Future Proof Shipping’s (FPS) box feeder ship Maas takes a step closer to using hydrogen as fuel
The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) has recommended FPS’ cargo vessel Maas receives an exemption from the Rhine vessel inspection regulations, permitting the use of hydrogen as a fuel for propulsion and power supply on board the vessel.
Having completed a hazard identification study with classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR), the CCNR recommendation was the next target on FPS’s radar.
The recommendation states that using hydrogen as a fuel on board Maas is considered to be sufficiently safe if critical conditions such as risk assessments, crew training, bunkering and data recording are met at all times.
“This landmark exemption will hopefully act as a catalyst to speed up the approval process and establish concrete rules dedicated to hydrogen-fuelled vessels, and ultimately clear the path to zero-emissions shipping for all who are prepared to make the transition,” said FPS chief executive Richard Klatten.
FPS can now move ahead with the advanced engineering plans for Maas and will soon submit documentation for the final stage of class approval from LR.
To receive a recommendation from the CCNR, a risk analysis and design optimisation study must be completed with the help of a classification society. The FPS team has been working closely with Lloyd’s Register and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure who filed the application for the recommendation with the CCNR, on behalf of FPS.
“My congratulations to FPS with the achievement of this milestone. It is impressive to see that a private company has taken this step in the greening of the inland waterway fleet, and as classification society, we are proud to have been chosen to contribute. I believe this recommendation will surely help in the further development of requirements for the use of alternative fuels, and I expect that for future projects it will be easier to get the required recommendations,” said Lloyd’s Register EMEA WEA inland waterway product manager Bas Joormann.
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