In a new step towards decarbonization in the maritime industry, PONANT has announced a partnership with the Nantes-based startup Farwind Energy.
This collaboration aims to develop solutions for refueling ships with renewable hydrogen.
The two companies have established a roadmap to advance the production and use of renewable marine hydrogen. This involves sharing advancements in onboard hydrogen management and collaborating on the development of initial use cases, with the goal of commissioning PONANT's Swap2Zero project and Farwind's first energy vessel by 2030.
Farwind Energy, based in Nantes and the Caribbean, specializes in solutions for delivering renewable energy close to the point of consumption. Its energy vessel technology uses offshore wind power to generate electricity at sea and transforms it into hydrogen through seawater electrolysis.
The hydrogen produced can be transported ashore for use as fuel, especially in island territories, or used to refuel ships at sea, thus contributing to the energy transition of maritime transport.
For its part, PONANT is working on the Swap2Zero project, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality on an ocean-going vessel by 2030. This project includes the use of wind power and the exploration of low-temperature fuel cells that run on liquid hydrogen.
Mathieu Petiteau, Director of Construction and R&D at PONANT, explains: “Farwind Energy’s hydrogen production technology has the advantage of offering hydrogen refueling solutions in locations where there are no existing production and supply facilities. This collaboration presents an opportunity to jointly develop a major project that connects a ship to its own locally produced renewable energy source. It’s a revolutionary and unprecedented approach that makes perfect sense.”
“The Swap2Zero program is the ideal demonstrator to scale up this solution and set new standards. This technology will be integrated into our other R&D areas to support our decarbonization strategy.”.
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