Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Hiroshima Prefecture-based shipbuilder Tsuneishi Facilities and Craft and Belgian shipowner Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) have successfully launched what they are billing as the world’s first hydrogen-powered ferry.
The companies announced several months ago their joint venture into research and development of hydrogen internal combustion engine technology, and on July 12 they announced the completion of their fully equipped HydroBingo ferry, which has a maximum capacity of eighty passengers.
The ship is a 19-ton aluminum alloy passenger catamaran (multi-hulled watercraft), that has two co-firing hydrogen engines and a light oil co-firing engine. The hydrogen storage tank is located at the back of the ship and has a separate line connecting to the engine, developed in accordance to the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-Flashpoint Fuels and the Japan Craft Inspection Organization.
The firms expect that the ferry can cut carbon emissions by 50% during navigation.
Tsuneishi Facilities and Craft states that it is on a steady journey toward the realization of “zero emission vessels.” The firm has already established a few hydrogen fuel cell facilities to assist in its goals.
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