TECH NEWS
A Look at the World’s First Two Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ferries AS YOU’VE PROBABLY READ, 2021 has been a big year for hydrogen power systems on all fronts and maritime is no exception. In fact, the first two commercial hydrogen fuelcell powered vessels in the world completed construction this year—the MF Hydra and the Sea Change—and were both nominated for different vessel of the year awards. These vessels mark a major milestone for the future of marine power systems. Authors Note: ZEI is the team behind the hydrogen system on the Sea Change ferry.
Key Takeaways First and foremost, it should be clear to the readers that the MF Hydra and the Sea Change are very different vessels and that primarily stems from the different goals behind each project. The MF Hydra team wanted to showcase the availability to power a large vessel with hydrogen, using what many would argue is the ideal fuel storage system for large vessels, liquid hydrogen (LH2). When fueled with liquid hydrogen, the MF Hydra will be the first vessel in the world that runs on LH2, and the demand will spur development of LH2 production infrastructure in Norway, both very significant achievements. The tradeoff of this decision is the added time and complexity of developing the local LH2 bunkering system—a solution for maritime does not currently exist—and the logistics and cost of shipping LH2 from Germany until local sources come online. Though the vessel has completed construction, it will be constrained to operating on battery power only until the required dockside fueling facility is complete and LH2 is available (currently forecasted mid-2022). The technical and regulatory milestones that have and will be achieved by the MF Hydra team are hugely impactful and inspiring. On the other hand, the Sea Change team instead chose to build a smaller commuter ferry with a focus on deployment speed, real world commercial deployment, and operational 38 Marine Log // December 2021
flexibility. Though the Sea Change was originally based on a hypothetical vessel design study (the SF-BREEZE), which used LH2, the decision was made to install a gaseous hydrogen system on the ferry for two primary reasons. The first reason was that in California, the large gaseous hydrogen delivery trucks commonly used to supply hydrogen to vehicle fueling stations could be used directly for fueling the vessel. The second was that fueling directly from the truck allows route flexibility using ZEI’s first-of-its-kind gaseous fueling system that enables the vessel to refuel almost identically to how a diesel vessel is filled today. This decision has enabled a significant reduction in deployment timeline resulting in the first-ever hydrogen fueling and the start of operational sea trials of the Sea Change in mid-November. It should also be noted that both of these vessels were brought to life by a mix of government and private investment. Norled and the Norwegian government funded the MF Hydra, while SWITCH Maritime and the California Air Resources Board funded the Sea Change. Hydrogen in maritime, though technically advanced, is for all intents and purposes very much still in its real world infancy and will require continued investment from both public and private capital sources to quickly and efficiently reach maturity and meet market demand. Both of these vessels are a major step for the electrification of the maritime industry and signal a bright and dynamic future.
Vessel Design /Overview MF HYDRA: Owner: Norled, Norway Flag: Norway Length: 82.4 Meters (270.34 Feet) Beam: 17.5 Meters (57.4 Feet) Hull Material: Steel Designer: LMG Marin Builder: Westcon Yards Hull Type: Double Ended Passengers / Capacity: 292 Passengers, 80 cars, 10 trailers Crew: 8 SEA CHANGE: Owner: Switch Maritime Flag: USA Length: 72 feet, 7 inches Beam: 24 feet, 6 inches Hull Material: Aluminum Designer: Incat Crowther Builder: All American Marine Hull Type: Catamaran Passengers / Capacity: 78 Crew: 2 POWER SYSTEM MF HYDRA: - Designed by LMG Marine - Power System Integration by Westcon - 2x 200kw Ballard low-temp PEM type fuel cells - Scania DI16 75M/Stamford HCM634G2 480-553 kW 2250 rpm diesel generator - 1.36MWH Corvus lithium-ion battery SEA CHANGE: - ZEI H2FCV1.0 Power System - 12x 30kW Rack Mounted Cummins HD30 low-temp PEM fuel cells - 2x 300kW BAE Systems HybriGen electric drive systems - 100kWh Xalt lithium-ion battery pack REFUELING MF HYDRA: - Diesel can be filled traditionally - Batteries can be separately charged SEA CHANGE: - ZEI V1.0 on board bunkering panel - USCG approved operation - Refueling hose onboard - Fill from any gaseous hydrogen source
The Sea Change ferry.
Photo Credit: (Top) Norled ; (Bottom) All American Marine
When fueled with liquid hydrogen (LH2), the MF Hydra will be the first vessel in the world that runs on LH2.
