Port of London will host green hydrogen-fuelled vessel and bunkering facility

A British consortium plans to develop a green hydrogen-powered vessel, hydrogen production infrastructure and refueling station at the Port of London.

PHOTO: Concept image of green hydrogen-fuelled uncrewed surface vessel. SEA-KIT International

The project, dubbed ZEPHR - Zero Emissions Ports Hydrogen Refilling Survey Vessel - has won a proposed grant of £4.23 million ($5.29 million) from the UK government’s Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition.

As part of ZEPHR, ship designer Sea-Kit International will construct a green hydrogen-fuelled uncrewed surface vessel (USV) powered by hydrogen fuel cells. It will be operated by the Port of London Authority on the River Thames Estuary in London.

Meanwhile, marine infrastructure developer Marine2o will build a production and refilling facility at the Port of London, to facilitate green hydrogen fuel refilling for the vessel. Green hydrogen will be produced using electrolysers powered by renewable energy sources, according to the UK Department of Transport.

The USV will gather hydrographic data that will facilitate “port efficiency improvements; cost reductions; increased safety; reduced pollution to name a few,” the UK Department of Transport added.

The 5-year ZEPHR project will support “environmental monitoring, academic and industry research programs as well as feeding into the Maritime Hydrogen Highway programme” under the Port of London’s Thames Vision 2050.

The port's Maritime Hydrogen Highway project covers research, trialing hydrogen power generation for vessels and marine transportation of hydrogen.

By Konica Bhatt

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