Ferguson Marine begins development of renewable-powered hydrogen ferry

Ferguson Marine has successfully led a bid for EU funding to support the building and launch of the world’s first Ro-Pax ferry fuelled by hydrogen.

The supported development is expected to cost around €12.6 million (US$14.6 million).

The vessel’s fuel will be produced from renewable electricity marking a paradigm shift towards entirely emissions-free marine transport.

The HySeas III endeavour is jointly led by Ferguson Marine and the University of St Andrews and includes Orkney Islands Council, Kongsberg Maritime, Ballard Power Systems Europe, McPhy, DLR and Interferry.

Employing Ballard technology, the initial objective is to construct and prove the vessel’s modular drive train onshore, testing for stress and durability under conditions employing real-world data from existing vessels.

The HySeas III project formally begins on July 1, 2018.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.