The Port of Rotterdam, together with the Province of Zuid Holland and more than 40 partners, has launched a project for emission-free inland and near-shore shipping on hydrogen.
The Condor H2 project aims to facilitate the sailing of 50 emission-free vessels by 2030, targeting a carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction of 100,000 tonnes per year.
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, according to the port’s recent statement.
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.
The project brings together six ports and more than 40 partners, spanning the entire value chain from hydrogen suppliers and distributors to technology providers and shipowners.
The Port of Rotterdam aims to have the first vessels with the Condor H2 system sailing on the route in 2025.
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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 the Port of Duisburg, Port of Amsterdam, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, along with a plethora of other industry partners.
“Hydrogen is already being tested in shipping, but the time has come to take action towards large-scale implementation,” said Nico van Dooren, Director New Business of the Port of Rotterdam.
“By offering a modular, scalable, and affordable solution, Condor H2 will make it technically and economically feasible to switch to zero-emission shipping on the key shipping routes in north-west Europe,” Dooren added.
This project comes a month after German energy provider, Onyx Power, announced its plans to build a hydrogen production plant at its existing site in the Port of Rotterdam to produce low carbon blue hydrogen.
