World’s First Hydrogen Powered Ferry Ready To Set Sail

Later this week, the world’s first hydrogen powered passenger ferry will begin operating on San Francisco Bay in an exciting step forward for the transport sector. It will start carrying passengers on 19^th July 2024, having been in development since 2018.

The MV Sea Change will be able to transport 75 passengers at a time between Pier 41 and the San Francisco Ferry Terminal and will be a free service initially. It is powered by hydrogen fuel cells that allow the ferry to travel for 300 nautical miles before needing to be refuelled. These fuel cells emit water as a by-product, ensuring a reduction in carbon emissions and improving air quality in the bay. The company running the service, San Francisco Bay Ferry, claims that a portion of the water released will be re-used in the ferry’s water fountain.

In order for this to be a truly sustainable replacement, the hydrogen used in the fuel cells will need to be produced without the use of natural gas. Currently, this is not always the case, however as demand for hydrogen grows more emphasis is being placed on ‘green hydrogen’ projects that use renewable forms of power such as solar and wind, instead of natural gas.

This pilot project will run for 6 months in order to provide an idea of feasibility for similar projects in the future. CEO of the fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy association highlighted the importance of this project stating, “the real value of this is when you multiply out by the number of ferries operating around the world. There’s great potential here. This is how you can start chipping away at the carbon intensity of your ports.”

The global transport sector accounts for up to 25% of total carbon emissions worldwide and so it is crucial that further projects like this continue to progress. You can read more about the progress being made in the transport sector in our article: Decarbonising The Transport Sector: An Overview.

Sources:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-ap-san-francisco-san-francisco-bay-california-b2579017.html

https://www.offshore-energy.biz/first-us-commercial-hydrogen-powered-ferry-ready-to-welcome-passengers/