Lomarlabs and Newlight partner on hydrogen-diesel engine retrofits

Lomar Shipping’s innovation arm Lomarlabs is attempting to bring about hydrogen-diesel engine retrofits, as part of a partnership with Newlight. Converted diesel engines would run on a hydrogen-diesel mix.

Hydrogen is the energy-containing component in almost all fuels, while a carrier component, usually carbon, is exhausted as a bioproduct of combustion. In combustion of diesel fuel (CH₁₂H₂₃) for example, fuel is combined with oxygen and burned to form CO₂ and H₂O.

Combining diesel with hydrogen (H₂) adds even more hydrogen and drastically more power into the equation. Lomarlabs suggests this could reduce fuel consumption by 20%, or as much as 30% in test-bench trials. The latter figure is similar to the emissions reduction promised by onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS).

A pilot installation on a Lomar vessel is set for summer 2025. “We believe in accelerating progress through energy efficiency improvements, emissions treatment and leveraging clean energy sources, always with a focus on maintaining costs at sensible levels,” said Stylianos Papageorgiou, managing director of Lomarlabs. “Newlight’s solution fits right into this approach.

“Decarbonisation isn’t about waiting for the perfect fuel; it’s about acting now with every viable tool at our disposal. Newlight’s dual-fuel retrofit technology promises an immediate, scalable and cost-effective way to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. This is exactly the kind of practical innovation that will bridge the gap between today’s operational realities and the long-term vision of a net-zero maritime industry.”