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HGK Shipping sets new standards

HGK Shipping is systematically demonstrating its commitment to combat the shortage of specialist workers in inland waterway shipping.
Europe’s largest inland waterway shipping company is the first of its kind to recently receive a one-year test permit in Flanders from the responsible licensing authority, De Vlaamse Waterweg nv (Flemish Waterways PLC), to remotely operate a hazardous goods vessel – this is taking place in conjunction with possibly extending navigation times.
The permit allows the vessel to be steered from a Remote Operations Centre (ROC) on the waterways east of Antwerp.
Only one specially trained employee will be required on board for the third phase of this operational optimisation process instead of two skippers.
The chemicals tanker, Walcheren, is also the first vessel operated by HGK Shipping, which will make use of the benefits of this innovative technology in the Flemish region of Belgium to allow an optimised crew size.
“Smarter use of personnel is the purpose of our efforts to introduce remote-controlled inland waterway shipping in order to address the serious shortage of specialist workers, which will become even more severe in future. The permit, which has now been issued in Flanders and makes it possible in certain types of operations to reduce the crew on board by one skipper, represents an enormously important step along this journey,” said Steffen Bauer, the CEO of the HGK Group and the CEO of HGK Shipping.
“The permit issued for a hazardous goods vessel within our Wijgula fleet shows that the technology thoroughly convinced the authorities in terms of safety during previous test phases.”