Historic step for zero-carbon shipping

This is thanks to Vestland County Council, which has decided to ban fossil fuel‑driven craft from its upcoming tender round for fast ferries.

This means that as early as 2022, passengers will be able to travel for five hours between Bergen and Nordfjord without creating any carbon emissions or air pollution.

The new fast ferries are expected to run on a mix of battery power and hydrogen or ammonia fuel cells, and will travel at more than 30 knots.

The Norwegian Climate Foundation, Zero Emission Resource Organization and NCE Maritime Cleantech have all supported the move.

“Reducing carbon emissions from shipping will be of vital importance, if we are to fulfil national and international climate targets,” the organizations stated in a comment piece.

“Zero‑emissions requirements for fast ferries will drive technology developments, which will be of great value when transferred to other ship categories, and will mean a lot for the competitiveness of our shipping industry here in western Norway,” they continued.

The case for change

The resolution by Vestland County Council means that zero‑emissions craft can be introduced as early as 2022, and by 2024 at the latest.

There is a clear case for taking this step, as the country’s fast ferries are among the worst carbon emitters – producing even more emissions per person-kilometre than inland flights.

Nevertheless, the county council’s decision reflects a high level of ambition. This is because these fast ferries would almost certainly need to run on emerging technologies such as hydrogen or ammonia fuel cells. 

Luckily, western Norway’s innovative shipping sector is up to the challenge.

Several Norwegian companies are already working on designs for hydrogen or ammonia‑powered fast ferries as part of a separate project being run by nearby Trøndelag County Council. 

The county council has signed contracts with five different consortia, each of which are working on their own design for a zero‑emissions craft.
 

Four of the five concepts for fast ferries that were presented to Trøndelag County Council: Flying foil (Brødrene AA og Westcon Power & Automation), ZEFF (Selfa Arctic, Servogear, LMG Marin, Norled og Hyon), Emaran (Fjellstrand) og Brødrene AA (Westcon Power & Automation). Photo © NCE Maritime Cleantech

Building a hydrogen supply chain

Another challenge is that, while hydrogen and ammonia are seen as important for the future of global shipping, they are currently lacking a readymade supply chain in Norway.

Local government, researchers and industry are working hard to change this, and there are a number of partnerships and initiatives aimed at serving the Norwegian coast with liquid hydrogen.

Here are some of the projects currently underway:

• ZEG Power & Coast Center Base (CCB) have joined together to explore the production of clean hydrogen within CCB’s harbour at Kollsnes.
   
• A consortium including BKK, Equinor and the French company Air Liquide is also seeking to establish hydrogen production in western Norway, and has recently received 33.5 million NOK to support this goal. The partnership also includes NCE Maritime Cleantech, NORCE, Norled, NorSea Group, Viking Cruises and Wilhelmsen.
   
• Elsewhere, the Ocean Hyway business cluster in Florø is working to strengthen the whole hydrogen value chain in Norway. The cluster is funded by Innovation Norway and comprises 28 members, including shipowners, shipbuilders and energy companies.
   

Norway has already won the race to build the world’s first battery-electric ferry. In 2021, it will also debut the world’s first hydrogen‑driven passenger ferry.

Now, it looks like the country will be the first to build a completely emissions‑free fast ferry too.

Find out more about Greater Bergen’s shipping industry

Is your company interested in joining the hydrogen supply chain in the Bergen region? If so, you could receive crucial support from Invest in Bergen.

Our organization can provide information, introductions to useful contacts, and we can help you to find the ideal business location in Greater Bergen. If you’re interested in these services, simply get in touch with us today.