FLAGSHIPS – Zero Emission Waterborne Transport

The shipping industry is facing a complete systematic change in coming decades shifting from use of conventional fossil fuels to zero-emission operations. Hydrogen, combined with fuel cells, is on of the most promising options to implement zero-emission power production onboard the vessels as water and heat are only local emissions from hydrogen fuel cells. The FLAGSHIPS is an EU funded project which has deployed two commercially operated hydrogen-fueled vessels. The first vessel is a container vessel, named FPS Waal, which has been operating between Rotterdam (NL) and Duisburg (GE) on hydrogen and fuel cells since April 2024. The second vessel is a self-propeled barge, Zulu 06, which has operated in the river Seine in the centre of Paris (FR) since December 2024. In both demonstration cases, compressed gaseous hydrogen, produced locally with electrolyzers powered mainly by renewable electricity, is used.FPS Waal has a total of 1,200 kW of fuel cells onboard. Hydrogen is stored in swappable 40ft containers in 300 bar (Type II bottles) onboard the vessel. On top of this, there are battery packs onboard for peak shaving and extra power. Zulu 06, on the other hand, has 400 kW fuel cell system installed. As the operational profile of the vessel is completely different to FPS Waal, As Zulu 06 operates mainly in the center of the city Paris, the required power level is also lower. In Zulu 06, hydrogen is stored also in 300 bar.These two demonstration cases have showcased that zero-emission waterborne transport with hydrogen fuel cells can be realized already today. Vessels will be demonstrated 18 month in the project, after which, shipowners aim and expect to maintain the ships in normal commercial operation. This paper will present and discuss the key learnings in design, deployment and operation of PEM fuel cell based power train for shipping. Also, during the project, valuable information has been gathered from the classification and approval process of novel solutions with hydrogen as a fuel.