Future Proof Shipping (FPS) joins FLAGSHIPS project
The project will bring knowledge on how to retrofit vessels from diesel combustion to using a battery in combination with green hydrogen in a fuel cell.
Future Proof Shipping (FPS) has joined FLAGSHIPS to bring the shipping company’s second zero-emissions inland container vessel, the FPS Waal, to Europe’s waterways.
FPS will strengthen the FLAGSHIPS consortium and expand its green hydrogen-fuelled fleet by adding the FPS Waal to the project. Collaborative operations are set to commence this year, with the vessel sailing on green hydrogen by summer 2023.
The FLAGSHIPS consortium aims to raise the readiness of zero-emission waterborne transport to an entirely new level by deploying two commercially operated zero-emission hydrogen vessels in the coming years.
FPS will work closely with world-leading fuel cell technology experts Ballard Europe, ship design company LMG Marin, and project coordinators VTT. Together, they will collaborate across a broad range of activities to complete the engineering, fuel cell provision, and safety studies required for the vessel’s approval by applying and further developing the existing regulatory guidelines.
The demand for more sustainable technologies in inland waterway transport is rising. The project has two groundbreaking vessels as part of the FLAGSHIPS project.
The propulsion system’s power capacity, size, and design for the FPS Waal will need to be optimised to handle the higher energy consumption rates on the Rotterdam to Duisburg section of the Rhine.
Like the FPS Maas, Future Proof Shipping aims to retrofit the FPS Waal to sail 100% emission-free. The internal combustion engine will be replaced with a propulsion system including PEM fuel cells, hydrogen storage, battery packs and an electric drive train will be installed. The total amount of power installed will be around 1200 kW, and the vessel will have a cargo capacity of 200 TEU after the retrofit.
