CMB.TECH’s JV launches new hydrogen engine R&D center in Japan

JPNH₂YDRO, a joint venture (JV) formed by Belgian shipowner CMB.TECH and Japanese companies Tsuneishi and Kambara Kisen, has launched a new research & development (R&D) center in Japan to advance hydrogen development.

The official ceremony to inaugurate the new Hydrogen Engine R&D Center was held on September 4, 2024.

The center focuses on bringing hydrogen engines to the market for ships and land-based heavy-duty applications. Once fully developed, the engines are planned to be implemented in vessels built by Tsuneishi.

The site is equipped with an engine test bench featuring precise measurement tools and a hydrogen station capable of supplying hydrogen to ships.

“The launch of this R&D Centre marks a significant step forward in Japan’s hydrogen engine development. It will also be a key hub for the homologation and approval of hydrogen dual fuel engines for the Japanese market, reinforcing JPNH₂YDRO’s position in the push toward cleaner energy solution,” CMB.TECH said.

The JPNH₂YDRO joint venture was established in 2021 with an aim to develop the hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE) technology for the Japanese industrial and marine market.

In the same year, CMB.TECH and Tsuneishi completed the construction of what was said to be the world’s first hydrogen-fuelled small passenger ferry. The vessel named Hydro Bingo is a 19-ton two-deck passenger ferry equipped with a hydrogen co-firing engine that combines hydrogen with diesel fuel.

Built of aluminum alloy, the 19.4-meter-long vessel is a catamaran able to transport 80 passengers and two crew members.