Coast Guard OKs Nation's First Commercial Hydrogen-Fueled Vessel

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Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Earlier this month, the maritime industry took a new step in converting its shipping from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of power. On Friday, May 17, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded SWITCH Maritime a certificate of inspection (COI) for its flagship ferry Sea Change, making it the nation's first hydrogen-fueled maritime vessel to enter commercial service.

Hydrogen has long been touted as among the best options for weaning seagoing ships from using bunker fuel, which is basically the leftovers after gasoline, diesel and other fuels are refined. But getting investment for ships and infrastructure has taken time, and the Sea Change may be a harbinger of the future, including maritime decarbonization, says IIR's Geoffrey S. Lakings.

"The challenges for hydrogen FIDs (final investment decisions) are well documented, but the Sea Change is among a significant number of green hydrogen projects that are forging ahead," he said. "Clean hydrogen projects are finding a pathway to FIDs, despite global headwinds, through careful renewable power procurement, matching hydrogen production with anchor offtake agreements and state support, while incumbent producers also have an advantage," Lakings added, quoting James Burgess, who is chief executive officer of Madoqua Ventures and who writes extensively about the hydrogen future.

The Sea Change was built and launched at All American Marine shipyard in Bellingham, Washington. It is a 75-passenger catamaran powered by an integrated hydrogen power system running 360 kilowatts (kW) of fuel cells that create electricity to run 600 kW of electric motor propulsion. Its range will be about 300 nautical miles at speeds up to 15 knots.

The ferry's formal launch will be in June, after which it will run in a six-month pilot service under the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). After the pilot run, the Sea Change will operate in a more permanent ferry route, SWITCH said.

SWITCH plans to continue developing larger hydrogen-fueled vessels for use in the U.S. domestic ferry sector.

In line with Lakings' observation, state funding was involved, including a $3 million grant for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that comes through channels from the California Climate Investments initiative. CCI is a statewide program funneling billions of cap-and-trade dollars into climate change-related initiatives.

The Sea Change project also received the first-ever loan guarantee under the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's (BAAQMD) Climate Tech Finance Program, allowing SWITCH Maritime to secure a $5 million loan from KeyBank, and later raised equity funds from Nexus Development Corporation through the loan guarantee.

Cruising's a Gas on Hydrogen
New technologies often start small, as in the ferry sector, before they can grow into larger applications, and hydrogen fuel-cell shipping is no different. In truth, bunker fuel is mainly used by huge tankers and cargo vessels, so it may be years before hydrogen fuel makes a significant dent in that area--but using it for smaller vessels is a start. And the Sea Change is joined by other budding hydrogen options. According to a recent story in Riviera Maritime Media, Norway's ferry operator Norled has also launched the Hydra, a hybrid vessel using liquid hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, a landmark entry for the European market.

On a larger scale, cruise lines are also entering the hydrogen market. Silversea Cruise's Silver Nova, which began service in 2023, complements its dual-fuel LNG engines with a 4-megawatt fuel cell system.

Royal Caribbean International also has added hydrogen fuel cells on its latest ship, Icon of the Seas. And Northern Xplorer has plans that include the supply chain. This company is partnering with suppliers to create a hydrogen value chain--something that could boost hydrogen use for other cruise lines.

Carbon-free Sails Return
In an interesting return to the pre-Robert-Fulton era, wind energy (high-tech sails) is returning to at least some sectors of sailing, says Riviera. Accor's Orient Express Silenseas ship will be part luxury yacht and part ocean liner. It will use Solid Sail technology, along with dual-fuel engine power, in a sort of maritime version of how the land-based power grid uses wind turbines when there's a breeze and falls back on baseline power the rest of the time.

Fulton's steamer the Clermont plied the Hudson River starting in 1807, beginning the end of sail-only dominance, eventually reducing sail boating to a weekend pastime. Perhaps sails and hydrogen present the ultimate in green hybrid power.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).