VESSEL REVIEW | FCV Pilot-01 – Hydrogen fuel cell ferry for operation on India's Ganges River

Cochin Shipyard (CSL) has delivered India's first passenger vessel with hydrogen fuel cells as its main source of propulsion power, the catamaran ferry FCV Pilot-01, which is already in commercial service on the Ganges River in the city of Varanasi. The vessel is owned by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and was built at CSL's Kochi facility for a pilot programme on National Waterway 1.

The ferry is classed with the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and registered at Kodungallur in Kerala. The hull notation is + IWL, ZONE 2, FERRY, while the machinery notation reads + IY, FC (Main) – Hydrogen, BATTERY PROP, recording hydrogen fuel cells as the primary power source with battery propulsion also fitted.

FCV Pilot-01 has an LOA of 24.8 metres (81.4 feet) and a length between perpendiculars of 24.1 metres (79.1 feet). Moulded beam is 6.4 metres (21 feet), moulded depth is 1.7 metres (5.6 feet), and maximum draught is only 0.835 metre (2.74 feet).

Gross and net tonnage are both recorded as 70. Lightship weight is 39.12 tonnes, displacement is 43.22 tonnes, and deadweight is 4.1.

Commuter-optimised configuration

The hull is built of aluminium and the accommodation module is fabricated in FRP. The shallow draught suits the variable water levels on the Ganges through the Varanasi ghats.

Certified passenger capacity is 50, seated in a fully air-conditioned cabin. The vessel was designed for short urban transit runs rather than long-distance river service, and its first commercial voyage covered the five kilometres (three miles) between Namo Ghat and Lalita Ghat with ministers and officials aboard. The service speed is 6.5 knots.

Batteries and solar panels augmenting primary fuel cell propulsion

Propulsion power comes from a low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell system that uses stored hydrogen to generate electricity, with water as the only exhaust product. Electricity from the fuel cells feeds a KPIT Technologies FCV-71-192 40kW induction motor. Auxiliary electrical generation is listed as one 48kW DC unit.

The fuel cells are supported by two 25kWh lithium iron phosphate batteries, giving a nominal 50 kWh of storage, and a 3kW rooftop solar panel installation. The Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MOPSW) said a single hydrogen fill can provide the ferry with enough fuel for up to eight hours of operation.

KPIT Technologies developed, integrated and tested the fuel cell together with the energy storage, power management, control and powertrain systems before installation aboard the vessel. CSL carried out the hull construction, the marinisation of the fuel cell system and the overall integration, and the vessel automation and power management systems were developed domestically.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally introduced the ferry on February 28, 2024, the vessel entered IRS class in October 2024, and trial operations followed before the MOPSW cleared it for commercial service in December 2025.

To govern the pilot phase, IWAI, CSL and Inland and Coastal Shipping signed a tripartite agreement addressing technical assistance, the management of operations, financial provisions, safety protocols, monitoring and periodic inspections.

The vessel's principal operating area remains the Varanasi waterfront on National Waterway 1, where IWAI is running it as a demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion ahead of any decision on a wider fleet.