Vestas to test hydrogen-fuelled crewboat in North Sea pilot program

Danish offshore wind company Vestas, in collaboration with Dutch vessel operator Windcat Workboats, will launch a pilot program to identify how the world’s first hydrogen-powered crewboat can help reduce carbon emissions from its offshore service operations.

The vessel to be used for the trials is the recently completed Hydrocat 48 (pictured), which was developed by Belgian engineering firm and Vestas sister company CMB.Tech. The vessel is powered by a diesel engine that has been modified to run on hydrogen.

The testing will be carried out at the Norther offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea from July 15 up to the end of this year.

Vestas said the program will offer the opportunity to explore the most scalable approaches to incorporate hydrogen into the company’s operational setup. The goal of the trial will be to collect insights into the opportunities and limitations of hydrogen-powered vessels in daily operations.