First H2 fuel cell for passenger catamaran approved

The so-called REXH2 will be used in what Green Navy says is Europe’s first electro-hydrogen-powered catamaran designed for commercial passenger transport.

“Our 24-metre catamaran will first be deployed in Brittany, France,” said Green Navy CEO Charles Cardi. “It will be able to transport 200 passengers with zero emissions, offering a sustainable and scalable solution for regional maritime transport.”

Bureau Veritas has awarded the Type Approval Certificate (TAC) to the developer of the fuel cell, EODev (Energy Observer Developments), which has been working with Toyota for years on the fuel cell.

Green Navy says the fuel cell is a ‘plug-and-play’ model that uses Toyota’s advanced Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology.

“The choice of REXH2 fuel cells is justified by the maturity of the equipment, its adaptation to the marine environment and its operational safety,” said Guy Saillard, naval architect and project manager with Green Navy.

“The power range is perfectly suited for energy generation on a vessel of Promoteo’s size and for continuously recharging battery packs. The batteries can deliver instant variable power to the propulsion system.

“The storage of hydrogen gas in pressurised bottles means that energy supplies can be adapted according to the vessel’s requirements and the operator’s needs.”

The next stage for the vessel and her fuel cell will be to pbtain Approval in Principle, which Green Navy says it is working with Bureau Veritas to obtain.

“Our goal is to complete this phase by June next year in coordination with the Ship Safety Centre in Brest,” said Cardi. “After that, we will order all the necessary hydrogen components for construction.”