First zero-emission inland container vessel set for launch

A retrofitted inland container vessel will run on green hydrogen-powered fuel cells and is set for launch in Rotterdam this week.

PHOTO: The FPS Maas heading to a shipyard in Hardinxveld for its retrofit. FPS

The inland container vessel, FPS Maas, is developed by Dutch maritime firm Future Proof Shipping (FPS) and is powered by a combination of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system and a battery system.

The FPS Maas is the world’s first zero-emission inland container vessel to run on PEM fuel cells, which convert green hydrogen into electricity, FPS says.

The retrofitting process of the FPS Maas began last August at the Holland Shipyard facility in Hardinxveld, Netherlands. The vessel’s combustion engine and gearbox were replaced by hydrogen tanks, fuel cells and battery systems during the retrofit.

The FPS Maas will transport containers between the ARA ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. The newly fitted fuel cell and battery systems will enable it to reduce its CO2 emission by 2,000 mt/year on the route, claims FPS.

French gas firm Air Liquid will supply the green hydrogen to power the fuel cells. FPS is also working to retrofit another inland container vessel with PEM fuel cells.

PEM fuel cells are currently not powerful enough to propel bigger ocean-going vessels.

By Nithin Chandran

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