Fully hydrogen powered ship design unveiled

Aurelia Green Ship Concept Design has unveiled a new design with full hydrogen propulsion.

The new design concept is the ACD01 1000, a vessel for transporting ro-ro cargo, with electric propulsion using highly compressed H₂ as fuel. The ship’s hydrogen-based engine system can be applied to other ship designs.

Compressed hydrogen generates no environmentally harmful emissions. The hybrid propulsion is based on battery and fuel cell power modules and it is not supported by internal combustion engines supplied by petroleum-based conventional fuels. The batteries are used as an energy storage source to supply power for the hotel load too.

The design has been certified by marine classification society RINA based on the newly published RINA Rules for Hydrogen Fuelled Ships and the RINA Guide for the Approval in Principle of Novel Technologies.

“The world of zero emissions is a pioneering world open to new opportunities, which to some extent reminds me of the first operations in the heavy lift sector, where there was also no experience yet,” said Ton Bos, partner, and co-founder of Aurelia.
“In this sense, the cooperation with RINA is a strong signal that the maritime world is ready to work together for clean shipping.”

The new design is also compliant with limits set by the International Maritime Organization’s Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase 3, which requires ships to operate with a 30 to 50 percent reduction in energy intensity, the ballast water treatment plant is in accordance with the latest amendments of the International Ballast Water Management Convention, and the hull is designed to ensure excellent hydrodynamic and maximum propeller efficiency.

“This new design for a compressed hydrogen RORO is part of a long-term cooperation between Aurelia and RINA in which we will develop liquefied hydrogen propulsion system that could be used for heavy lift, cruise and Ro-Pax vessels. This cooperation with RINA will ensure that the design of renewable ships becomes a reality and does not remain a distant dream,” said Raffaele Frontera, founding partner of Aurelia Green Concept Design.