POWER TALK

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Building on a successful collaboration, Volvo Penta and CMB.TECH have announced an agreement designed to accelerate the development of dualfuel hydrogen-powered solutions for both land and sea applications.

The strengthened collaboration will create synergies aimed at leveraging the competences and product offerings of both companies – establishing dual-fuel hydrogen technology as a low-carbon interim solution before suitable zeroemissions alternatives become viable.

“From the initial dual-fuel technology projects we have seen reductions of CO2 emissions up to 80 per cent,” said Roy Campe, chief technology officer at CMB.

“It is clear that the energy transition is a major challenge in many types of applications. With the dual-fuel technology we have been developing over the last few years, we can provide a costeffective and robust solution for a variety of applications. We think there is huge potential in this solution for customers, both on land and at sea.”

Heléne Mellquist, president of Volvo Penta, added: “The development in this area is moving fast and with this partnership we see a great opportunity to further explore and be part of increasing the use and availability of hydrogen solutions. I believe that this dual-fuel approach will appeal to many of our customers by its ease of installation, maintenance and use. In addition, it will help accelerate our customers’ transition to more sustainable operations.”

The design and testing of the hydrogeninjection system will take place at CMB.TECH’s Technology and Development Centre in Brentwood. Here, Volvo Penta engines will be tested to optimise the hydrogen-diesel injection strategy for maximum reliability and emission savings.

Cox Marine has taken on more employees to meet global demand

Yanmar is making waves in the waterways of Venice with the installation of an engine for Matteo Tiepolato and his traditional wooden taxi boat Aquamarina. It is the first water taxi in Venice to be fitted with a Yanmar engine.

Matteo, who has been operating a water taxi service in the city since 2008, said that with current fuel prices, along with smooth acceleration and responsiveness, economy is key: “I have complete faith in the engine which is economical to run and gives me peace of mind. It suits the water taxi service, but I would recommend it to anyone for leisure purposes also.” ePropulsion has announced an agreement with Mastercraft and its Crest Pontoon brand to power the 2023 Crest Current.

The recently launched pontoon will include a factory-installed ePropulsion Navy 3.0 Evo electric motor and an E175 battery. The ePropulsion Navy Series is the backbone of ePropulsion’s line of electric outboard motors providing efficient and clean power for aluminium fishing boats, dinghies, daysailers and cruising sailboats.

Thanks to the direct-drive technology, the Navy electric outboard boat motor is quiet, lowmaintenance and reliable.

The new owner of the 1920 ketch Talisman valued the yacht’s historical significance, but he could not help but wonder how its original designer, Henry Rasmussen, would improve his classic design with access to today’s technology.

Could he restore the Talisman and its systems for another 100 years while maintaining its elegance and eco-friendliness?

The Talisman, when new, was strictly windpowered. The 75-footer was the first steel-hulled yacht built at Rasmussen’s shipyard and she sailed under several names, with different owners, for 99 years. A diesel engine was installed and she later survived a fire and a lightning strike, but damage went unrepaired and time had taken its toll.

In 2019, a crew sailed the battered yacht to HCC Bådeværft in Denmark. The owner’s brief: history meets technology. The team at HCC was ready to take on the challenge; it would require a complete restoration.

Torqeedo’s Deep Blue 100kW electric drive system replaced the diesel engine and a 25kW electric bow thruster was added for manoeuvrability. Both are powered by a Deep Blue lithium-ion battery bank charged with renewable energy from onboard solar panels and by using the electric drive as a hydrogenerator when the yacht is under sail.

However, the owner’s vision for Talisman went beyond a sustainably propelled yacht that generates its own energy. All materials and systems were evaluated to ensure a low environmental impact. Everything that was removed from the yacht during the restoration was evaluated, catalogued, cleaned and repaired. Anything that could not be reused was recycled or ‘upcycled’. Even the old sails were transformed into unique bags for the owner’s onboard guests.

Image: Stefan Schorr