The 110-metre long barges will be contracted by Interstream Barging (ISB) and built at Peters Shipyards in Kampen, The Netherlands. They will go on charter to Shell from 2013.
They feature a bridge at the front of the barge which Shell said enables better trim, more efficient movement through water and the potential for a higher level of safety.
The major said the new units, the first of which is scheduled for delivery in the spring, will join the Shell Rhine Fleet and operate in The Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
