Freight News, Sea

AMS Barging Adds Felicitas to Tanker Fleet

[ October 16, 2026   //   Gary Burrows ]

Dutch inland shipping company AMS Barging has added the 9,000-cubic-meter tanker Felicitas to its European fleet.

The 135-meter vessel was christened in Rotterdam and has entered service on the spot market following its first commercial voyage. Its addition expands the AMS Barging fleet to 17 vessels.

Designed by RensenDriessen Shipbuilding and fitted out by Den Breejen Shipyard, Felicitas has 12 cargo tanks, dual piping, two mass-flow meters, a nitrogen generator and cargo-pumping capacity of 1,800 cubic meters per hour.

The diesel-electric tanker is equipped with Stage V engines and Z-drive propulsion to improve maneuverability. AMS Barging said similar diesel-electric systems in its fleet have reduced fuel consumption by about 25 percent compared with conventionally powered vessels.

Felicitas can transport conventional products but was designed to accommodate future modifications for methanol bunkering. The company did not specify the work or investment that a conversion would require.

“No one knows exactly what the fuel mix will look like in 10 years’ time,” said Martin van Veen, AMS Barging commercial director. “We see methanol as one of the important alternatives.”

The company said demand remains strong for large inland tankers capable of moving larger cargo parcels and reducing the number of voyages and terminal calls required.

AMS Barging christened Fortuna, a sister vessel to Felicitas, earlier this year. The company transports and bunkers mineral fuels, chemicals and biofuels in the European market.

Tags: AMS Barging, Den Breejen Shipyard, RensenDriessen Shipbuilding