Environment

Green Award - a special honour for our ships

The Green Award certificate is an internationally recognised distinction awarded by the Green Award Foundation to ship owners who are committed to sustainable shipping above and beyond the legal requirements. The environmental performance of ships is assessed on the basis of a series of criteria in the areas of energy efficiency, emissions reduction, waste and safety. Currently, one third of our event vessels has been honoured with the Green Award Gold and Silver. Further vessels are to fulfil the environmental standards in the coming years in order to be considered for certification. To this end, we are in close contact with our partners and suppliers in order to take the Green Award certification requirements directly into account when refurbishing the vessels.

Sustainable energy supply

An integral part of our strategy is the efficient use of energy and the gradual switch to renewable energy sources. The introduction of a centralised energy management system for our fleet and offices will help us to develop overarching measures. The focus lies on the use of modern drive systems and the hybridisation of our ships in order to minimise the use of fossil fuels in shipping operations.

We currently use either heating oil or green shore power to supply our fleet with energy during lay times at our moorings. Together with our experienced cooperation partner RheinWerke GmbH, we are pushing ahead with the continuous expansion of the shore power supply in order to fully supply the fleet with green shore power during lay times by 2025. In collaboration with RheinWerke GmbH, we are planning to develop further shore power connections on rivers and canals along the inland waterways we travel on in Germany. One example of our endeavours is the reorganization of the power supply for our winter port. The diesel generators for the power supply have become superfluous thanks to the replacement of the diesel generators with a 3 MW shore power system with 32 connection points.

In principle, the entire fleet has been prepared to be supplied with shore power during lay times without events. With the exception of our ship MS Jan von Werth, all of our ships at the Cologne and Dusseldorf locations have Powerlock connections, thususing green shore power during lay times when events are taking place. The ships at other locations, such as the MS Asbach on the Middle Rhine, are to be adapted from 2025 so that shore power can also be used during evening events in Koblenz. There are also plans to set up a reporting system for recording energy data.

The effect of the shore power supply and thus the switch from fossil fuels to green electricity is enormous and makes an effective contribution to the goal of climate neutrality in Germany by 2045. The switch will save up to 1.250 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. In addition, emissions of air pollutants and noise emissions will be significantly reduced.

Heating oil and electricity are used to supply electricity and heat to our harbour buildings at Niehler Hafen. Our ticket offices are supplied exclusively with electricity and district heating. We also plan to switch completely to green electricity for the these buildings and ticket offices by 2025. We are also focussing on using available roof and open spaces to generate renewable energy. For example, the roof areas at Niehler Hafen are being used to operate a photovoltaic system with an output of 150 kW. There are also plans to utilise the water areas of the winter harbour for a floating photovoltaic system with an output of 1 MW.

Efficient utilisation of the energy used include the use of waste heat, e.g. for water heating or air conditioning. At present, our ship MS RheinGalaxie is already equipped with the necessary technology to utilise waste heat. In the future, this aspect will be considered when new ships are added to our fleet.

KD as a pioneer in shore-side power supply

Electricity and heat are needed during lay times, for example to ensure the operation of refrigerators and freezers as well as lighting and air conditioning systems or to maintain the heat supply on the ship. Usually, electricity and heat are generated by diesel generators during lay times.

Shore power offers a more environmentally friendly alternative. The necessary adjustments to our ships and the charging options at the power facilities in the harbour or jettison landing stages make it possible to switch to green electricity from the shore power grid during lay times instead of using the on-board diesel generators. The ship's diesel engine is no longer required for the duration of the entire lay time, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This makes a decisive contribution to reducing environmental pollution in harbour areas.

Together with RheinWerke GmbH, KD is a pioneer in shore power supply. Another electrified land bridge was put into operation at Burgplatz in Dusseldorf at the beginning of 2024. The two companies have already been able to equip five landing stages with the necessary technology this year as part of their cooperation.

At the beginning of 2024, excursion and hotel ships will be able to be supplied with green electricity from land during their lay times and switch off their diesel generators. This will prevent air pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen and sulphur oxides as well as  CO2 emissions. Not to forget the resulting reduction in noise pollution.

The effect of the electrification of landing stages is quite remarkable. Up to 1,250 tonnes of CO2 emissions can be avoided every year by switching to the supply with green electricity. The air pollutant nitrogen dioxide is also a relevant factor. According to the current Clean Air Plan for Dusseldorf from 2019, shipping traffic accounts for between seven and twelve per cent of emissions. Although the lion's share is accounted for by freight and tanker shipping, the installation and use of shore-side power supply is nevertheless making an effective contribution to reducing some of these emissions and bringing Dusseldorf closer to the goal of becoming a climate-neutral city by 2035.

In the coming years, we intend to work with RheinWerke GmbH to install and operate further shore power connections along the inland waterways we use in Germany. Thanks to its many years of experience, RheinWerke GmbH, which combines the expertise of Kölner RheinEnergie AG and Stadtwerke Düsseldorf AG, is an ideal co-operation partner for achieving our goals.

Waste & Recycling

On board our ships and in our offices, we are committed to an effective waste concept. As part of this, waste accumulated at the harbour, in the office and on board is carefully separated for efficient disposal and the conservationof resources. Specific measures are also implemented to reduce the volume of waste. These include avoiding single-use plastic and paper containers, purchasing microplastic-free products and switching to recyclable alternatives. We are in dialogue with our suppliers in order to minimise our environmental impact. Our suppliers are encouraged to reduce packaging materials and introduce the use of reusable packaging (e.g. delivery of vegetables in reusable crates).

The disposal and recycling of ship waste, including operating materials such as oil and grease as well as other waste such as metal and electronic scrap, is also ensured by certified disposal companies. Old devices such as tablets and mobile phones are sent to various organisations (e.g. BUND or Ukraine Hilfe) for recycling. In addition, the recycling of furniture and other useful items on board is also ensured by giving away or reusing functional furniture and disposing of items that are no longer needed properly.

Water management

We attach great importance to maintaining high water quality in the rivers. The waste water on board is completely disposed of at the respective head/overnight stops via the sewerage connections installed there. We need the support of our passengers to fulfil our commitment to preserving river ecosystems. Initiatives to sensitise our guests to saving water on board and no-waste-to-water are being planned.

Projects such as that of the association K.R.A.K.E. e.V. (Kölner Rhein-Aufräum-Kommando-Einheit, Cologne Rhine Clean-up Command Unit) are intended to help sensibilise our passengers on the proper use and disposal of waste in order to avoid littering the Rhine. The "Rheinkrake" waste trap is a 10 x 5 metre steel pontoon. Between two floats are two catch baskets that are open in the opposite direction to the flow of the Rhine and ensure that objects such as champagne corks, plastic and glass bottles, lighters, building rubble, building foam, plastic footballs, tennis balls, flip-flop slippers, plastic film and countless plastic and polystyrene balls do not end up in the North Sea. The collected waste is documented and scientifically analysed. A long-term study is being carried out in cooperation with the University of Bonn. The results will be used to derive recommendations for action for politicians, administrators and civil society.