The world’s first hydrogen ferry was put into operation in 2022. MF Hydra plies the routes between Hjelmeland, Nesvik and Ombo in Ryfylke. But not without complications – liquid hydrogen is not produced in Norway yet, and the fuel has to be sourced in Germany. The government has also decided that a hydrogen ferry will be installed across the Vestfjord, between Bodø and Moskenes. Trollhatten Nord, which won the tender, will have the hydrogen ferry ready for operation by autumn next year. Here, compressed hydrogen will be used, which can be produced locally. These are important pioneering projects to find solutions where hydrogen will replace climate-hostile ferries. The government, and in particular the Minister of Industry, Jan Christian Vestre, highlights hydrogen as the solution of the future to cut greenhouse gas emissions, also in the shipping industry. But is this the right solution? Want solutions that please Research manager Andres Valland at Sintef Ocean, who researches maritime energy systems, is skeptical of this venture. – The solutions that are talked about in Norway on ferries are not scalable up to the big ships, says Valland. Research leader Anders Valland at Sintef Ocean believes it is wrong to bet on hydrogen ferries. Photo: Sintef The researchers at Sintef are looking at solutions globally, who know the solutions that will work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Then it is solutions for the largest ships that are important, according to Valland. – This is actually how the largest ships make up 25 per cent of all ships. And they use 75 percent of the fuel. It is for these that we have to find solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions so that they can grow properly, says Valland. MF Hydro uses liquid hydrogen. There are no Norwegian suppliers, and the hydrogen must be sourced in Germany. Photo: Norled Heller battery The researcher at Sintef Ocean believes that batteries are the best solution for ferries and speedboats. Valland sees no reason why one should go the route of hydrogen in order to cut emissions from traffic on Norwegian fjords. – There is nothing as of today to indicate that the battery will not improve. They have already become much more efficient. About 90 percent of the energy you put into a battery is returned. When you put in energy made from hydrogen, it ends up that you may be left with around 30 percent of the energy, Valland points out. He explains that on a good number of vessel concepts, where hydrogen was previously seen as a possible source for extending the range, solutions have now been found that make the battery appear to be just as good a solution. – Maybe even a better solution, he says. Valland says that shipping companies are now looking at the possibility of changing the battery. Instead of having one large battery on board that takes a long time to charge, several smaller batteries can be left ashore to be charged while the boat goes from port to port. – Then you see that a great many connections actually manage on battery power, and that is exciting, says Valland. Hydrogen is very expensive as a fuel Valland also points out that it is very expensive to produce hydrogen, and not least that it requires a lot of energy, energy that we do not have enough of today. – The cost of hydrogen is significantly higher than the cost of the fuels used today, especially in the maritime industry, says Valland. Today, the price for hydrogen is between 5 and 10 times higher than for heavy oil, which is used on larger ships today. At the same time, the cost of the equipment needed to be able to use hydrogen as fuel is very high. Although prices may come down as more people buy this equipment, it will take time. – The estimates we see mean that the prices of this equipment will still be expensive in 2030 and 2040. This will be an important factor for the spread of solutions with hydrogen, Valland believes. Shipping has faith in hydrogen The maritime industry is convinced that hydrogen will play an important role in the green shift. The aim is for ship traffic to be fossil-free by 2050. Particularly in domestic shipping, hydrogen will be very important to reach the zero emissions target, says Håvard Tvedte, Director of Community Relations at Maritime CleanTech. Director of public relations in Maritime CleanTech, Håvard Tvedte, says that hydrogen solutions for ships are something that already works. Photo: Marius Knutsen. / MARITIME CLEANTECH – The advantage of hydrogen solutions for ships is that we know it works. The Norwegian maritime industry has already shown that both pressurized and liquid hydrogen work on board ships, says Tvedte. He believes the development of hydrogen solutions in Norway is very important. – Our leading role in hydrogen for shipping gives Norwegian players a very important position now that the rest of the world is also meeting its climate targets. Then we get more green exports, says Tvedte. The future will have different solutions Ivan Østvik, general manager of the company LH2 Shipping, is an internationally leading engineer for hydrogen on ships. Østvik was project manager in Norled for the world’s first hydrogen ferry MF Hydro. He is convinced that liquid hydrogen is the right solution for coastal shipping to reach the zero-emissions target. Ivan Østvik was project manager for the development of the world’s first hydrogen ferry, MF Hydra. Photo: Marine Cleantech – We work with solutions for ships that sail in the North Sea or along the coast. There are no problems with using liquid hydrogen, which is a safe solution and produces zero emissions, says Østvik. The ship engineer emphasizes that for the future it will be about different fuel types, which are adapted to the different ships, and where they traffic, in order to reach the climate target. – The battery won’t take you all the way from Stavanger to Rotterdam, for example. You have to have a longer range, and then a tank of liquid hydrogen represents a large energy store.
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Sintef researcher believes it is wrong to bet on hydrogen ferries – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
