b'SEPTEMBER 13 - 26, 2021RO/RO SHIPPING 23Ro/Ro carriers experimenting with hydrogen to achieve zero emissions But detractors point to disadvantages compared to other alternative fuelsBy Peter Buxbaum, AJOTInApril,SembcorpMarinesignedanBut hydrogen fuel is not without its detrac-agreement with Royal Dutch Shell and Pen- tors. Although hydrogen is the most common guinInternationaltodevelophydrogenasaelement in the universe, it does not come for marinefuel.Thepilotprojectwilldesignafree, said Tom Baxter, a chemical engineer-hydrogen fuel cell system and install it on a ro/ ing lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, in ro vessel owned by Penguin International forScotland. It is bound up in compounds such Heghs Aurora class vessels are the first in the industry to be ready fortrial operations by Shell.as fossil fuels and water and requires energy to operation running on ammonia as fuel. This trial is an important step in demon- break the chemical bonds to release it. (TACKLEScontinued frommercialshipsand11char- strating the applicability of hydrogen and fuelHydrogen as a marine fuel will most likely page 22) teredvessels,shippingovercells on ships, said Nick Potter, a regional gen- be used in its liquefied form, known as LH2, the Aurora class, are the first2.8 million vehicles on 7,700eral manager at Shell Shipping and Maritime.which will need to be transported and stored. intheindustrytobereadyocean voyages each year. We see fuel cells and hydrogen as a promisingThe standards and infrastructures required for for operation on ammonia, aIn2020,theVolkswagenpathway for decarbonizing shipping. that endeavor are only now in the process of carbon-neutralfuel,makingGroup began using two newTheres no debate that hydrogen representsbeing developed.themthelargestandgreen- cargoshipspoweredbyliq- a zero-emissions fuel and some, like Semb- WilhelmsenShipManagementisplac-est pure truck and car carriersuefiednaturalgas(LNG)corp Marine CEO Wong Weng Sun, believeing some bets on the future of hydrogen as an (PCTCs) to be built, accord- fortransatlanticvoyages.that hydrogen fuel cells will go a long way toalternative fuel for ro/ro shipping and is also ingtoLiseDuetoft,HeghAlthough LNG is a fossil fuel,help shipping achieve net-zero emissions byexploringotherpotentialsolutionstoelimi-Autoliners chief strategy anditburnscleanerthanothers,2050. Hydrogen fuel cells have the potentialnatecarbonemissions.(Seemainstoryon analytics officer. We antici- (TACKLEScontinued onto revolutionize shipping and transportation,the preceding page) Topeka is a Wilhelmsen patedeliveryofthefirstofpage 25) he said. (HYDROGENcontinued on page 25)thenewseriesofvesselsin the beginning of 2024, said Duetoft. This will put us in theforefrontofsustainable transportation. Lise Duetoft, Hegh Autoliners chief strategy and analytics officerHeghscarbon-neutral voyage from Europe to South Africa in March 2021, by way oftheHegh Trigger,ranon advancedbiofuels,aspartof an arrangement with the Dutch companyGoodFuels.The biofuel chosen for the test run burned virtually free of sulfur oxidesandreducedtheves-selscarbonemissionsbyas much as 90%. The use of bio-fuel can contribute significant stepstowardsdecarbonization in the maritime transportation industry, said Andreas Enger, Heghs CEO.consideredCHANGECHANNELBiofuelsareYOURdrop-inreplacementsfor traditional marine fuels, which meanstheydonotrequireMove cargo more efficiently. Scale operations for future growth.modification of onboard sys-tems or fuel tanks. They areBig changes are happening here. Freeport Harbor Channelalready the shortest on the Texas ascalable,sustainable,tech-nically compliant, affordable,Gulfwill soon be the deepest channel in the state. Larger vessels will be moving through our andmarket-readysolution,port than ever before and well be ready for them with new berths and modern cranes. Best of all, said Isabel Welten, chief com-mercial officer at the Amster- we have over 500 acres of adjacent land ready for development.dam-based GoodFuels. V ehiCleS upplyC hain See the big picture. Its time to change your channel.i mpliCaTionSVolkswagenispushing to lower carbon emissions in all of its operations, includingVisit our website or schedule a tour today.theocean-goingshipsthat deliver the cars and trucks it manufactures to foreign mar- 1.800.362.5743kets. The company distributesPortFreeport.comits vehicles around the world usingseveralhundredcom-'