Project description
Novel hydrogen technology could accelerate the transition to zero-emission shipping
Hydrogen fuel cells are powering thousands of vehicles on roads. Owing to their success, they could also be integrated into maritime vessels. The technology enhances energy security, reduces oil dependency and does not generate greenhouse gas emissions. The EU-funded sHYpS project is supporting Italy-based company Navalprogetti in integrating a hydrogen-based system on board multiple types of vessels. Researchers aim to design a hydrogen plant to ensure safe handling, containment and usage of the fuel on board. Project activities are an important step towards transitioning the maritime industry away from fossil fuels to zero-energy fuels.
Objective
The general objective of sHYpS is to support the decarbonisation of the shipping industry, by leveraging on previous and on-going work and investment made by Viking and some consortium members. It will develop a hydrogen-based solution, which can be adapted to multiple types of vessels and in some cases can already achieve IMO’s target for 2030 and 2050.
The project will develop a (i) novel hydrogen storage intermodal 40’ ISO c-type container, (ii) the complete detailed design of modular containerised powertrain based on optimised PEM Fuel Cells and (iii) their dedicated logistics. On one hand the project will define a logistic based on swapping pre-filled containers, on the other hand it will define a perspective scale-up of the storage capacity and the supply applied to the Port of Bergen use-case. This will allow to kick start a supply-chain without waiting for the full infrastructure to be in place. We show how this approach can already support a remarkable part of the vessels in the EU waters.
The project will use the window of opportunity of 1 Viking’s newbuilds Ocean Cruise vessel to install the storage system onboard with the complete gas handling and energy management system and test it during the shakedown cruise by 2026, with a limited power Fuel Cell. When the 6MW will be in place (pendent investment decision by Viking) this will allow to cut 50% of emissions in a 14 days fjord cruise. The midterm outcomes are remarkable, since Viking has a building program of 6 Ocean Cruise ships by 2030 and several river ships. With the right logistics in place the ISO container technology can develop in hundreds of units per year. In the meantime, the upscaled design of the container from this project will approach more segments in sea and IWW application and look to hundreds of vessels in the order book of commercial fleets. The value-chain include LH2 suppliers, giving the opportunity to speed up a supply of thousands tons of LH2 per year in the next 20 years.
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
34151 TRIESTE
Italy
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.