The SeaShuttle project is a first step in the decarbonization of the maritime transport sector. As part of this, the first hydrogen-powered container ship has just begun construction in India.
Today, maritime transport is the keystone of the global economy, with the overwhelming majority of goods transported via this means. Problem: it is a very polluting sector and its greenhouse gas emissions are very significant. The SeaShuttle project aims to launch two short-distance hydrogen container ships by 2025. After civil aviation, would hydrogen be a good substitute for oil for maritime transport?
A pioneering project
The construction of these new type of boats has just begun in the shipyards of Cochin, an Indian port city located in the state of Kerala. Commissioned by the Dutch company Samskip, the Norwegian government has also put its hand in the wallet: the SeaShuttle project has benefited from an envelope of 13 million euros to help it get off the ground.
With a capacity of 365 45-foot containers, they will be powered entirely by hydrogen and equipped with a 3.2 MW fuel cell. A world first. In the event of a problem, a secondary diesel engine can still take over. Their delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2025 and they will be intended for short-distance journeys between Scandinavian markets and continental Europe.
Maritime freight: a sector with a strong environmental impact
According to the World Trade Organization, 90% of intercontinental trade and 80% of volumes transported on the planet are done by sea. However, the environmental impact of the sector is considerable and it is in the top 6 of the world’s leading polluters. Annually, between 600 and 1,100 MtCO2 (megatons of carbon dioxide) are emitted by these container ships, the equivalent of 3% of global GHG emissions. In addition, the volume of freight transported each year is only increasing and the trend is not likely to reverse.
Even if completely replacing kerosene in container ships with hydrogen seems unthinkable today, it is imperative that the sector develops new, cleaner technologies. The SeaShuttle project is certainly a drop in an ocean that is already too polluted, but the initiative still needs to be considered.
Sources: H2 Mobile, Greenly
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