China to build first hydrogen internal combustion engine vessel in Wuhan
In China, the country’s first hydrogen internal combustion engine electric-propulsion transport vessel will be designed and built in Wuhan, with launch expected in 2028, according to an official at China Classification Society’s Wuhan Rules Research Institute.
The planned 2,000-ton inland river vessel will use industrial crude hydrogen as its primary fuel with electric range-extension technology, giving it a range of more than 500 kilometers. Compared with a diesel vessel of equivalent tonnage, fuel cost per kilometer is projected to be 20 percent lower, with water vapor the only emission.
The hydrogen internal combustion engine is designed to last more than 20 years, matching conventional diesel engines and outlasting hydrogen fuel cells. It will run on crude hydrogen, which is 50 percent cheaper than the high-purity hydrogen fuel cells require. Wuhan’s Qingshan district, a major steel and petrochemical hub, produces 200,000 tons of hydrogen annually and will supply the vessel’s fuel needs.
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
