Expleo develops e-methanol fuel cell solution for shipping

Expleo has developed an innovative closed-loop, e-methanol fuel cell solution for global shipping that delivers a 92% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe).  With this the global engineering and technology service provider offers an OPEX savings of £1.4m a year per vessel.

Expleo modelled its ‘system-of-systems’ solution on the multi-tasking Bibby Wavemaster 1, a vessel used to service offshore wind farms.

The solution was defined during Expleo’s feasibility study into clean power propulsion systems, funded through the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Clean Marine Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and is detailed in the new white paper Clean Green Marine – a breakthrough for global shipping.

To meet the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) timeline for carbon emission reduction, many of the world’s 100,000 vessels will need to convert to low-carbon fuel by 2035 – making the development of a viable retrofit and new build system a high priority.