It is not the engine that pollutes, but the diesel fuel. Greener fuels could be a better way forward than electric vehicles (EVs) or fuel cell EVs (FCEVs) at this point on the decarbonisation journey. This is the view of CMB.TECH, the technology arm of Belgian shipowner Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB).

CMB.TECH has significant insight into alternative fuels, and it builds, de- signs, owns and operates large marine and industrial applications that run on hydrogen (H2) and ammonia. Over the past 10 years, it has placed more than 100 dual-fuel applications in the field, and the technology has matured to offer a robust, affordable and clean platform.

Hydrogen, ammonia

In January this year, CMB.TECH signed an agreement with Swiss marine power company WinGD on the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke, dual-fuel engines on a series of 10 x 210,000 dwt dry bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard for Bocimar, part of CMB.

“We believe that green ammonia is the most promising zero-carbon fuel for deep- sea vessels,” said Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB. “Our intention is to have dual- fuel ammonia/diesel engines on our dry bulk vessels, container ships and chemical tankers. Collaborating with WinGD is pioneering zero-emissions [ZE] in shipping.”

CMB.TECH believes that green ammonia, which is more hydrogen-dense than H2 on its own, is the right solution for ships. They bunker relatively infrequently, and all parties involved in bunkering must follow strict protocols to ensure refuelling is carried out safely. However, the company’s CTO, Roy Campe, said that for trucks and port equipment requiring refuelling every day or every other day, H2 is the right approach.

He acknowledged that ammonia is easier to transport as, unlike H2, it can be stored as a liquid at moderate pressures and temperatures. However, it is highly corrosive and potentially dangerous and requires very careful and skilled handling at all times, and this could never be guar- anteed at the thousands of fuelling stations in the world’s ports. Apart from the risks to human health (skin burn, lung burn, and so on), the clean-up and downtime costs would run into millions of dollars.

Hydrogen dual fuel

As reported by WorldCargo News Online, following two years of development work with Antwerp Terminal Services (ATS) – a joint venture between MSC PSA Europe Terminal (MPET) and PSA Antwerp (PSAA) – CMB.TECH has successfully commissioned a dual-fuel straddle carrier with a 70% green hydrogen (GH2) mix. This is a Terex Noell machine with an MTU engine, but the technology can be used on any engine and OEM brand.

The machine is now being used in regular operations at PSAA’s Noordzee Terminal. During the next phase, the parties will evaluate ways to improve the design of the equipment, as well as other factors that are necessary to scale up this new technology, including the supply and storage of H2 for an entire fleet.

ATS has also now taken delivery of a new battery-electric straddle carrier from Konecranes Noell, for testing and evaluation at MPET in full mission operations. In addition, last autumn, Kalmar delivered 10 hybrid straddle carriers to MPET and five hybrid straddle carriers to PSAA. One of an H2 engine, battery-electric or hybrid design will be taken on at scale, when all three types have been thoroughly evaluated.

As regards H2 injection, CMB.TECH has already built a 100% H2 injection engine for a truck and a genset, but the problem, explained Campe, lies with the infrastructure and operational constraints. Terminals have two diesel filling stations to ensure ‘redundancy’.

As regards H2 injection, CMB.TECH has already built a 100% H2 injection engine for a truck and a genset, but the problem, explained Campe, lies with the infrastructure and operational constraints. Terminals have two diesel filling stations to ensure ‘redundancy’. CMB.TECH built and commissioned an H2 filling station in the Port of Antwerp in 2021, but they are much more expensive to build, operate and maintain than diesel/petrol filling stations, and these costs would have to be replicated to provide the comfort of redundancy.

The dual-fuel straddle carrier at PSA Noordzee Terminal has been engineered to operate at full mission for a shift. It has 30kg of H2 on board, stored as a gas at 350 bar in six 5kg tanks.

As a modern diesel-electric machine, the straddle carrier would normally consume around 18 litres/hour and it was built with a 1,500-litre diesel tank. To replace that autonomy with 100% H2 fuel would require around 420kg of onboard storage, which is not feasible, as there is insufficient space available for the tanks needed and they would add too much weight.

Another concern is the current avail- ability of GH2. CMB group is securing its own supplies. Cleanergy Namibia is a joint venture of CMB.TECH and O&L Group (Ohlthaver & List), one of Namibia’s biggest private-sector companies, which will start delivering GH2 in 2024.

As noted, with a 70:30 injection mix, the straddle carrier should get through a full mission, with 2kg of H2 replacing >7 litres of diesel. So CO E should be reduced by 70% – a big payoff. GH2 is more pensive than diesel, but Campe pointed out that a carbon tax has to be factored into the comparisons, up to €100 per tonne of CO2E. “Port operators must have a decarbonisation strategy today,” he said.

As noted above, as things stand, an H2 monofuel solution is not possible as shift autonomy is not feasible and the fuel supplies are not available. The dual- fuel approach provides a bridge to ZE in the future, and also allows the operator to fall back on the diesel tank if the H2 tank empties during the shift.

All the aforementioned constraints apply to FCEVs. No EV uses power when idling, other than for auxiliaries (lighting, aircon), but the limitations of onboard hydrogen storage will still mean frequent visits to the fuelling station. In addition, power losses when hydrogen is converted back to electricity by the fuel cells need to be considered. Indeed, it looks as though ATS has ruled out FCEV straddle carriers as the pathway to ZE.

As CMB.TECH sees it, gradually, supplies of GH2 will become more abundant, prices will fall and matching it with proven combustion technology in ports – where it will be imported and even produced – is the natural and logical way forward. All the maintenance can be done in-house and spare parts are readily available. End-of-life recycling is simple and efficient.