Raising the readiness of zero-emission waterborne transport
The FLAGSHIPS project will take zero-emission waterborne transport to an entirely new level by deploying two commercially operated hydrogen fuel cell vessels.
Zulu 06
The demo vessels include Zulu 06, a commercial cargo transport vessel which will be plying the river Seine in Paris. The vessel was officially launched in Paris in late 2024, and commercial operations are set to commence in early 2025.
Zulu 06 is owned by French inland shipowner Compagnie Fluvial de Transport, a subsidiary of the Sogestran Group. The revolutionary vessel will move goods on pallets and in containers on the route from Gennevilliers – Bonneuil Sur Marne.
The vessel operates on compressed hydrogen produced from electrolysis, enabling not only zero-emission operations, but also creating a solid base for more local zero-emission transport, both at sea and on land. The power generation system for Zulu is supplied by ABB Marine & Ports, with two 200 kW PEM fuel cells from Ballard. LMG Marin is responsible for detailed design drawings, with hydrogen provided by suppliers in the Paris region.
H2 Barge 2
The second demo vessel is the H2 Barge 2, owned and operated by the Netherlands-based Future Proof Shipping (FPS). The 109,8-meter-long container cargo vessel is planned to operate on the route between Rotterdam (NL) and Duisburg (DE) on the river Rhine.
While Zulu 06 is a new-build, the H2 Barge 2 is a retrofit. Formerly named Fenny 1, the vessel was built in 1993 and was recently acquired by FPS. The route on the Rhine between the Netherlands and Germany is 240 kilometer long, each way. The river has a significant flow, making it crucial to appropriately size and optimize the propulsion system.
H2 Barge 2 has a cargo capacity of 200 TEU after conversion and the zero-emission propulsion system includes PEM fuel cells, battery packs, an electric motor and hydrogen storage. The total amount of power installed is around 1,2 MW.
H2 Barge 2 began operation in early 2024.
Setting new standards for seaborne logistics
The FLAGSHIPS project includes an 18-month demonstration period to collect data from the vessels during operation to validate the outcome of the demonstrations. The shipowners expect to maintain the ships in normal commercial operation after the demonstration period.
The project will cooperate over a broad base to complete the required safety assessment and approval for the two vessels, by applying and further developing the existing regulations and codes.
About the Flagships consortium
The FLAGSHIPS consortium includes 12 European partners, with shipowners, Future Proof Shipping (NL), Norled (NO), and CFT (FR) assisted by its support companies Sogestion (FR) and Sogestran (FR); the maritime OEM and integrator companies ABB Marine & Ports (FI) and SEAM (NO); and ship design company LMG Marin (NO & FR). World-leading fuel cell technology is provided by Ballard Power Systems Europe (DK), with vessel energy monitoring and management by Persee (FR). Management and dissemination activities are provided by VTT (FI) and Maritime CleanTech (NO), respectively.
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.
About the Clean Hydrogen Partnership
The Clean Hydrogen Partnership – the successor of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) – aims to strengthen and integrate European Union research and innovation capacity to accelerate the development and improvement of advanced clean hydrogen applications ready for market, across energy, transport, building and industrial end-uses, while strengthening competitiveness of the Union clean hydrogen value chain. The three members of the partnership are the European Commission, fuel cell and hydrogen industries represented by Hydrogen Europe and the research community represented by Hydrogen Europe Research.
