Together with Shell and other partners, TECO 2030 has launched its HyEkoTank project, aiming to develop a fuel cell system that can be retrofitted to marine tankers.
The three-year project has received €5 million in funding under the Horizon Europe scheme, with the goal being to install six fuel cell modules, with a total capacity of 2.4 GW, in a containerised solution that can be retrofitted to existing tankers.
The technology will then be tested in 2024 in an 18,600-dwt product tanker, with the capacity to store 4,000 kg of compressed hydrogen for fuel. The system is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during voyages by 60% and completely eliminate them while berthed. This would exceed the European Union’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 55% by the end of the decade and bridge the gap until newer emission-free vessels can be developed.
Speaking for Shell Shipping and Maritime, Carl Henrickson expressed the company’s pride at participating in the project:
“…which aims to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen as a zero-carbon fuel for the maritime sector. Our target is to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, and to accelerate this transition we are partnering with customers and businesses from across the sectors.”
He added that Shell, which also makes industrial lubricants like gear oil, will be buying the pioneering HyEkoTank system and supplying the sustainable hydrogen needed to power it as it seeks to ensure that customers’ demands for cleaner energy systems are met.
