Hydrogen-driven harbour hauler coming
Port modernisation from local-international business consortium
A multifunctional port utility vessel i expected to 'future-proof' the port of Walvis Bay upon delivery in two years.
According to Cleanergy's plans, the progressive port of Walvis Bay is set to receive its first hydrogen-powered utility vessel in two years.It will also be a first for Africa, according to the partnership.
Cleanergy, together with CMB.TECH, the Port of Antwerp Bruges (PoAB) and Namport, is developing the first hydrogen-powered ship in Africa, the group announced in May, in celebration of the historic visit of King Philippe of the Belgians to Namibia.
Cleanergy development committee member, Eike Krafft, has disclosed that the ship will most likely be built in the Netherlands.
“The design team is currently being led by CMB.TECH. Namport is contributing its experience and is helping to define the design scope of the vessel. Cleanergy will investigate how refuelling will be organised from the H2 production facility now under construction in Walvis Bay. PoAB will bring experience which was gathered with the Hydrotug,” he said.
Collaboration
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges took the Hydrotug 1, the world’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat, into service at the end of last year. Building on that successful collaboration between CMB.TECH and the Port of Antwerp Bruges, focus shifted to the development of a multifunctional port utility vessel (MPHUV) to be powered by dual-fuel hydrogen engines.
The MPHUV's versatile design will enable the integration of different equipment needed for a range of port operations, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions during operations.
The port's involvement provides invaluable insights into the vessel's specifications during development and refine the concept based on operational experience and feedback from users once it is commissioned, Cleanergy elaborated previously.
In technical design sketches for the sheltered water multipurpose vessel, drawn up by Neptune Engineering, the boat of 19.5 metres is able to carry a deckload of six tonnes per square metre and comes equipped with a seven tonne bollard push.
To be built for dredging, anchor and buoy handling, maintenance, sounding and cleaning activities, the MPHUV will carry six type IV cylinders with 276 kg of hydrogen at 350 BAR pressure each, to drive the pair of dual fuel Volvo Penta Marine D8 engines, each in turn capable of producing 239 KW of power.
Training
Taking advantage of its shallow 1.9m draft, the MPHUV will bring its deck mounted hydraulic crane to bear wherever the harbour authority needs work done, and that at 75% of the carbondioxide emissions that an exclusively diesel craft would release.
According to Krafft, Namport has to hire a vessel on a regular basis to carry out the activities that will be carried out with the new vessel.
“It goes without saying that the crew will receive special training to handle the hydrogen fuel onboard safely,” he said.
Regarding the cost of the MPHUV he said: “We are awaiting the final design and the corresponding quotations.”