UK Government funds consortium led by Unitrove to deliver world’s first zero-emission multi-fuel station for hydrogen and electric ships
A consortium led by zero-emission solutions provider Unitrove, which created the world’s first liquid hydrogen bunkering facility, has won thousands of pounds of government funding to explore the development of an innovative zero-emission multi-fuel station (ZEMFS) that would power hydrogen and electric ships, according to the company's release.
The novel design concept, which is planned to be operational by March 2025, will use liquid hydrogen as the basis for providing three fuelling options for powering small craft: liquid hydrogen, compressed gaseous hydrogen, and electric charging.
The other winning members of the consortium include ACUA Ocean, manufacturers of hydrogen-powered maritime autonomous surface ships; Zero Emissions Maritime Technology (ZEMTech), a marine-focused project management and delivery company; and the University of Strathclyde, a leading maritime research institution. The project is further supported by MJR Power & Automation, Orkney College UHI, and the Port of Tyne.
The project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2) launched in May 2022, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC2, the Department allocated over £14 million to 31 projects supported by 121 organisations from across the UK to deliver feasibility studies and collaborative research and development projects in clean maritime solutions.
CMDC2 is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions’ (UK SHORE) flagship multi-year programme. In March 2022, the DfT announced the biggest government investment ever in the UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206 million to UK SHORE, a new division within the Department, focused on decarbonising the maritime sector. UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions throughout 2022-2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero.
