The European innovation project FLAGSHIPS has been awarded 5 Million Euros from the EU to support deploying two commercially operated zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell vessels.
The FLAGSHIPS project will take zero-emission waterborne transport to an entirely new level by deploying two commercially operated hydrogen fuel cell vessels by 2023.
Zulu
The demo vessels include the world’s first commercial cargo transport vessel operating on hydrogen, plying the river Seine in Paris. Commercial operations are set to commence in 2022.
The hydrogen cargo transport vessel will be owned by French inland shipowner Compagnie Fluvial de Transport, a subsidiary of the Sogestran Group. The revolutionary vessel, named Zulu, will move goods on pallets and in containers on the route from Gennevilliers – Bonneuil Sur Marne.
The vessel will operate on compressed hydrogen produced from electrolysis, enabling not only zero-emission operations, but also creating a solid base for more local zero-emission transport, both at sea and on land. The power generation system for Zulu will be supplied by ABB Marine & Ports, with two 200 kW PEM fuel cells from Ballard. LMG Marin is responsible for detailed design drawings, with hydrogen provided by suppliers in the Paris region.
The second demo vessel is the FPS Waal, owned and operated by the Netherlands-based Future Proof Shipping (FPS). The 109,8-meter-long container cargo vessel will operate on the route between Rotterdam (NL) and Duisburg (DE) on the river Rhine.
While Zulu is a new-build, the FPS Waal is a retrofit. Formerly named Fenny 1, this vessel was built in 1993, and was recently acquired by FPS. The route on the Rhine between the Netherlands and Germany is 240 kilometer long, each way. The river has a significant flow, making it crucial to appropriately size and optimize the propulsion system.
The FPS Waal will have a cargo capacity of 200 TEU after conversion and the zero-emission propulsion system will include PEM fuel cells, battery packs, an electric motor and hydrogen storage. The total amount of power installed will be around 1,2 MW.
The FPS Waal is scheduled to be retrofitted and in operation by summer 2023.
The ship owners expect to maintain the ships in normal commercial operation after the 18-month demonstration period of the project.
The project will cooperate over a broad base to complete the required safety assessment and approval for the two vessels, by applying and further developing the existing regulations and codes.
Partners
The FLAGSHIPS (www. flagships.eu) consortium includes 12 European partners, with shipowners, Future Proof Shipping, Norled (NO), and CFT (FR) assisted by its support companies Sogestion (FR) and Sogestran (FR); the maritime OEM and integrator companies ABB Marine & Ports (FI) and SEAM (NO); and ship design company LMG Marin (NO & FR). World-leading fuel cell technology is provided by Ballard Europe (DK), with vessel energy monitoring and management by Persee (FR). Management and dissemination activities are provided by VTT (FI) and NCE Maritime CleanTech (NO), respectively.
The Flagships project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under Grant Agreement No 826215. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.
About the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is a Public Private Partnership in which the European industry, research, academia (represented by Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research) and the EU (represented by the European Commission) work together to accelerate the deployment of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. The FCH JU supports a wide range of projects, which help to put the EU at the forefront of research and innovation, bring the benefits of the technology to the citizens and enhance industry competitiveness.
Zero emissions
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