Project launches hydrogen-powered boats

A group of companies in Brazil has come together for the development and construction of vessels powered by green hydrogen, aimed at significantly reducing pollutant gas emissions. The project is led by the Itaipu Technological Park (Itaipu Parquetec), a reference center in sustainable fuel production in Brazil, and JAQ Maritime Support, a business unit of the Nautical Group, created in 2021. The program encompasses two vessels, one of which will be presented at COP30.

To Valor, Ernani Paciornik, chairman of the board of JAQ and CEO of the Nautical Group, said that the project will involve investments of around R$ 150 million, of which one third will come from own financing. “We found the ideal partner and combined nautical and navigation knowledge with theirs in hydrogen.”

“This will be a solution for our country, which has been using alcohol-powered cars for 30 years. Ethanol is cleaner than the battery itself and is a Brazilian thing,” said the executive. Conversations about the production of the boats began in 2023, and the agreement was signed at the end of 2024.

The initiative involves adapting the Explorer H1 and Explorer H2 vessels to operate 100% with green hydrogen. The two boats were used to transport workers to oil platforms and were purchased by the Nautical Group. The vessels will be equipped with electrolyzers (devices that break water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen through electricity) on board, producing 100% green product for the fuel cell that will generate energy for the boat.

According to data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the share of maritime transport in global emissions increased from 2.76% in 2012 to 2.89% in 2018. Currently, hydrogen is not used by ocean-going ships - only for a few coastal vessels. But the technology is considered the fuel of the future for the mode.

Other industries are also studying green hydrogen, such as aviation, which expects to have the first propulsion solutions by around 2035. The global challenge for the sector is finding ways to store it.

“This technology is something that can change one of the most polluting modes today,” he said. “The goal of the project is to show the planet that this type of solution exists and that we are evolving,” he added.

The Explorer H1 vessel will be presented at COP-30 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), in November, in Belém (PA). At 36 meters long (118 feet), the boat currently has Doen brand waterjet systems for navigation in shallow waters and is located at the INACE Shipyard in Fortaleza (CE).

Next year, the group's plan is to deliver the Explorer H2, measuring 50 meters in length (164 feet). This vessel will use an engine manufactured by the brand MAN, imported from Germany, which operates on both diesel and hydrogen. By using only 20% hydrogen, this vessel will already be able to reduce its emissions by 80%.

Installing the electrolyzers on the boats aims to bring autonomy to the vessels in case they are in locations without the possibility of being supplied with hydrogen. The hybrid engine in the second version allows for the use of diesel - although it can operate 100% on hydrogen.

Currently, hydrogen is predominantly produced using fossil energy, mainly natural gas. But there are other less polluting ways: electrolysis (using renewable electricity), direct solar hydrogen production, biomass fermentation, and thermochemical conversion of biomass.

The director of business and entrepreneurship at Itaipu Parquetec, Eduardo de Miranda, emphasized that the company has been working in the low-carbon hydrogen segment for over 10 years. “We have a laboratory plant that produces green hydrogen (through electrolysis) and we do various applications,” said the executive.

According to a 2023 study by the European Maritime Safety Agency, electrolysis is considered the most suitable way to produce this input that is a source of clean energy, as the technique promotes the splitting of pure water using renewable electricity.

The study highlights that today global production of green hydrogen is less than 0.1 million tons per year. Conversely, the estimate is that the global demand for energy for international maritime transport will be approximately 95 million tons of hydrogen per year by 2040.

Paciornik noted that, after development, both vessels are expected to operate in Brazilian rivers and coasts and will be transformed into floating laboratories, classrooms, and technological platforms to promote research, environmental education, and preservation of Brazilian biomes.