H2SHIPS

The project H2ships aims to investigate if it is technically and economically possible to use hydrogen in shipping. Two major aspects will be considered: 

• The use of H2 as fuel for propulsion of ships
• The bunkering of H2 in ports in order to guarantee the fuelling of vessels.

The project H2 ships will also investigate the conditions to promote H2 technologies within the shipping market. 

Water transport is a very important means of transport within the Northwest Europe region: both maritime transport and inland shipping are crucial for the logistic chains within Europe. 84% of the European inland freight is concentrated in the Northwest Europe region. 

Within the Northwest Europe region, the reduction of the Greenhouse Gas emissions in the transport sector is an important priority. Most of the inland vessels and ships at sea are still using gasoil. In this way, the ships within the Northwest Europe region are emitting a lot of CO2, NOX and SO2. So inland waterways and maritime transport have a lot of potential to become more environmentally friendly. 

• Demonstrate the economic and technical feasibility of H2 as fuel for inland navigation, testing different production technologies for different vessel types
• Investigate the organisation of the supply chain of Hydrogen for water transport. Key issue is to identify the conditions to develop this supply chain
• Promote the use of hydrogen as a fuel within the Northwest-Europe region, by disseminating the results to key decision makers and stakeholders within the marine and inland transport sector.

• Overall budget: EUR 6.33 million
• ERDF: EUR 3.47 million

Projectleader: Europaisches Institut für Energieforschung EDF-KIT EWIV

Partners:

• Hynamics
• University of Birmingham
• Delft University of Technology
• Navalu
• SYCTOM
• Amsterdam Port Authority
• HAROPA – Ports of Paris
• Port Oostende
• Steinbeis 2i GmbH
• HYDROGEN EUROPE
• Transport & Environment
• Tata Steel Europe