Antwerp maritime group Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) announced that it has launched its new hydrogen-powered passenger vessel, Hydroville, which is classed by LR.
The vessel is the first LR classed vessel to be fueled by hydrogen, which is to power a diesel engine. With hydrogen no CO2, particulate matter or sulphur oxides are released during combustion. The concept of hydrogen injected diesel engines aren’t covered by standard LR rules, so a risk based design approach to approval was required.
Hydroville showcases the use of clean fuels and aims to test hydrogen technology for applications on larger vessels. It will serve as a shuttle on the river Scheldt to provide CMB employees with environmentally-friendly transport to and from their office.
“The project is a showcase for LR as well. It demonstrates our capabilities in hydrogen risk assessments and is a stepping stone towards the wider use of hydrogen as a fuel for combustion engines and alternative power generation technologies such as fuel cells. LR is taking a leading role in assuring the safe deployment of alternative fuel sources for shipping,” mentioned LR’s Global Head of Engineering Systems Ed Fort.
Last week LR and University Maritime Advisory Services (UMAS) released ‘Zero Emission Vessels 2030’, a study examining the viability of zero emission vessels, identifying what needs to be done, in order to make them a viable and competitive solution for decarbonisation.
The report concluded that for vessels with niche access to a low-cost supply of zero carbon fuel or energy, the gap may already be closed, as the Hydroville project demonstrates.
Katharine Palmer, LR’s Global Sustainability Manager, stated: “There is no doubt that decarbonisation is a huge challenge for our sector and we all have a clear responsibility to ensure actions are taken to drive our operational emissions to zero at a pace matching actions taken across the rest of the world and other industry sectors.”