Vessel Owners prepare for fuel-cell pilot projects – Riviera
Owners from across shipping sectors are investing in hydrogen fuel cells and dual-fuel engines to test the technology on board their assets.
Several owners explained their investments, strategies and pilot projects during Riviera’s Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cell Conference 2024, in Bergen, Norway.
Maris Fiducia is preparing to test hydrogen-powered propulsion on a growing fleet of ships, which it wants to emit as few emissions as possible. It has five shortsea bulk carriers on order with dual-fuel hydrogen-ready engines for delivery in 2026 and 2027 to operate in the North Sea and Baltic markets.
Maris Fiducia head of innovation and projects, Quint Vedder said the first five vessels will have Anglo-Belgian Corp BeHydro dual-fuel engines to use hydrogen fuel where available. He hopes their delivery stimulates investment in a hydrogen fuel distribution network and bunkering infrastructure at ports around the Baltic Sea.
Mr Vedder also told Riviera this series will be followed by another batch of hydrogen newbuilds, with more advanced propulsion, powered almost completely by hydrogen if that is available.
Mr Vedder, said :
Green shortsea vessels with hydrogen power is our route to zero-emissions shipping. We are convinced hydrogen fuel would be available if we build the vessels,
MSC Cruises is the highest-profile shipowner to pilot fuel cells, with two of its latest Explora-class newbuilds using this technology on board. These vessels use LNG fuel in dual-fuel engines and solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) to cover some of the accommodation load. Two more Explora-class cruise ships are planned with more efficient dual-fuel engines, reduced methane slip and larger SOFCs, said MSC Cruise Management director of technical newbuilding, plan approval, research and development, Giovanni Somma.
He said,
We did a pilot project involving a 500-kW SOFC on board and are studying a MW-scale fuel cell. The next vessels will have a 6-MW SOFC on board fuelled by LNG,
AP Møller-Maersk is evaluating fuel-cell technology, but has yet to install a fuel cell on its methanol-fuelled container ships. It plans to test two proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells on two ships from 2026.
One will be a low-temperature 500-kW unit, and the other a high-temperature 1-MW PEM fuel cell, each on a Hermes-class container ship.
Maersk project manager for future power solutions, fleet management and technology, Amrei Tomaszewski Perez, said:
We are looking at future power and energy solutions to decarbonise our fleet,
“Maersk operates a fleet of 24 container ships either operating or ready to operate on methanol fuel. Its two pilot projects will last for at least five years, install PEM fuel cells and verify their efficiency, lifetime, operational reliability and costs, safety concepts, durability and ability for stack replacements”
Ms Perez, said :
Our target is to replace some auxiliaries and unlock their full potential,
“As we are approaching 2030, we want to pilot another system. We want to find the right partners for supply and scalability as we would be starting at MW-level.”
Fishing farming and seafarer training vessels are also using and testing hydrogen fuel cells for propulsion and onboard energy.
A Norwegian owner of fish transport vessels, Napier, will operate two hydrogen-fuelled newbuild vessels within two years, which will offer a combination of batteries and fuel cells for zero emissions during all aspects of their daily operations.
Napier chief commercial officer Jahn Helge Bjørnestad said these vessels will spend five hours transiting from a harbour to the fish farm, four hours loading live fish, then spend five hours sailing back to port to offload them while resting at the quayside.
Mr Bjørnestad, said:
In their 10 hours in port, two hours will be for cleaning and the rest for recharging batteries and bunkering compressed hydrogen into 400 m3 tanks,
Napier is working with LH2 Shipping, Norwegian Hydrogen and Salt on this project, and received funding from Norway’s Enova .
In another project, Skulebas will become the world’s first hydrogen-powered fishing vessel when a PEM fuel cell and hydrogen processing unit is installed. Project manager Stig Antonsen said the plan is to install this equipment in Q3 2025. Skulebas is a 2023-built training vessel with a diesel-electric power plant and 1-MW capacity battery already on board, providing it with zero-emissions sailing for 20 nautical miles, but the academy wanted a longer range.
Mr Antonsen said a Corvus Pelican fuel cell, which is based on a Toyota fuel cell, and Hexagon Purus Marine hydrogen storage module will be installed and integrated into the existing propulsion by Hvide Sande.
The hydrogen fuel cell serves as a range extender to ensure daily operations are on zero emissions.
The Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cell Conference is taking place in Bergen, Norway, on 29-31 October 2024, looking at key trends, regulations, class rules and the development of zero-emissions ecosystems.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Vessel Owners prepare for fuel-cell pilot projects – Riviera, source
