Hydrogen Powered Dry-bulk Vessels Get NOK 300 Million Funding

Norwegian state-owned Enova has awarded NOK 300 million in innovation funding to Maris Fiducia Norway AS, with HAV Hydrogen and Norwegian Hydrogen as subcontractors, to develop, build and operate five hydrogen-powered dry-bulk vessels.

The NOK 300 million grant is awarded under Enova’s “hydrogen in vessels”-programme, which aims to contribute to market change by supporting companies that will use hydrogen as fuel in vessels and support the development of zero emission vessel technologies.

Maris Fiducia Norway, which is the Norwegian operation of Dutch shipowner Maris Fiducia, will manage and operate the five vessels.

When built the five dry-bulk carriers will go on hire through a zero-emission time charter agreement with Schulte & Bruns, establishing a commercial operation for vessels operating on hydrogen fuel, proving the feasibility of hydrogen technologies for shipping.

The 6,000 dwt vessels are designed by the Dutch ship designer Ankerbeer with a hull design optimised for efficiency and low fuel consumption. The power plant shall consist of a dual fuel hydrogen ICE combined with fuel cells for auxiliary power.

“We are thrilled that Enova recognised the strong case for the project with this award which is an important milestone for our team in Norway. A little over one year ago we were inspired by a conversation with Jørgen Kopperstad from Norwegian Hydrogen about fuel availability and technical competence in the Norwegian maritime cluster. It has been quite a journey since then, but we are only just starting,” says Markku Vedder, CEO of the Maris Fiducia Group.

In addition to the Dual Fuel ICE, the plan is to equip the five vessels with a Zero Emission Pod – ZEPOD® – a module containing a complete hydrogen energy system for ships, delivered by Norway-based HAV Hydrogen.

Each of the ZEPODs are intended to be delivered with a total capacity of 400 kW, which is enough to run all auxiliary systems on board the bulk carriers. The ZEPODs can be upgraded to 1 MW capacity at a later stage.

HAV Hydrogen is currently developing its first full-scale ZEPOD, which will be ready for testing next year. Preliminary delivery schedule shows that the sequence of delivery will commence from the end of 2025, depending on shipyard.

“This brings us another step closer to the commercial breakthrough for our hydrogen-based energy systems for ships. Everyone knows that the shipping industry needs to lower emissions, but it relies on companies such as Maris Fiducia Norway to pave the way. We are delighted to be part of this partnership and to help develop the future for short sea cargo together with Maris Fiducia and Norwegian Hydrogen,” says Kristian Osnes, managing director of HAV Hydrogen, which is part of Euronext Growth Oslo-listed HAV Group ASA.

Hydrogen supply

Leading hydrogen producer and distributor Norwegian Hydrogen will provide security of supply for Maris Fiducia and Schulte & Bruns by providing all the green hydrogen fuel for the five dry bulk carriers.

“We are proud to partner with Maris Fiducia and HAV Hydrogen on this groundbreaking project, where we will ensure the supply of green hydrogen for all the new vessels. This collaboration highlights the practical steps we are taking to decarbonize the maritime sector, and our joint efforts in this partnership will lead to significant emission reductions for Maris Fiducia and Schulte & Bruns. We also look forward to seeing the positive impact these hydrogen-powered vessels will have on advancing green shipping technologies”, says Jens Berge, CEO of Norwegian Hydrogen.

Enova supports tomorrow’s energy and climate technology, so that Norway will reach the climate goals for 2050. Enova manages the Climate and Energy Fund and is a state-owned enterprise owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Energy.

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