Australian energy transportation company Global Energy Ventures (GEV) has secured an Approval-in-Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping for its pilot-scale 430 tonne C-H2 Carrier vessel.
AIP for the Handymax vessel, which GEV intends to be the first commercial-scale vessel available for the marine transport of hydrogen, follows an ABS AIP which GEV received in July this year for a compressed hydrogen vessel with a 2,000-tonne capacity.
“Hydrogen has a significant role to play in global decarbonization initiatives both within shipping and the wider economy. Safe and efficient transport of hydrogen at sea will be critical to the development of the infrastructure required for its wider adoption and we are proud to be able to support GEV with its innovative designs,” said Georgios Plevrakis, ABS Director, Global Sustainability.
Martin Carolan, Managing Director and CEO said: “GEV is pleased to secure AIP from ABS, which is a leading classification society for gas carriers. GEV is looking forward to working with them to ensure that our compressed hydrogen ships continue to meet the highest safety standards. Marine storage and transport solutions are required for hydrogen to contribute to global decarbonization ambitions.”
GEV’s Handymax design is able to enter most ports and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine powering generators coupled to two electric drive fixed pitch propellers or a dynamic positioning system.
Marine technology group Wärtsilä’s has cooperated with GEV’s ship designer to develop the optimal propulsion solution using highly efficient Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines powering two electric drive fixed-pitch propellers. The work was carried out under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two companies earlier this year.
"GEV views the compressed hydrogen ship as a means to provide efficient, safe, and cost-competitive regional marine transportation for hydrogen, and we thank Wärtsilä for its valuable support in making this project a success,” says GEV's Carolan.
“The AiP represents an important milestone in bringing this concept to realization. Our involvement allows us to further leverage our technology and experience in the development of future fuels to decarbonize ship operations. This is fully in line with our commitment and strategy to support our customers in achieving a sustainable and carbon-free future,” says Petteri Saares, Sales Director, Wärtsilä Marine Power.
According to Wärtsilä, compression delivers a proven, simple, and efficient method for transporting green hydrogen, with both GEV and Wärtsilä believing that the compressed hydrogen vessel project will eliminate technical barriers to marine hydrogen transport, and deliver a solution that is superior to currently available alternatives.
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