China first 500 KW hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship is launched

China’s first 500 kW hydrogen fuel cell-powered workboat to be classified by the China Classification Society (CCS), “Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1”, was launched in Zhongshan city, Guangdong province.

The hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship “Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1″ was developed through a collaboration between China Three Gorges Corporation’s China Yangtze Power Co., Ltd. (CYPC) and China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation’s 712th Research Institute. The construction began on May 17th, 2022.

The ship is a demonstration vessel for responding to China’s green development strategy, promoting green transformation in regional transportation and shipping, and accelerating the construction of the “carbon peak and carbon neutrality” demonstration zone for navigation through the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.  It is a milestone in promoting the green and low-carbon development of the shipping industry and inland waterway transportation.

This project is also an important breakthrough in the field of new energy vessels, with positive demonstration significance for exploring the application of hydrogen energy technology in inland waterway vessels. It marks a further step in the application of critical technologies for hydrogen fuel cell ships in China.

The “Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1” is a dual-hull passenger vessel powered primarily by hydrogen fuel with additional support from lithium iron phosphate batteries. It adopts China’s independently developed hydrogen fuel cell and lithium battery power system, which boasts high environmental friendliness, comfort, low energy consumption, and low noise.

The ship will mainly be used for transportation, patrol, emergency response, and other work in the Three Gorges reservoir area and between the Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam.