(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) ITOPF, as part of the International Group of P&I Clubs Alternative Fuels Working Group, has been requested to provide a series of brief summary documents to describe the expected fate and behaviours of the following alternative fuels and to outline the possible damage and liabilities that may arise from incidents involving vessels carrying these fuels as bunkers.
The alternative fuels covered are:
- Biofuels
- Hydrogen
- Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
- Ammonia
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- Methanol
This report shall focus on hydrogen as a non-traditional marine fuel, more specifically compressed hydrogen and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
Hydrogen has been viewed as a viable option for shipping’s decarbonisation journey as it is the one of the few alternative fuels that can be classed as ‘emission-free’ (only if the hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water using renewable energy, i.e. ‘green hydrogen’). The use of hydrogen as a fuel for shipping can be used in multiple states, such as liquefied or compressed hydrogen within internal combustion engines, or using LH2 within fuel cells.
Due to the economic and technical barriers facing hydrogen technology and infrastructure development, the industry is immature when compared to other marine alternative fuels and therefore these technologies may develop in the future, with one format potentially being more technically viable than others. For the purpose of this report, the fate, behaviour, damages and liabilities of compressed hydrogen and LH2 will be outlined.
Small scale R&D projects are being undertaken in the United States, Belgium, Norway and France, and the first use of LH2 as a marine fuel was observed in the MF HYDRA ferry in Norway.
In addition, four ports in Europe and one in Japan are developing hydrogen import plans. The use of dual-fuel engines is increasingly commonplace within the shipping industry and allows for flexibility between alternative fuels such as hydrogen and more conventional fuel oils (e.g. heavy fuel oil, marine diesel oil or even biofuels). In the future, there may be potential for multiple alternative fuels to be used on the same vessel.
This means that, in the event of an incident, there may be potential for multiple alternative fuels to be spilled simultaneously, which could combine the risks outlined in these summary documents. An incident of this type would require a complex and highly specialised response to be mounted to counteract these risks.
Unlike biofuels, LNG, LPG, ammonia and methanol, hydrogen is not globally transported as a marine cargo and therefore experience in handling, transportation, storage and loading/unloading is currently limited. Therefore, general understanding of hazards and risks associated with hydrogen as a marine fuel, and particularly LH2, is limited. To date, ITOPF has not been involved in a case involving a spill/release of hydrogen.
Hydrogen is the spotlight fuel in this third report of the ITOPF AlternativeFuels series. Hydrogen as a fuel is viewed as viable for decarbonisation as it is one of the few that has the potential to be classed as ‘emission-free’.
As for any fuel, there are some key considerations to be aware of when looking at hydrogen as a fuel. Understanding its fate, behaviour and hazards is critical for effective spill response planning and ensuring its safe transport and use.
Flammability and explosivity sit high at the top of risks for this fuel, meaning even a spark or static electricity discharge could cause ignition in the presence of a leak.
Find out more on what we could expect in term of behaviour but also damage and liabilities arising from incidents involving hydrogen in the report below:
Source: ITOPF
For more resources on Hydrogen as a Marine Fuel, click HERE
For more Statistics and resources from ITOPF click HERE
