RSC upgrades Rhône Saône barge service

“These new eco-friendly vessels are self-propelled and consume 41% less energy than the pushed barge convoys that they are replacing. The barges are also 10% faster, providing better overall service to customers,” commented Philippe Woehrel, general manager of RSC, which specialises in combined river/road and rail/road shipping.

In addition, the three barges, with an average capacity of 200 teu, will offer three weekly departures instead of two, boosting RSC’s weekly capacity to 1,200 TEU on the Fos/Lyon/Mâcon/Chalon line. In 2007, RSC transported a total of 75,000 teu and reported an annual turnover of €18m.

Each barge is 135 m long, with a beam of 11.4 m and a capacity of 204 teu. They have a draught of 1.4 m empty and 3.5 m loaded and have an air draught of 6 m. They have a deadweight of 3,200 tonnes and a ballast capacity of 1,200 tonnes. Shipping by waterway is the most environmentally friendly way to transport cargo, according to RSC, wich points out that each tonne switched from road to waterway cuts CO2 emissions by four times.