Orkney launches £2.2m hydrogen ferry project

A £2.2 million project has been launched on the Scottish island of Orkney to explore solutions for decarbonising two key local industries: ferries and cruise terminals.

The HIMET – Hydrogen in an Integrated Maritime Energy Transition – project, led by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), will last seven months and study several different solutions, including hydrogen fuel cells and running a conventional ferry engine on pure hydrogen.

Shore-side, a hydrogen engine will be used to power crew welfare facilities at the Hatston cruise terminal, and microgrid solutions to power ferry terminals will also be tested.

HIMET will also include research and stakeholder engagement activities to determine how decarbonised fuels like hydrogen and ammonia can best be used together with technology innovations to support the broader maritime energy transition.

The HIMET project consortium includes Aquatera, EMEC Hydrogen, Eneus Energy, OakTec, Orcades Marine Management Consultants, Orkney Islands Council, Ricardo, RINA, Schneider Electric, ULEMCo and Urban Foresight

“While the project will focus on addressing challenges in the Orkney context, we believe our findings will be applicable to all island and coastal environments where vessels provide vital lifeline services,” said EMEC’s Hydrogen Development Manager, James Walker.

“Orkney has long been a living laboratory for renewable energy and decarbonisation and is well placed to become a centre of excellence in maritime decarbonisation as well.”