The Port of Rotterdam, together with the Province of Zuid Holland and more than 40 partners have launched an ambitious project for emission-free inland and near-shore shipping on hydrogen. Condor H2 aims to facilitate the sailing of 50 emission-free vessels by 2030, targeting a CO2 reduction of 100,000 tons per year, according to Port of Rotterdam's release.
Condor H2 will provide fuel-cells with a battery pack as well as hydrogen storage on a pay-per-use basis to enable ships to operate emission-free with limited up-front investments for ship owners. The hydrogen will be delivered in ‘tanktainers’ which can be easily loaded on board vessels and quickly swapped when empty, allowing maximum flexibility for longer journeys.
To realize this, the project brings together 6 ports and more than 40 partners, spanning the entire value chain from hydrogen suppliers and distributors to technology providers and shipowners. The goal is to have the first vessels with the Condor H2 system sailing on the route in 2025.
The project is part of the RH2INE network, a cooperation between ports, regional governments and market parties along the Rhine corridor, ranging from Belgium and the Netherlands up to Switzerland.
Condor H2 is driven by a Steering Group of the Province of Zuid Holland, Port of Rotterdam, WaterstofNet and Rabobank. The project is also supported by a range of other partners from industry and shipping, including:
Air Products, Ballard, Blue H Engineering, bp, Concordia Damen, De Vlaamse Waterweg, DFDS, EICB, ENGIE, Eoly Energy, FinCo Fuel, Future Proof Shipping, H2Storage, HTS, INEOS, Linde, Marin, Maritime Academy Harlingen, Naval Inland Navigation, Nedstack, Municipality of Nijmegen, North Sea Port, NPRC, NPROXX, Port of Duisburg, Port of Amsterdam, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the Province of Noord Holland, Rotterdam Shortsea Terminal, Samskip, Schenk Tanktransport, Shell, STC, Theo Pouw, UMOE, VT Group, VITRITE Middelburg, and Zepp Solutions.