized that these investments are intended to have a long-term positive impact on the Baldeneysee, not only financially but also environmentally. The ships are charged at the Scheppen port on the Hardenbergufer, not far from the Haus Scheppen. The 4,000-liter diesel tank in the ships' hulls has been replaced by batteries with a total weight of approximately 4,000 kilograms. Operating time is expected to be between 12 and 16 hours, while charging time, according to the website of the Essen public utilities and transport company (Essener Versorgungs- und Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH), is eight hours.
