Feature 3 | GREEN CRAFT TECHNOLOGY


Another step towards the hydrogen economy


Stevie Knight speaks to Ferguson Marine about its ambitions to realise an “entirely hydrogen fuel cell-/electric-hybrid vessel with no fossil fuel onboard at all”, to service the communities on Scotland’s Orkney Islands


MV Shapinsay will use a 00 diesel-hydrogen mi to power an auiliary genset, as the first step in creating a completely new fuel- cell-powered ferry type for her route


reater eibility While the vessel should be able to take 120 passengers and 16 cars or two HGVs, all of the final specifications will emerge as development proceeds – but there are some known constraints. For instance, the berth at Shapinsay is a hard concrete slipway, requiring a bow ramp so the overall deck arrangement and access layout remains fixed. However, the completed vessel


and tidal power, but their communities are small – and so they’ve taken to producing hydrogen on the spot as a way to store it. Which means there’s soon to be an


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abundance of hydrogen that could be utilised on the ferry connections that keep the communities alive – but that’s if, and only if, it can be demonstrated that the technology has been thoroughly de-risked, Chris Dunn, chief naval architect for Ferguson Marine, tells Ship & Boat International. Therefore, the next steps are being


taken very carefully. The pioneering programme, HyDIME (short for Hydrogen & Diesel Injection in a Maritime Environment), is being led by Ferguson and will run a genset on the existing, 35m × 9m ferry MV Shapinsay on a 50/50 diesel-hydrogen mix. The hydrogen will be fed from a pressurised tank into the air intake: a task that is extremely achievable, requiring only modification of the generator’s air intake


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hapinsay and Eday Islands in Orkney, Scotland can harvest an excess of electricity from wind


and fuel controls. Importantly, this genset is only providing auxiliary, not propulsive power – so even if it shuts down there will be little impact on safety. Te ambition is modest but it paves the


way for a subsequent key development – the creation of an entirely new type of ro-pax ferry under the auspices of the HySeas III project. “Te use of hydrogen on the ferry will


prove that the bunkering, fuel storage and safety system arrangements in HyDIME can usefully pave the way to the operation of an entirely hydrogen fuel cell-/electric- hybrid vessel with no fossil fuel onboard at all,” Dunn explains. Jointly led by Ferguson Marine and the


University of St Andrews, HySeas III is a project part-funded by Horizon 2020. In contrast with the scale of the island of Shapinsay itself, the consortium has attracted some very big names: Kongsberg of Norway, Ballard of Denmark, McPhy of France, DLR (the German Aerospace Centre) and global trade association Interferry will all play a part alongside Orkney Islands Council, designated operator of this first vessel.


promises to be longer than the existing 35m ferry and this extra length will allow room for below-deck composite tanks, which will carry pressurised hydrogen at 350bar. Tis means that even if there is a temporary supply issue, there will be enough in hand to continue running for several days, Dunn says. Two azimuthing thrusters will


provide the propulsion, allowing for the route’s low-speed manoeuvring but also giving the vessel an expected top operating pace of around 11knots. Energy will be supplied by an array of 100kW Ballard MD100 fuel cells, which have been newly developed for the marine industry. Alongside these will sit two battery


banks for load-levelling and emergency power. However, the final specification will be derived from ramp-up/ramp-down testing being carried out by Kongsberg. Interestingly, Dunn explains, the new


technology will allow for greater flexibility. He says: “Moving to a fully electric model, much of the engineering is simpler: there’s no lube oil and fewer moving parts; there are no high-temperature cooling systems;


Ship & Boat International January/February 2019


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