Major Milestone for ShipFC H2020 Project as Norwegian Maritime Authority Grants Approval

The Norwegian Maritime Authority has approved a significant milestone for the ShipFC H2020 Project, as announced by the project developers on social media on July 4th.

Overview of the ShipFC Project

The ShipFC project aims to retrofit the offshore vessel Viking Energy, owned by Norwegian company Eidesvik and under contract with energy major Equinor, with a 2 MW ammonia fuel cell. This retrofit will enable the vessel to operate on clean fuel for up to 3,000 hours annually.

Specifications of Viking Energy

Built in 2003, the Viking Energy is the world’s first LNG-fueled cargo vessel. It features four Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines, allowing it to run on both LNG and marine diesel oil. The vessel is 94.9 meters long and 20.4 meters wide.LNG Tank Capacity is 220 cubic meters.

Project Funding and Objectives

The project received €10 million from the EU’s Research and Innovation program Horizon 2020 under the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) in 2020. To ensure a large ammonia-powered fuel cell can deliver total electric power to shipboard systems safely and effectively, scaling up from a 100 KW fuel cell to a 2 MW unit.

Broader Implications for the Shipping Industry

The project will study the application of this technology to three other vessel types, including offshore construction vessels and two types of cargo vessels. In 2021, Eidesvik signed an MoU with Norwegian oil company Aker BP and Alma to explore retrofitting Alma’s ammonia fuel cell technology on two offshore support vessels (OSVs) — Eidesvik-owned Viking Lady and Aker BP-owned NS Frayja.

Conclusion

The approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority is a crucial step forward for the ShipFC H2020 Project, which aims to revolutionize maritime fuel technology by introducing large-scale ammonia fuel cells to the shipping industry.