Fuel cell and hydrogen tank system integrator HAV Hydrogen on Monday (6 March) said it has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV for a deck-based containerised hydrogen (H2) energy systems for ships.

The AiP is an important milestone for HAV Hydrogen in bringing the new Zero Emission Pod system onto the market and engaging with customers on the first commercial installations of the system, it states.

“We have developed and received an AiP for a turnkey engine room. The AiP is based on a 20-foot container that not only contains the hydrogen fuel cells, but also the equipment required to safely run it. This includes ventilation, cooling, safety systems, control system, DC/DC drives, fuel distribution system and other technical installations,” said Kristian Osnes, managing director of HAV Hydrogen.

Scalable zero-emission power supply

The Zero Emission Pod system is a turnkey, standalone power pod where all support and safety systems as well as electrical power management are included. By using 200kW hydrogen fuel cells, the system is flexible and can easily provide 1,000 kW within the footprint of a standard 20 container. By combining multiple containers, using larger modules or dedicated space below deck, multi megawatt energy systems will also be available.

Installed effect can be used for the main propulsion systems, or for additional power supply on board the vessel to comply with green operation standards. Output effect will be dimensioned to provide optimal zero emission power in desired operating situations, sailing patterns and vessel type.

Quayside, the hydrogen system can ensure sufficient green power supply to the vessel, which does not need to rely on onshore charging infrastructure to achieve zero emission status.

“The H2 system is a simple yet effective enabler of green shipping. It can either be utilized as a retrofit option for vessels that have not already been prepared for a conventional retrofit installation below deck, or as a complete plug-in module that de-risks the yard installation for newbuilds,” adds Kristian Osnes.

Broad interest

HAV Hydrogen has developed the containerised, deck-based system to fast-track the commercial use of hydrogen as ship fuel. Since announcing its intention to launch a containerised, deck-based hydrogen system, HAV Hydrogen has been inundated with requests from shipowners

“There is significant interest from shipowners in multiple industry sectors. We have been contacted by companies that operate within offshore wind, oil and gas, RoRo shipping, cargo, inland shipping and fishing. They acknowledge that our containerized solution can be the quick route to zero emission for their vessel types. Given that necessary infrastructure is in place, all a shipowner needs to do is to clear sufficient deck space and hook it up to the vessel’s power system,” concludes Kristian Osnes.

Broad European and international regulatory support, and rapid development of hydrogen supply in relevant harbours, is expected to drive adoption of hydrogen as ship fuel.

HAV Hydrogen currently considers short sea cargo, inland water cargo, and passenger transport to be the most relevant industry segments for its containerised Zero Emission Pod system, while offshore wind is expected to grow in relevance as emission regulations continue to be tightened.

According to international vessel databases, including Sea-web and the European Commission’s Market Observation Inland Navigation in Europe, there are approximately 2,500 short sea cargo vessels, 7,000 inland water cargo vessels, 1,300 passenger transport vessels and 2,500 fishery vessels in Europe alone.

HAV Hydrogen will be ready to start manufacturing of the Zero Emission Pod H2 containers during the second half of 2023, aiming for the first deliveries in 2024.

Photo credit: HAV Hydrogen
Published: 8 March, 2023