Coastal Liberty OSV debuts containerized hydrogen-electric energy system

Coastal Liberty, an offshore supply vessel (OSV) owned and operated by the Dutch branch of the Jifmar Group, has undergone a refit and now sails emission-free on green hydrogen.

The 43-meter-long vessel recently set sail in the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site. According to the German clean power solutions provider eCap Marine, the first months of running eCap Marine’s containerized hydrogen-electric energy system proved successful.

In late February 2024, the refitted OSV received class certification by DNV for its newly installed hydrogen system on board.

eCap Marine, contracted by Offshore Service Gesellschaft, engineered the system enabling the vessel to operate without producing emissions using hydrogen and batteries.

Over two years, eCap Marine developed a containerized system featuring two Ballard FCwave (2x200kW) fuel cells, a maritime battery system from Lehmann Marine, a fire extinguishing system, tank units, a custom power management system, and all necessary cooling and safety equipment.

Lars Ravens, Managing Director of eCap Marine, stated that this kind of system is a ‘unique’ installation on board a seagoing ship and scalable up to megawatt-sized designs for larger commercial ships and longer voyages as well as smaller inland vessels.

Local hydrogen production

The green hydrogen for the installed fuel cells will be produced locally and sustainably, using offshore wind power on an electrolyzer hydrogen plant a few kilometers from the vessel’s berth which was installed simultaneously with the fuel cell project.

The electrolyzer is designed to expand in case of higher demands. eCap Marine said it designed the three swappable high-pressure tank systems with a focus on safety, and in alignment with the rules and regulations resulting in the transport of the units between the vessel and the electrolyzer by truck.

Jochen Kaufholt, CEO of Offshore Service Gesellschaft, described the Coastal Liberty as “the first of its kind and a flagship for the maritime energy transition in Europe”.