UK project to retrofit research vessel with hydrogen propulsion system

The Transship II project will retrofit the UK research vessel Prince Madog with a hydrogen electric hybrid propulsion system to reduce emissions.

PHOTO: Research vessel Prince Madog sailing. O.S. Energy

The project will enable the ship to be powered by hydrogen and reduce emissions to zero at slow speeds or over shorter distances, and by up to 60% under normal operations, according to the vessel’s co-owner Bangor University. It says the new propulsion system will work in tandem with a diesel-fuelled main engine.

The ship is used by scientists and students to conduct marine research along the British coastline and in the Irish and Celtic Seas.

The retrofit work is set to begin in April and will be carried out by a consortium of organisations led by Germany-based O.S. Energy over a period of two years.

The £5.5 million ($6.6 million)-project will be funded by Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3), which is a government fund to promote adoption of clean maritime technologies.

The project will “push the boundaries of traditional maritime propulsion systems and paving the way for a cleaner and more sustainable future for the shipping industry,” said O.S. Energy’s (UK) managing director Martin Nuernberg.

By Tuhin Roy

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