World's first hydrogen-fuelled commercial cargo vessel launched in Paris

(London - Quantum Commodity Intelligence) - The world's first hydrogen-fuelled commercial cargo transport vessel will start operating on the river Seine in Paris later this year, its owner, Compagnie Fluvial de Transport (CFT), a subsidiary of Sogestran Group, announced Wednesday.

The vessel will operate on compressed hydrogen produced from electrolysis and has been funded by the European Union's innovation project Flagships, which was awarded 5 million euros in 2018 to deploy hydrogen vessels in France and Norway.

Hydrogen produced via electrolysis from renewable electricity is known as 'green' hydrogen and its usage will count towards renewables targets in European countries, but in most cases, maritime transport is not yet obligated to be decarbonised and the second iteration of the EU's Renewable Energy Directive also does not include a target for it.

Maritime transport creates 2.2% of global carbon emissions according to the International Maritime Organisation and is viewed as one of the trickier sectors to decarbonise, alongside aviation.

Reducing emissions will require the replacement of existing engines that rely on polluting heavy fuel oils and the availability of alternative fuels at costs and with energy densities that will allow shipborne traffic, which accounts for 90% of world trade, to remain economically viable.