The Port of Narvik needs a new harbor boat that will be both fast and emission-free. Together with eight project partners, they are therefore now applying for support from Enova to build one of the world’s first hydrogen-powered speedboats.
The boat will be equipped with hydrogen-based fuel cells from TECO 2030 , and will be built at Grovfjord Mekaniske Verksted (GMV) , which is less than an hour from Narvik by car.
When it is finished, it will replace one of the diesel-powered boats at Narvik Harbor . This will lead to the Port of Narvik significantly reducing both its diesel consumption and its CO 2 emissions.
– A new, hydrogen-powered harbor boat will put Narvik Harbor in a unique position, where we reduce our own emissions and use groundbreaking technology that will be important for national and international shipping in the years to come, says Børge Edvardsen Klingan, harbor director at Narvik Harbor KF .
– The project will both contribute to growth and development in Narvik and the surrounding region, and will also be an important contribution to the green shift. We are happy to be at the forefront in this context, says Klingan.
The boat is scheduled to be launched in 2023. The Port of Narvik will mainly use it for port supervision and emergency preparedness, as well as for teaching and training crews.
The goal is for the boat to be classified as a high-speed passenger vessel with a long range, and that it will be able to maintain a speed of 23 knots.
The boat’s fuel cells will be produced in Narvik
The fuel cells that will ensure the boat’s progress will be produced at the TECO 2030 Innovation Center in Narvik, and will make the boat sail completely emission-free. The boat will also be one of the first boats to have fuel cells from TECO 2030 installed.
– We think it is fantastic to be part of this journey and that the Port of Narvik wants to build a hydrogen-powered speedboat that will have fuel cells from TECO 2030. We look forward to working with this project, and we are very happy and grateful. because the Port of Narvik has chosen TECO 2030 as a supplier of fuel cells for its new hydrogen boat, says Tore Enger, group leader in TECO 2030 ASA.
– The only thing left now is that Enova supports the project. Otherwise, we have everything ready and are ready to start working. Hydrogen will be very important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, but the development of hydrogen technology for boats and other hydrogen infrastructure requires large resources, says Enger.
– We hope that the Norwegian government is serious when they say that they will promote the development of climate- and environment-friendly shipping, and that we will therefore receive support from Enova for this project, he says.
UiT in Narvik participates as a research partner in the project
TECO 2030 has entered into an agreement with UiT Norway’s Arctic University, which has a campus in Narvik, to collaborate to improve the educational offer in Northern Norway in hydrogen and fuel cell technology, and further develop Norwegian research in these areas.
UiT in Narvik will therefore participate as a research partner in the project. The goal is that this will contribute to the university gaining expertise in maritime hydrogen systems, so that they can educate students who may become valuable labor for the project partners in the future.
The engineering company BLOM Maritime , the hydrogen supplier Everfuel , the consulting companies Proactima and KUPA , and the company Norinnova Narvik , which specializes in the commercialization of research, are also partners in the project.
BLOM Maritime and Proactima will help with the development of the boat. While BLOM Maritime will provide technical assistance to Grovfjord Mekaniske Verksted in connection with the construction of the boat and assist with the installation of the fuel cells, Proactima will carry out risk assessments and analyzes to ensure that the boat is safe to use.
Dissemination of knowledge will be an important part of the project, and KUPA will work to spread the knowledge that is developed about hydrogen boats through the work of building a hydrogen-powered boat for the Port of Narvik. KUPA operates a maritime technology cluster, and will pass on lessons learned from the project to the blue industries represented in it.
Will establish a hydrogen filling station for ships and road traffic
The hydrogen boat will be Narvik’s first hydrogen consumer, and will need to be refilled with hydrogen regularly. It is therefore also planned to establish a hydrogen filling station at the harbor.
Everfuel aims to develop this. The company is currently working on establishing hydrogen filling stations for trucks, buses and other heavy transport throughout the country.
Other users of the harbor will also be able to use this filling station. Approximately 500 trucks pass Narvik every day, and the filling station will therefore not only be intended for sea traffic.
The ambition is that it will be the world’s first hydrogen filling station that can serve both ships and road traffic, and that the establishment of the filling station will make it possible for more players in the region to switch to climate-friendly hydrogen.
In collaboration with UiT and Norinnova Narvik, Everfuel will now work to find more possible new hydrogen consumers within the municipality and county municipality, such as buses, refuse collection vehicles and taxis.
Fuel cells are the engine of the future
TECO 2030 develops hydrogen-based fuel cells in collaboration with the Austrian technology company AVL. Fuel cells are the engine of the future, and convert hydrogen into electricity with water vapor and hot air as the only emissions.
By installing fuel cells, ships and other heavy-duty applications that are currently powered by diesel engines or diesel generators can switch from fossil fuels to hydrogen, eliminating their greenhouse gas emissions.
Fuel cells can also be used while the ship is in port, so that it can be docked emission-free, without having to be connected to a land-based power supply.
Transition to green shipping
Norway aims to reduce emissions from domestic shipping by at least 50 per cent by 2030, compared with 1990. According to the plan, this goal will be achieved through a stronger focus on the development of low- and zero-emission solutions, and by setting emission requirements for ships operating. on Norwegian fjords.
In addition, low- and zero-emission solutions will be required in public tenders to contribute to a faster transition to such green solutions in shipping.
Among other things, it has been decided that from 2023, low- and zero-emission criteria will be introduced in new tenders for state and county municipal ferry connections, and that from 2025, low- and zero-emission criteria will be introduced in new tenders for speedboats.
Furthermore, from 2026, a requirement will be introduced that all tourist ships and ferries sailing on the Norwegian World Heritage fjords, Geirangerfjorden and Nærøyfjorden, shall be emission-free.
Ships sailing in Norwegian waters will therefore have to do something to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and TECO 2030 will help them with that.
TECO 2030 offers technology that helps ships become more environmentally and climate friendly. In addition to hydrogen-based fuel cells, the company is also developing carbon capture and exhaust purification systems for shipping, which will enable ships running on fossil fuels to reduce their environmental and climate footprint.
 , which is less than an hour from Narvik by car. When it is finished, it will replace one of the diesel-powered boats at Narvik Harbor . This will lead to the Port of Narvik significantly reducing both its diesel consumption and its CO 2 emissions.){kind=link}