HIMET

Project: Hydrogen in an Integrated Maritime Energy Transition (HIMET)

Funder: Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK via the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition

Funding: £2.2 million

Timeline: 
September 2021 – March 2022

Project Overview:

The £2.2 million HIMET (Hydrogen in an Integrated Maritime Energy Transition) project explored solutions for decarbonising ferries as well as shore-side activities in ports.

Led by EMEC Hydrogen in Orkney, HIMET aimed to progress an ambitious programme of activities centred around the decarbonisation of two key local maritime sectors: ferry services and cruise terminal operations. All of the project activities in HIMET were conceived with the intention to build the evidence base required to support the development of the future-ready health and safety procedures, policies, and regulatory standards that will keep hydrogen-fueled maritime activities as safe as possible.

A containerised hydrogen storage solution was designed specifically for use on board a vessel to be demonstrated alongside a hydrogen fuel cell on deck as a standalone system. In addition, a conventional vessel propulsion engine retrofitted to run on pure hydrogen will also be tested by project partner Ricardo at a dedicated test facility in Shoreham.

Due to tight project timelines and global supply chain issues, it was not possible to complete all planned demonstration activities within the duration of the project itself, however learnings and recommendations are being fed into future maritime decarbonisation projects.

Supporting the development of decarbonised shore-side power for the maritime sector, in March 2022 a hybrid solar PV and hydrogen engine was deployed at Hatston Pier in Kirkwall to power crew welfare facilities at the cruise terminal. This was used by shoreside crew welcoming cruise passengers to Orkney over the summer season and is expected to be redeployed in 2023. Feasibility studies assessing microgrid solutions and hydrogen and ammonia fuels for maritime use were also conducted.

EMEC’s role:

EMEC Hydrogen was the lead partner of the HIMET consortium  focussed on trials of low-carbon technologies for vessels at sea and shore-side solutions

Partners:

• EMEC Hydrogen (lead partner)
• Aquatera
• Eneus Energy
• OakTec
• Orcades Marine Management Consultants
• Orkney Islands Council
• Ricardo
• RINA
• Schneider Electric
• ULEMCo
• Urban Foresight

News:

September 2021: Maritime Decarbonisation to cruise forward in Orkney