ZEUS: The first zero emission ultimate ship in the world

By Alessandro Maccari, R&D Director Marine, RINA

Among the possible technologies to decarbonize maritime traffic, carbon-free fuels and fuel cells are considered among the most promising solutions, also offering the advantages of absence of moving mechanical parts and low noise emissions. ZEUS (Zero Emission Ultimate Ship) is an experimental fuel cell-powered marine vessel being built in Fincantieri shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia. The vessel, first of its kind in the world, is to be delivered in 2022. The vessel is designed and built as part of the project Low Environmental Impact Technologies - TECBIA led by Fincantieri S.p.A., co-funded by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development as part of the National Operational Plan. Several Fincantieri Group shipyards and subsidiaries are involved in the project, while CNR (National Research Council of Italy), the Universities of Genoa, Palermo, and Naples, the ENR (National Institution of Italy for Standardization Research and Promotion), and RINA acts as the project’s consultants.

ZEUS is designed to be a floating laboratory to investigate and test the sustainability of fuel cells in full scale. The vessel is 25 metres long, weighing approximiately 170 tonnes, fitted with a diesel-electric power generation system (two diesel generators and two electric motors). The innovative element is the hybrid configuration, with a 130-kW fuel cell system, powered by approximately 50 kilograms of hydrogen contained in metal hydride (MH) cylinders - a technology already applied on submarines - supplemented by a battery system needed to have a stable load of energy.

The propulsion system works in different configurations:

• Using only lithium batteries for a zero-noise navigation range of four hours at four knots per hour;

• Electric power supplied by PEM fuel cells which can guarantee a zero-

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emission navigation range of eight hours at seven and a half knots per hour;

• Navigation using diesel generators while batteries are being recharged;

• Navigation using diesel generators for transfers with a navigation range of 60 hours at nine knots per hour.

Currently, there are no international regulations for the use of hydrogen as fuel, while the IMO Draft interim guidelines for the safety of ships using fuel cell power installations are awaiting final endorsement by the Maritime Safety Committee. The applicable provisions for ZEUS were derived from internationally consolidated risk assessment methodologies, studied and drafted by RINA and ENR. The primary shortterm goal was to assess the design, and survey the construction of ZEUS, contributing on the preparation of the documentation necessary to obtain the release of the Safety and Navigability Certificate from the Italian Authorities of competence (Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, MIT) so that the prototype can sail in Italian waters for testing purposes.

The medium-term goal is to study the scalability of fuel cell power installations in a distributed network, to generate clean energy and also recover thermal energy from the electrochemical conversion process, for the hotel services on passenger ships. On October 1, 2021, RINA published its Amendments to Parts A, C, and F of the “Rules for the Classification of Ships” to include Hydrogen fueled ships.

Environmental stewardship and sustainability are main pillars of the RINA strategic plan, to promote a green approach to the marine industry with a strong commitment to energy and emissions reductions, and optimisation of fuel consumption. Therefore, ZEUS is an essential stepping stone toward the validation of technologies and the development of a comprehensive international regulatory framework to remove the barriers to the decarbonization of maritime transport. Ü

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