Tokyo. September 8, 2020 – A consortium of five Japanese companies from the petroleum, logistics and heavy industries has set itself the goal of advancing the commercialization of ships equipped with high-performance fuel cells (HBZ). These include Nippon Yūsen KK (“NYK Line”, one of the world's largest shipping companies and part of the Mitsubishi Group), Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) and Eneos Corp., Oil multinational and also operator of several hydrogen filling stations.
The project, which will begin a feasibility study in September, is Japan's first step toward developing a commercial fuel cell ship. Construction plans will be drawn up next year and construction of a 2023-ton watercraft for around 150 passengers will begin in 100, which will begin test operations along the coast off Yokohama in 2024. Hydrogen propulsion will make it possible to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions during shipping, the companies say. According to information, smaller hydrogen-powered ships below 20 tons are already being developed in Japan.
The consortium will focus on newly built inland vessels across the entire value chain: implementation of a high-performance fuel cell system, development of operational technology, development of an energy management and on-board hydrogen supply system, and redesign and development of the ship's hull optimized for fuel cell propulsion.
NYK Line is responsible for project management, legal issues and ship design. Toshiba Energy is responsible for the development of the drive and operating technology, Kawasaki is responsible for the hydrogen supply and energy management on board, Eneos is responsible for the hydrogen supply chains and Nippon Kaiji is responsible for all safety issues.
The Japanese New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has now approved the project as a demonstration project. The amount of the funding was not mentioned. NEDO is primarily funded by the Japanese Ministry of Economic Affairs (METI). In 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) set the goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.
Deep link:
https://www.eneos.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2020/pdf/20200901_01.pdf
Photos
Japanese consortium develops hydrogen-powered passenger ships/ © Eneos
