Freeport East receive £1.44 million investment to help fund its HyZEM project
Freeport East has welcomed significant investment in an international green hydrogen project to drive decarbonisation in the maritime sector. The Hydrogen Zero Emission Maritime (HyZEM) project will receive £1.44 million from Innovate UK and a similar sum from Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
HyZEM focuses on developing low-carbon green hydrogen technology for high-powered workboats. The partnership was facilitated by Freeport East and includes leading UK and Australian businesses specialising in green hydrogen storage and propulsion technologies. The goal is to reduce the risks of deployment of new technology and accelerate the adoption of marine green hydrogen.
The HyZEM project aims to demonstrate practical applications for green hydrogen storage and propulsion on vessels, including bunkering technology, port storage, refueling infrastructure, and how it will support local supply chains. Freeport East aims to support deployment in the regions’ ports, with the number of tugs, workboats and offshore wind vessels in Harwich and Felixstowe making these technologies of particular relevance.
The international collaboration will support the development and adaptation of new climate-friendly, zero-emission technologies and will advance the use of green hydrogen in the maritime industry in both the UK and Australia.
The partnership includes Steamology as lead, National Composites Centre (NCC), Duodrive Limited, Chartwell Marine Limited and The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult. The Australian sister project is led by Rux Energy Australia.
The diversity of the group will help drive the adoption of green hydrogen through the unique expertise of each partner. Steamology brings to the table its zero-emission hydrogen steam turbines, while Duodrive Limited brings expertise in electric contra-rotating marine propulsion. Industry-leading CTV designer Chartwell Marine Limited is also involved, working to improve vessel efficiency.
Through the project, Freeport East and ORE Catapult will further support regional innovation, as well as build collaborations between SMEs, global industry, and academia in offshore renewable energy.
Meanwhile, the National Composites Centre (NCC) and Rux Energy’s Australian consortium will lead next-generation hydrogen storage systems development dovetailing Rux’s breakthroughs in advanced nanoporous materials with innovations in carbon composite tanks, delivering step changes in efficiency, safety and costs for high-powered work boats like tugboats and crew-transfer vessels.
