– Finally! We´re so excited. Now, we can finally flip the page on this chapter. We´re eager to get back to work and deliver this project, says Naval engineer at Sogestran, Mathieu Longueville.

– This is an important milestone for the Flagships project and all its partners. It is an excellent recognition of the work we´ve all been doing, Longueville adds. 

The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine, a European body regulating Rhine rivers and other inland waterways – such as the river Seine, has recommended the Zulu06.

– Without this, we wouldn´t be able to have a hydrogen-powered vessel on the Seine. Now we´re ready to move forward with the design of the ship and LMG Marin´s hydrogen architecture, says Longueville. 

– It was a great feeling getting the recommendation. The partners came together with a vision of clean European waterborne transport in 2018. It was a great idea and ambition at that point, but now we´re here. We´re ready to take the last few steps before realizing Zulu 06 in the real world, says Project Coordinator and Senior Scientist at VTT, Jyrki Mikkola.

Back on track

Getting the CCNR recommendation for what will be one of the world´s first hydrogen cargo vessels has been demanding.

– We will operate a route on the river Seine – in the middle of Paris. Safety for both the crew and the urban city center is crucial. Now we know that our design for both the vessel and the hydrogen system is approved, says Longueville.

– This approval is essential for the project as the hard work of the whole consortium, especially around the safety issues, culminates in this and shows that we are on the right path. It also allows us to move forward towards the real demonstrations, which are scheduled to start at the beginning of next year, says Mikkola. 

Waiting for the recommendation has put several equipment orders and deliveries in the project on hold. 

– Now we´ll focus on turning Zulu 06 into a beautiful zero-emission river vessel. The rest of the equipment is being ordered, the steelwork is being pursued and the cables and piping are soon to be connected, says Longueville.

Soon sailing

The coming months will be exciting for the project consortium.

– Until the end of the year, we´ll gather the equipment and assemble them in Le Havre in France. We´ll start commissioning and testing of the equipment early next year. Now, we aim to have Zulu06 sailing her maiden voyage in the first half of 2024, says Longueville.

The FLAGSHIPS project has received funding from Clean Hydrogen Partnership (previously Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking) under grant agreement No 826215. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and from Hydrogen Europe.