New report sheds light on hydrogen and wind-assisted propulsion

The ABS-led consortium, which includes CE Delft and Arcsilea, has delivered a 360-degree analysis of hydrogen as a marine fuel and wind-assisted propulsion as the latest in a series of reports studying alternative fuels and decarbonization technologies for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

Presented at the 2024 SMM in Hamburg, the reports examined hydrogen and wind propulsion’s greenhouse gas (GHG) impact, sustainability, availability, scalability, techno-economic aspects, regulations, risk and safety.

Panos Koutsourakis, ABS’ Vice President, Global Sustainability, said: “This study is the product of many months of intense activity with our consortium partners and EMSA that ultimately provides comprehensive insight into the potential of hydrogen and wind-assisted propulsion.”

Dagmar Nelissen, Manager of Shipping at CE Delft, commented: “This project gave us the opportunity to analyze important options which will allow the sector to comply with upcoming regulatory requirements for GHG emissions. By providing a consistent analysis of the different options with regards to their suitability, availability, sustainability, and cost implications, we wanted to provide the sector with useful information for their decision-making process.”

Edwin Pang, Founder of Arcsilea, added: “Each study has provided fresh insights and perspectives on these promising technologies, particularly in the area of safety, regulatory gaps and implementation issues, and we are delighted to contribute to this important work.”

To note, this multi-year project is tasked to deliver a total of six reports, the first of which focused on biofuels and ammonia. The final two reports are underway and will examine synthetic fuels and nuclear power for shipping. Publication is expected within the year.

ABS is also working with EMSA, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and Fundación Valenciaport on a long-term study focused on the safety of ammonia as a marine fuel.