Corvus Energy’s marine fuel cell system wins DNV’s type approval

Norway-based energy storage company Corvus Energy has received type approval from the classification society DNV for its Corvus Pelican fuel cell system (FCS).

According to Corvus Energy, the system, which was developed through the three-year-long H2NOR project, is the first fuel cell system designed to be inherently gas-safe, making it the “safest” fuel cell system in the market

“Receiving type approval from DNV, a leading maritime classification society, confirms that the Corvus Pelican Fuel Cell System meets the most stringent performance and safety standards required by the maritime industry,” Corvus Energy said.

Olaf Drews, Head of Engines and Pressurized Equipment Maritime, commented: “It is a special fuel cell system, because the Pelican uses nitrogen for inerting of the fuel cell space. It is the first fuel cell system that uses this technology and this brings it to a very preferred safety level. This is a milestone, and we look forward to the first ship project.”

Fredrik Witte, Corvus’ CEO, stated: “This is a milestone for net zero shipping. We now have a high-quality range extender to add to our existing ESS portfolio with the scalability and the safety needed to be a real driver in the future of marine decarbonization.”

To note, the building block of the Pelican FCS is a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell module from Toyota.

Thiebault Paquet, Vice President of Toyota Hydrogen Factory Europe, said: “DNV Type Approval demonstrates that Toyota fuel cell technology is transferable to the marine sector and is a viable solution to support maritime decarbonization efforts.”

Corvus Energy claimed that by combining proven fuel cell technology with a built-for-maritime design, the “inherently gas-safe” Corvus Pelican FCS “significantly” streamlines integration with ship systems.

It is also worth noting that to optimize power distribution between the fuel cell and energy storage systems, Corvus is developing a real-time advisory system for the shipowner called Corvus CoPilot. This is a proprietary digital solution designed to increase energy efficiency, enhance performance and extend system lifetime. It is complemented by Corvus’ digital solutions for energy storage.

As per Corvus, the first Pelican FCS is produced and ready to be installed onboard MS Skulebas, a 35-meter fishing and training vessel owned by Vestland County and operated by Måløy Upper Secondary School in Norway. The vessel is reported to already have a 1 MWh battery system onboard, and by adding the Pelican FCS and hydrogen storage, it is expected to be able to operate for four days on zero emission.

To remind, Pelican FCS was launched in 2023, and in 2024, as part of the project APOLO, Corvus was awarded EU funding for the integration of ammonia cracker technology with the Pelican system.