Glasgow-based Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd. is leading a European consortium which secured EU funding for the development of the first sea-going car and passenger ferry in the world that is fuelled by hydrogen.
EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program provided EUR 9.3M (USD 10.7M) towards the EUR 12.6M project, named HySeas III.
The announcement was made at the Smart Shipping Symposium on June 18 by Jim McColl, chairman and chief executive of Clyde Blowers Capital (owning the shipyard), in the City of Glasgow College Faculty of Nautical Studies.
The fuel for the ship will be produced from renewable electricity. The newbuild is planned to operate in and around Orkney, a location already producing hydrogen from "constrained" renewable energy.
Image: Port of Kirkwall (Orkney Island, Scotland)
According to Ferguson Marine chief naval architect Chris Dunn, the shipyard could produce "the world’s first zero emission, hydrogen fuel cell powered commercial ROPAX ferry in 2020."
The new project starts July 1.