We offer innovative solutions for your shipments
Dry Shipping
Your complete transport partner for push boat and dry shipping
Within its dry shipping division, HGK Dry Shipping mainly transports bulk and break bulk consignments such as solid fuels, building materials, cereals, animal feed and fertilisers, but also heavy items and waste disposal products using approx. 250 company and chartered vessels. The division transports about 38 million tonnes of goods every year through using individual concepts.
Our shipping routes cover the complete river Rhine area including all its tributaries (Mosel, Main/Main-Danube Canal, Danube, Neckar) as well as the entire North-West German canal network with its rivers. We also operate on the waterways in the Benelux countries, northern France and Poland.
Our subsidiary Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH has established itself in coastal and maritime shipping over the past 25 years. With a fleet of a total of 10 river-sea vessels in the range between 1700 and 3100 tdw, Amadeus is on the move for its customers on all short sea – routes throughout Europe in tramp shipping. In addition, Amadeus offers logistics solutions as a broker for part and full charters up to Supramax loadings (65,000 mt).
Customer portfolio
- Steel and metal industry
- Chemical industry
- Agriculture industry
- Commerce
- Construction industry
We transport on your behalf:
- steel and metal products
- chemical products
- coal + ore
- fertilisers
- cereals
- animal feed
- heavy cargo / project loads
- scrap metal
- timber products
- building materials
- waste materials in line with Sections 53/54 of the Recycling Management Act
We offer the following:
- planning and organising your transport task
- handling goods, warehousing as well as the pick-up and final delivery runs
- offshore logistics
- agency and freight forwarding services
- customs clearance or fiscal representation
- transhipment logistics at our customers’ ports and at our own facilities
- handling complex transport chains involving different means of transport
HGK DRY SHIPPING
Ecovadis Silver Status
HGK Dry Shipping received a silver medal in the EcoVadis ESG ranking.
AMONG THE TOP 5 PERCENT
Ecovadis Gold Status
Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH was awarded the gold medal in the sustainability ranking by EcoVadis for its very high score, securing a place among the top 5% in the industry.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Andreas Lemme
Managing Director
HGK Dry Shipping GmbH
Florian Bleikamp
Managing Director
HGK Dry Shipping GmbH
Wolfgang Nowak
Managing Director Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH
Your specialist for transporting compressed liquefied gases
HGK Gas Shipping specialises in transporting compressed liquefied gases. 19 inland waterway vessels in all, including the four largest gas tankers operating on the river Rhine, provide transport services for our customers. More than 50 years of experience, top reliability and sophisticated safety management make HGK Gas Shipping a valued partner for the chemical industry. The main products include LPG (propane, butane) and propylene (polymer/chemical/refinery grade) and ammonia.
The new gas tanker ‘GAS 96’ was commissioned in October 2025. It will be used to transport liquefied gases between the ARA ports and the Rhine region. Like its sister ships, the ‘GAS 96’ has a diesel-electric drive and is ‘future fuel ready’. The installed power management system optimises performance to meet demand and reduces fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. In addition to sustainability aspects, the load-bearing capacity of the new ship was also a focus during its construction. Particularly noteworthy here is the innovative design of the ship, for which the HGK Shipping Design Centre is once again responsible. The combination of a high load capacity of 300 tonnes from a navigable draught of 1.20 metres with dimensions of 110 metres in length and 15 metres in width is unlike anything else currently operating on the Rhine and its tributaries. The maximum load capacity is more than 2,500 tonnes. With its extraordinary parameters, the ‘GAS 96’ sets a new milestone for the waterway system.
Three further new gas ships – the GAS 97 to GAS 100 – are already in the planning stage and are to be gradually implemented in the coming years. HGK Shipping is also relying on the combination of draught optimisation and alternative propulsion in other areas of transport.
What distinguishes our services
- High degrees of reliability and a sophisticated safety management system
- More than 50 years of experience in transporting special products for international projects
- Highly-qualified personnel on board and on land
We offer
- tailor-made, customised solutions for your needs
- design and engineering work for innovative and sustainable inland waterway vessels
- minimisation of the CO2 footprint for your transport operations
Our fleet
- 15 company gas tankers
- 4 vessels (operational)
- 1 vessel being built (Gas 95)
- 5 vessels being planned
We transport
- propane
- propylene:
- Polymere grade
- Chemical grade
- Refinery grade
- crude C4
- raffinates I&II
- iso- and n-butane
- butadiene
- 1-butene
- isobutylene
- ammonia
- VCM
- propylen oxide
AMONG THE TOP 1 PERCENT
Ecovadis Platinum Status
HGK Gas Shipping GmbH was awarded the Platinum Medal in the sustainability ranking due to a very high score by EcoVadis.
SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE
Transport solutions by gas tanker
The “Gas 96” is currently the most modern, new inland waterway vessel with a sustainable hybrid drive system. This gas tanker, which has been optimised to operate in shallow waters, is on service since october 2025.
INNOVATIVE AND EFFICIENT
Ineos Mega Barges
Three of the largest gas tankers of their kind have been operating on the river Rhine for Ineos since May 2020. The fourth new vessel went into service in April 2021.
HGK Shipping advised and supported Ineos in terms of the design of the vessels. HGK Shipping was responsible for the complete construction supervision work and monitoring the delivery of the vessels and is operating them for Ineos on a long-term basis.
Your contact partner for your individual transport solution:
Anke Bestmann
Managing Director
HGK Gas Shipping GmbH
Liquid Chemicals Shipping
HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping – using experience to reach our destination
Transporting liquid chemical products with or without any hazardous goods classification on about 60 company and chartered double-hull tankers has been the major focus at HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping for many years. We are a long-standing partner of the chemical industry, providing reliable supplies and disposal for cargo such as acids, alkalis and many other liquid products. We transport about 6 million tonnes on the river Rhine and its tributaries as well as the North-West German canal region, to and from the chemical centres in the ARA region, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping has been operating since 1922 and therefore has decades of contract-based customer relations and they are centrally managed from the Dutch town of Druten within the HGK Shipping Group. We transport sensitive liquid products using about 30 special ships that are unique in Europe; we provide some exclusive supply and disposal solutions for our customers and have the necessary quality systems to transport the goods in a reliable and safe manner.
In addition to our existing optimised cargo space for navigation routes and lot sizes, we are currently developing our fleet in the form of new vessels with innovative drive systems and payload capacity that is optimised for shallow-water levels.
Quality criteria
- We offer tailor-made transport solutions for inland waterway shipments in line with customers’ wishes
- We guarantee the highest safety standards in terms of technology, navigation and personnel
- We have certification according to ISO, EBIS, TMSA, TFS and Green Award
- We were voted the best Dutch shipping company by the Dutch Shippers’ Organisation in 2016
Product portfolio
- Inorganic heavy chemicals (various acids and alkalis)
- Calcium carbonate (slurry)
- Basic and special chemicals
- Industrial alcohols
- Petrochemicals
- Various liquid products without any hazardous goods classification
Customer portfolio
- Chemical industry
- Paper industry
- Metallurgical industry
- Commerce
Fleet structure
- 60 double-hull tankers
- Ships with a payload capacity ranging from 500 to 3,000 tonnes
- Some of the fleet vessels are unique vessels in Europe with special equipment and distinct dimensions
- Many of the fleet vessels have stainless steel tanks
AMONG THE TOP 15 PERCENT
Ecovadis Silver Status
HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping was awarded the Silver Medal in the sustainability ranking due to a high score by EcoVadis.
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Contact details for Liquid Chemicals Shipping
Simon Lucas
Managing Director
Koninklijke Wijnhoff & Van Gulpen & Larsen B.V.
Ship Management
HGK Ship Management – the full-service provider for ship projects, management and equipping shipping units
HGK Ship Management organises the crewing operations, provides the technical support and monitors the vessels, handles the project management for new construction and conversion projects and the strategic purchasing and offers a well-developed quality, environmental, health and safety management in line with the highest standards for all the operational departments at HGK Shipping. As the owner and equipper of inland waterway vessels according to recognised jurisdiction, the business unit handles transport operations. Thanks to our decades of experience, we offer our customers tailor-made project solutions both for shipping dry goods and tanker operations. HGK Shipping is also able to develop and implement tailor-made ship designs and engineering using its own expertise at the Design Center, which is an integral part of the organisation. HGK Shipping also offers its complete portfolio of services as a service provider in the market-place in order to, for example, look after the new construction work for customers or even owner/operators.
Initial and further training opportunities are available for our nautical personnel and outside organisations at the company’s own training centre.
Crewing
- HR management
- Support for personnel
- Personnel scheduling
- Encouraging potential top performers
- Initial and further training
Fleet management
(Operational/technical
management & QEHS)
- Maintenance management, including planned maintenance management
- Supporting and performing dry dock operations and regular inspections
- Supporting the transhipment of consignments
- Budget planning and budget management (CAPEX & OPEX)
- Project management (supporting tender procedures, new construction and conversion projects, inserting new engines)
- QEHS management (ISO certification, health and safety at work, energy management, GMP, TMSA)
Design Center
- Drawing up specification profiles
- Advice
- Design and concept development
- Stability calculations
- Performance calculations
- Modelling and testing concepts
Training center
- Licence courses & radar tests
- ADN refresher courses, ADN basics, ADN-C and ADN-G courses
- Preparation for exams
- Simulator training sessions
- First aid courses
- Safety seminars
- Individually developed training courses
References for Ship Management
INEOS MEGA BARGES
The largest gas tankers on Europe’s inland waterways
HELIOS
"HELIOS" holds the Guinness World Record for the most solar panels on board.
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AMADEUS TITANIUM
The liquid coaster, “Amadeus Titanium” has been reinforcing the short-sea fleet at HGK Shipping’s subsidiary, Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Spedition GmbH, since October 2020; the latter has therefore deliberately been able to expand its portfolio of services. The “Amadeus Titanium” was converted into a tanker to specially meet the customer’s needs by HGK Ship Management and our partners. The coastal vessel is exclusively providing short-sea traffic services for our customer, Covestro, in line with an agreement lasting several years.
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Contact details for Ship Management
Tim Gödde
Director Ship Management
HGK Ship Management Lux S.à r.l.
Branch office Duisburg
