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Ulstein unveils zero-emission ship design

By: Tom Russell 14/11/2019 Ulstein

General Vessels

Ulstein has unveiled a hydrogen-powered ship design that it claims is market-ready, offering zero-emission marine operations. This design aimed to reduce the environmental footprint of offshore projects.

The hydrogen fuelled prospect has been put together by Ulstein Design & Solutions BV and Nedstack fuel cell technology BV. The ULSTEIN SX190 Zero Emission DP2 construction support vessel is Ulstein’s first hydrogen powered offshore vessel, featuring a Nedstack fuel cell power system. CO2, NOxand particle emissions are eliminated when using hydrogen fuel cells. Ulstein claims that sea trials of a newbuild ULSTEIN SX190 Zero Emission could happen as soon as 2022.

“The maritime industry needs to align and be ambitious in bringing green solutions forward for a sustainable future. With this hydrogen-fuelled vessel, we aim for future zero-emission operations of long endurance,” says Tore Ulstein, deputy CEO, Ulstein Group.

The ULSTEIN SX190 design is said to be capable of operating four days in zero-emission mode. However, Ulstein stated that with the rapid developments in hydrogen storage and fuel cell technologies, a future zero-emission endurance of up to two weeks is targeted. For extended missions and capabilities, the vessel can fall back on its more conventional diesel-electric system using low sulphur marine diesel oil.

The ULSTEIN SX190 Zero Emission design is based on Ulstein’s existing SX190 vessel platform and has a total installed power of 7.5 MW, of which 2 MW is generated by a fuel cell power system, typically Nedstack Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, which are located in a separate, 2nd engine room.

PEM fuel cells convert hydrogen and air into electric power, heat and water and produce no harmful emissions in the process. Nedstack fuel cell systems have been built and in the multi-megawatt power ranges and have now been marinized to meet the requirements of the marine industry, including class requirements and supply chains.

“Ulstein is constantly looking to improve marine operations and to reduce the environmental footprint of the vessels we deliver to the market”, says Ko Stroo, product manager at Ulstein Design & Solutions BV. “Implementing fuel cell technology in a workhorse like the SX190 CSV design is one of the steps we take to move the marine industry into a more sustainable future, in addition to our X-BOW® hull shape, ULSTEIN ZEDTM‘get-in-and-leave-no-trace solution’ and plug-in hybrid solutions.”

The PEM fuel cells used in the SX190 Zero Emission design are fuelled by hydrogen from containerized pressure vessels. These hydrogen storage containers can be loaded and unloaded by normal container handling operations and equipment. Ulstein stated that this eliminates the need for expensive bunkering infrastructure and providing worldwide operational flexibility. The hydrogen containers can be refilled at hydrogen production sites, either from industry by-product hydrogen or green hydrogen from electrolysis, making the vessel globally employable.

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Ulstein unveils zero-emission ship design

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