Hydrogen at the heart of the sustainable maritime revolution

The maritime passenger transport sector is essential for the development of a competitive, sustainable and resource-optimised European transport system.

In line with global sustainability goals, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has adopted a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by 50 per cent by 2050, based on 2008 levels. This represents a major turning point for the industry as a whole, driving the adoption of alternative fuels and innovative technologies.

Among the emerging options, hydrogen is one of the most promising solutions for a zero-emission future.

However, to meet decarbonisation targets, advanced technologies must be developed to ensure high energy efficiency. Traditional fuels can only offer partial solutions and are not sufficient to meet the growing demand for global shipping, which is expected to increase by 2050.

Despite the promise of hydrogen, there are still many obstacles to its use in the maritime sector. There is currently a lack of clear international standards to certify both the safe operation of hydrogen-powered ships and their compliance with environmental standards. This regulatory gap is a major challenge for the large-scale deployment of this technology, especially in the passenger segment where safety requirements are particularly stringent.

The e-SHyIPS project, launched in 2021 and funded by the HORIZON 2020 programme, defines new guidelines for the effective integration of hydrogen in the maritime passenger transport sector and promotes its adoption as part of global and EU strategies for a clean and sustainable environment, contributing to the achievement of a zero-emissions shipping scenario.

e-SHyIPS relies on a wide network of international and interdisciplinary collaborations, including universities, research centres, maritime and hydrogen industries, and standardisation and classification bodies. The project brings together a consortium of 14 organisations from 7 European countries (Italy, Germany, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, The Netherlands) with complementary expertise, including fundamental knowledge, technical skills, ability to generate new knowledge, business and market experience, as well as proven expertise in end-use sectors where the project results can be directly applied.

The team from the Department of Management Economics and Industrial Engineering, led by Professor Monica Rossi and Brendan P. Sullivan, including Professor Arianna Bionda and researcher Laura Pirrone, has been responsible for coordinating the project and managing the consortium's activities, as well as contributing to the development of some of the project's key activities and outputs.

Among the outcomes of the experimental activity, the drafting of a CWA, i.e. CEN Workshop Agreement, a reference document published by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN/CENELEC), which aims to satisfy an immediate market need for standardisation when it has not yet reached a sufficient level of maturity to be included in an EN standard.

Using an ecosystem approach, the e-SHyIPS project integrated pre-standardisation theoretical research on standards with simulations and laboratory experiments to transform the idea into a concrete application. This approach aims to fill existing gaps in regulatory and technical knowledge on all aspects of hydrogen in the marine sector.

The project was based on a programme structured around five lines of research and related activities: state-of-the-art and theoretical studies, experiments on ship design, experiments on safety systems, experiments on materials and components, and experiments on the port-ship interface.

Using a Learning Ecosystem methodology developed within the consortium for knowledge generation and management, in addition to the experimental work with simulations and laboratory tests, more than 150 documents were reviewed, 33 other similar European projects were analysed and 23 experts from the hydrogen and maritime industries were involved.

The e-SHyIPS CWA formalises the results of the project's experimental work and provides recommendations for the safe and efficient use of hydrogen as a fuel in maritime transport, focusing on key aspects such as ship design, hydrogen storage systems, risk management and compliance with international safety codes, including the IGF Code.

The e-SHyIPS CWA entitled 'Pre-normative plan for H2 applications to passenger ships - Recommendations for H2 passenger ships from the early stage of design' has been published on the CEN/CENELEC website with the aim of facilitating the translation of research results into tangible benefits for society and economy.

In addition to the CWA, the project has developed a roadmap for the introduction of hydrogen fuels in the passenger marine sector in Europe. The Roadmap is a detailed roadmap describing the strategies required for the introduction of hydrogen on a small scale by 2035 and on a large scale by 2050. These strategies are defined by objectives that include technological innovation, alignment with European policies and strategic plans, stakeholder involvement and benefits for the beneficiaries of the planned initiatives.

The Roadmap has been developed by integrating knowledge from state-of-the-art standardisation and guidelines in the maritime and hydrogen sectors with the expertise gained by the consortium through project activities. Its preparation was facilitated by a dedicated co-participative workshop involving the consortium members, enabling them to harness their collective expertise and define a comprehensive and well-articulated strategy.