Norwegian battery-powered ferry leader Norled is pushing ahead with a project to run what it claims is the first blue-water liquid hydrogen-electric hybrid ferry next year.
Norled project manager Ivan Ostvik told the Ship Zero Conference in Glasgow that the 300-passenger, 80-car Hydra ferry will go into service next year, operating with fuel cells with a power capacity of 400 kilowatts, run off four tonnes of liquid hydrogen.
Norled is also tendering for scaled-up ro-pax vessels capable of operating around the North Sea with four megawatts of fuel cell capacity and storage for six to seven tonnes of liquid hydrogen.
However, Ostvik said Europe's current liquid hydrogen production capacity is a mere 20 tonnes per day and the ferry, which will need five tonnes a day, will be fuelled with hydrogen trucked from Germany.
"There is no question the hydrogen supply chain is missing to supply maritime," he said.
Norway has projects underway to provide locally produced compressed hydrogen at 15 points round the coast and Ostvik believes hydrogen will become cheaper than diesel by 2030.
Norled is also tendering for 35-knot high-speed hydrogen-powered ferries. Ostvik said he can also see shortsea tramp shipping operating on the fuel in the North Sea.
The company has worked on studies with chemical carrier operator Stolt Tankers for retrofit vessels capable of sailing across the Atlantic that predicted 70% of voyages could be achieved at zero emissions. That could go closer to 100% with a newbuilding, Ostvik added.
The Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association conference is being held alongside the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this week.
