This summer, the Mediterranean was the theater of a small revolution for the maritime sector with the
Hynova 40
as the protagonist, the first pleasure boat powered by green hydrogen that after several days of sailing ended its tour with a last stop at the yacht's fiefdom. : Monaco.
The boat is an innovative creation of
Chloé Zaied,
captain, founder and CEO of the Hynova Yachts brand. Its main novelty is to use
green hydrogen
obtained from renewable photovoltaic or wind sources and water. This boat works thanks to three hydrogen tanks, produced in a clean way and expels only clean water that, in the words of its creator, "we could even drink it".
His dream of working in the
Calanques (coves) of Marseille
and at the same time protecting this famous natural park came about after a meeting with the members of
Energy Observer,
the laboratory ship that works cleanly and in total autonomy.
His plan, "which has excited investors", combines the importance of preserving the seas and oceans of the planet while offering a luxurious experience to its crew.
The challenge of shipping
The Hynova40 is a small revolution that opens the door to a huge change in the maritime sector, which is among the most polluting. The short and long-term objectives for the reduction of global emissions accelerate this process, in which green hydrogen will play a relevant role. The
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
establishes minimum levels of CO2 emission reduction objective of 40% in 2030 and 70% in 2050.
On this path towards clean maritime transport,
Javier Aríztegui,
Repsol's
manager of the Energy Transition & Mobility discipline
, sees green hydrogen as a good tool for meeting zero emissions targets. The company is the leading producer and consumer of hydrogen in Spain. In his opinion, there are several alternatives to use green energy sources and at the same time preserve the efficiency of this transport. "The ships are going to consume gaseous hydrogen and depending on how this renewable hydrogen is manufactured it can be in various ways, of biological origin or, as up to now, electrolytic, with an electrolyzer where water is injected".
The challenge is to produce a fuel capable of being 100% renewable from the source of energy to the transformation of hydrogen and, at the same time, have a good storage infrastructure. "The problem is that hydrogen is a gas that takes up a lot of space and it is not easy to carry a large amount of energy on a ship", explains this expert. The problem is exacerbated on long voyages, when ships require a lot of energy. "In this case, the most efficient thing for the maritime sector would be to synthesize hydrogen and mix it with CO2", explains Javier. It is presented as a viable alternative that enters a solution of net zero emissions. "The advantage of this process is that we arrive at a fuel very similar to the ones we currently have," says the Repsol manager.
Chloé Zaied also raises this same problem of hydrogen storage.
"For merchant ships there is an alternative that is repeated in all conferences. It is ammonia, which allows to expand storage, for long voyages. Autonomy is a key factor in the maritime economy," he says.
In fact, the liquid state of fuels destined for large carriers in the maritime sector already proved its worth in 2019, when the CMA-CGM ship was launched.
The company was the first to use
LNG
(liquefied natural gas) to operate this new oversized machine.
This gas reduces emissions by 85%, according to the company's presentation.
No charging points
The emergence of green hydrogen forces changes in the entire energy chain. In fact, the biggest problem that Chloe Zaied encountered during her tour of the Mediterranean was finding places to recharge the hydrogen cylinders: "The main challenge is access to this new fuel in ports. It is an important change, and for that, ports need to make short-term commitments on economic profitability, and think about long-term benefits, "he explains.
Few ports are equipped at the moment. In this sense, Malaga is one of the pioneers with its "Green Port" initiative in betting on this technology. To carry out the transport on an international scale, Javier Aríztegui trusts that the sensitive point is the harmonization of the rules of the legislation of the different countries that constitute key points of the passage in the maritime trajectories.
It is a commitment that is an integral part of the challenges of various groups such as
Navantia
. "The greatest challenge in the shipbuilding sector is the development of new propulsion technologies that make it possible to achieve the demanding decarbonisation objectives with benefits and safety levels similar to those existing in systems based on fossil fuels," they explain from the Center of Excellence of Hydrogen Technologies of Navantia.
Enagás and Navantia
have signed a collaboration agreement to promote green hydrogen development projects on a national scale that seeks to contribute to the decarbonization of the industry in the maritime sector.
"Green hydrogen is going to play a key role in the decarbonisation of the sector, especially in those niches where large autonomies are not needed," says the company.
Navantia sees green hydrogen as a promising alternative, which has many advantages: "Its offshoring generation capacity together with renewable energies, as well as its high energy density and low weight, make it an ideal fuel for the energy transition that we are currently experiencing. living".
Hydrogen producers and consumers of this green fuel are betting on this new alternative.
States have expectations regarding the regulation of the use of hydrogen.
The objective is to ensure its durability and viability over time and its adaptation to different energy needs.
This is a great challenge for large maritime transport companies, protagonists in many cases of environmental accidents linked to shipwrecks and fuel spills.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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