All American Marine to complete zero-emission ferry

Rendering of one of the first hydrogen fuel cell vessels in the United States (Source: All American Marine)

All American Marine has an order to complete the aluminium construction and fitting out of an 84-passenger zero-emission ferry for U.S. investment company Switch Maritime. The 23m-long ferry will be of a new type powered by hydrogen fuel cell with an electric drive.

Called the Water-Go-Round ferry, the vessel is being developed to demonstrate a method of commercial operations for zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell marine technologies. The vessel will use an onboard set of fuel cells arranged in compact stacks, similar to battery racks, which allow the onboard space to be used efficiently. The fuel cells turn hydrogen into electricity by injecting hydrogen on one side and by supplying compressed air on the other side of a exchange membrane. The hydrogen fuel storage is connected to the fuel cell powertrain, creating electricity to run the propulsion motors and turning the twin fixed-pitch propellers.

Fuel cell systems aim to provide the same operational flexibility as diesel with zero emissions and less maintenance. Hydrogen fuel cells directly convert hydrogen to power with zero emissions.

The project is funded by private capital from Switch Maritime, an investment company that is building the first fleet of zero-emission maritime vessels. Switch Maritime intends to work with existing ferry operators around the country to provide capital to accelerate their transition to zero emissions, using experience from the building of this ferry. This project is also partially funded by a US$3 million grant from the California state’s Air Resources Board.

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