Project to Build First Hydrogen-Power Containership Receives EU Funding

Energy Observer’s efforts to build the world’s largest liquid hydrogen-powered cargo ship are being advanced with support from the European Union’s Innovation Fund. The containership concept, known as EO2, was selected from 85 applications to the fund and awarded €40 million (US$42 million) to advance the vessel’s development.

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The current design of EO2 is a 160-meter (525-foot) containership with a carrying capacity of 1,100 TEU. Energy Observer began the project in 2022 with the ambition to develop a demonstration ship that would be the world’s lowest carbon-emitting cargo ship. Energy Observer launched in 2017 with a laboratory vessel powered by solar, wind, and hydropower along with battery and hydrogen storage systems. Their energy self-sufficient vessel emitted zero emissions, fine particles, and noise during a global demonstration voyage. Now, they are focusing on the EO2 containership.

"EO2 represents an exceptional challenge, turning laboratory research into reality," said Didier Boix, Managing Director of EO Concept. "With an onboard power of 4.8 MW, it’s equivalent to managing a fleet of one hundred hydrogen-powered vehicles, which means we need to step up our skills and rigorous management. We’re working at 360 degrees to integrate the ship’s technologies, structure a port ecosystem dedicated to liquid hydrogen, and develop a digital twin, not forgetting team training."

To complete the project, the initial investment is estimated at over €100 million, covering studies and construction of the vessel. The group submitted its application to the EU in April 2024 under a solicitation aimed at encouraging clean technologies in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize.

The EO2 design envisions a vessel with a range of 14 days and 1,600 nautical miles. Equipped with an electric propulsion system powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the vessel will feature 12 modules, each providing 400 kW LH2, enabling an average speed of 12.5 knots and a maximum speed of 16 knots. The fuel cells are being developed by EODev and its industrial partner Toyota.

The ship will weigh approximately 12,000 dwt and operate with a crew of 18. Over 10 years, the vessel is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by 112,250 tons. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2029, primarily on Europe’s Atlantic and Channel coasts.

Accor, a French hospitality company, provided initial seed funding for the project. Other participants in feasibility studies include CMA CGM, Air Liquide, Toyota, EODev, LMG Marin, Bureau Veritas, Dassault Systems, and more recently Chart Industries. These collaborators contributed to identifying the optimal techno-economic model and selecting technical and logistical solutions for the pilot project.

The EO2 project aims to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of liquid hydrogen for maritime transport on short segments. It also seeks to bolster Europe’s leadership in the energy transition to clean technologies.