Construction begins on 'world's first' hydrogen-powered short-sea container ship
India’s state-owned Cochin Shipyard cuts steel on first of two vessels set to be fitted with fuel cells
The “world’s first” small container ships powered by green hydrogen look set to hit the water next year, following the news that construction on two such vessels has begun in India.
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Cochin Shipyard, which is owned by the Indian government and located in southwestern state of Kerala, on Friday began cutting steel for the first of the ships, which have been ordered by Netherlands-based Samskip as part of its SeaShuttle project, part-funded by the Norwegian government.
Hydrogen will be stored on board for the fuel cells, while the ship will also be fitted with a diesel engine as back-up.
The ships, classified as smaller “feeder” container vessels, will carry 365 45ft-high (13.7-metre-high) cube containers between continental Europe and Scandinavian markets.
The pair were ordered from Cochin in March 2023 as part of the SeaShuttle project to develop zero-emissions vessels for “short-sea” journeys, defined as voyages that predominantly follow coastlines and do not cross the ocean.