India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the country’s first domestically built hydrogen fuel cell passenger ferry on 28 February as part of a ‘green’ transition of Indian inland waterways
Built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd, the catamaran ferry has a capacity of 50 passengers, and is fitted with a hydrogen fuel cell, two 25-kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LiFEPO4) batteries, and 3-KWh solar panels. The ferry, with a speed of 6.5 knots, will serve the city of Varansi later this year.
Hailing the vessel’s arrival, India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways highlighted the country’s Harit Nauka Guidelines for inland waterways vessels in a social media post. The guidelines outline India’s desire to adopt green vessels and establish a green ecosystem, and “embrace low/zero-emissions sources of fuel and attain 100% green vessels in Indian waters by 2047.” Overall, India is aiming for net-zero emissions by 2070.
Underpinning this are plans to promote local content through a ‘Made in India’ shipbuilding policy, and financial assistance for developing these low- and zero-emission vessels.
Hybrid-electric fleet
On 23 February, less than a week before the launch of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered ferry, Cochin Shipyard delivered its 13th vessel in a fleet of 23 100-passenger water taxis to Kochi Water Metro. The water taxis will connect the city of Kochi and its 10 islands. The vessel is owned by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd and is creating an integrated water transport system for Kochi. The remaining 10 water taxis in the series are expected to be completed by June 2024, according to Cochin Shipyard filings.
Built to Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) class, the 25-m catamaran ferry, designed for fast shore charging, is propelled by a hybrid-electric propulsion system by means of Enchandia lithium titanium oxide (E-LTO) batteries and diesel generator sets. The E-LTO batteries have an installed capacity of 122 kWh. Additionally, the vessel can run on power generated by the onboard diesel gensets and hybrid mode, which is a combination of both diesel gensets and batteries.
Siemens is supplying the electric propulsion drive train, energy storage and vessel automation technologies to Cochin Shipyard.
This water taxi received the class notation Battery Prop from IRS, signifying the vessel’s battery systems are used for ship propulsion and are in accordance with the requirements under the Indian class society’s guidelines. The Guidelines for Battery Powered Vessels provide the requirements for effective installation and safe operation of li-ion battery systems, through the mitigation of risk, from the design stage to onboard installation to operation of the battery systems.
Similarly, a series of eight hybrid-electric catamaran ferries being built by Hooghly Cochin Shipyard for the Inland Waterways Authority of India has been awarded the Battery Prop notation by IRS. Two of these 50-passenger hybrid-electric ferries have been delivered, with the remainder in the series handed over by November 2024. These 24-m vessels, with a speed of 9 knots, will have electric motors powered by E-LTO batteries and diesel generators, operating in a hybrid mode. The batteries are capable of being charged by electric supply from a shore grid when the vessels are at berth.
And, as we previously reported, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers has launched 24-m, battery-powered Dheu for the government of West Bengal.
Exports to Europe
Cochin Shipyard is building eight multi-purpose vessels for US$88.5M, a service operation vessel for US$54.5M, two commissioning service operation vessels for US$115.2M and two hydrogen fuel-cell-powered feeder ships for US$66.0M for European owners.
The zero-emissions feeders are being built for Samskip’s SeaShuttle project to create a green shipping corridor between the Oslo Fjord and Rotterdam.
Due for delivery in Q3 and Q4 2025, the 135-m, 500-TEU container vessels will be powered by a 3.2-MW hydrogen fuel cell each, with diesel generators installed for back-up. The logistics group, which aims to achieve net zero by 2040, anticipates that each vessel will be able to avoid around 25,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year when powered by fuel cells and by using green shore power at the port of call.
ABB is the systems integrator for the project, supplying the hydrogen fuel cells, ABB Onboard DC Grid power distribution system, energy storage solution control and ABB Ability remote diagnostic systems.
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