Fuels Cleaning up its act
Alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas have received ample publicity of late, touted as a surefire way of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and making cruise travel more eco-friendly. One possibility is hydrogen, with the first commercial shipping vessels run on liquid hydrogen expected in the next few years. But what are the implications of this new technology, and how can it help us reach the goal of zero-emission shipping? Abi Millar talks to Jogchum Bruinsma, application manager for maritime at Nedstack, about the clean-energy solutions being developed for the cruise industry.
year and is responsible for 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Increasingly, regulators are beginning to take a hardline stance on pollution. Following on from IMO 2020, the International Maritime Organisation regulation that capped the amount of sulphur permitted in ships’ fuel oil, the sector is under pressure to do more. The IMO wants to cut international shipping emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared with 2008 levels, while the EU is calling for zero-carbon ships by 2030. A raft of different fuel options – not just liquefied natural gas (LNG), but also ammonia, methanol and biofuels – are being considered as alternatives to diesel. One leading contender is hydrogen. As the thinking goes, a hydrogen fuel cell could be placed on the ship along with batteries, enabling the vessel to sail long distances while generating zero emissions. Although there would be challenges to surmount, not least in the form of cost and manufacturing capacity, this would in principle be
T
he cruise industry is on a mission to improve its sustainability credentials. Marine transport emits nearly one billion tonnes of CO2
each
an extremely clean solution. It would represent a breakthrough in green shipping.
“The fuel cell is nothing more than a membrane technology, where you have hydrogen on one side of the membrane and oxygen on the other,” points out Jogchum Bruinsma, application manager for maritime at Nedstack. “What happens is the hydrogen splits into a proton and electron, and the proton can go through the membrane but the electron cannot. The electrons create a current and that is used to power the vessel. On the other side of the membrane, the hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce pure water.”
The push for hydrogen Last year, a group of Norwegian companies said they were looking to build such a ship. The vessel, which is owned by Havila, will be fitted with a 3.2MW hydrogen fuel cell designed by Norwegian Electric Systems (NES). This will take the form of an on-board tank, filled with 3.2 tonnes of liquid hydrogen, with batteries for additional energy storage. NES said the vessel would be “the most advanced clean coastal cruise ship in the world”.
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
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Mascha Tace/
Shutterstock.com
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