Ship & Boat BuildingFerriesTECO 2030 and partners to receive EUR 13.5 million Horizon Europe grant...

TECO 2030 and partners to receive EUR 13.5 million Horizon Europe grant for passenger ferry project

TECO 2030 with partners have been invited for HORIZON EUROPE funding of EUR 13.5 million to build and demonstrate a passenger ferry powered by TECO 2030 fuel cells. The grant amount reserved for TECO 2030 is EUR 2.3 million. The principal goal of the project is to accelerate the transition towards safe use of sustainable fuels in waterborne transport through full-scale demonstration of hydrogen fuel cells within maritime applications.

The consortium consists of 14 partners from seven European countries covering the whole innovation value chain, including technology developers, academic institutions, maritime engineering, class society, digital transformation and a shipyard.

The project is a Horizon Innovation Action that aims to develop, build and demonstrate a 35 meter, 300 passenger capacity vessel that will be powered by the FCM400 fuel cell system by TECO 2030. The vessel will be operated in Southern Europe. TECO 2030 will work closely with all the consortium partners to develop the entire value chain ensuring full operational requirements for the vessel. This includes a functional hydrogen refuelling system, fulfilling infrastructure requirements, cost optimization during operations and efficient data management.

The project proposal was submitted in April 2023 and has been evaluated by experts in the European Commission in terms of Excellence, Impact and Quality. The project was among the highest-scoring proposals of this Call and has now been invited for Horizon Europe Grant Agreement Preparation. We expect the grant preparation process to be finalized later this year, and the project start date to be around January 2024.

“I’m proud to announce that we have won our second Horizon Europe project! Winning two EU-projects out of two attempts is an extraordinary achievement, and I would like to thank our partners and our internal proposal writing team for their strong efforts,” said Fredrik Aarskog, Director of Business Development, TECO 2030.

“We are thrilled to continue to showcase how hydrogen can contribute to the reduction of harmful emissions within the marine industry. This project has the potential to enable seaborn passenger transport, without any emissions,” said Tore Enger, Group CEO, TECO 2030. “Our fuel cells are the first purpose-developed marine fuel cells, with an industry leading footprint without compromising efficiency,” Enger concludes.

Renewable hydrogen is universally considered to be an important energy vector in the global efforts to combat climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to the “well below 2°C scenario”, as agreed by more than 190 states in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Waterborne transport, in particular the use of large seagoing vessels, remains a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and this sector must step up its efforts significantly and through a wide range of measures. Within the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a global agreement was reached in 2018 to reduce total GHG missions from maritime transport by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 as a base year.

Latest News

Siem Industries has placed an order with China’s Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding for two Offshore Subsea Construction Vessels (OSCVs), strengthening its presence in the offshore subsea sector.

Siem Orders Two Offshore Subsea Construction Vessels

Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding will construct the two specialised Offshore Subsea Construction Vessels to a design developed in collaboration with Sirius Design & Integration and...
CBED has expanded its offshore wind support fleet with the acquisition of the Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) Wind Dedication, formerly Seaway Moxie, from international offshore wind contractor Seaway7.

CBED Acquires CSOV from Seaway7

The newly acquired CSOV becomes the fourth vessel in CBED’s fleet, strengthening its offshore wind support capabilities CBED has expanded its offshore wind support fleet...
Safehaven Marine has signed a contract with Montevideo-based pilotage operator NEWLAR S.A. for the construction of an 18m Interceptor 60 Pilot vessel, marking the companies’ second newbuild agreement.

Safehaven Marine Wins Uruguay Pilot Boat Order

The contract will mark Safehaven Marine’s sixth Interceptor 60 Pilot and its 70th pilot boat delivered worldwide Safehaven Marine has signed a newbuild contract with...
MEYER RE has secured a contract to modernise the propulsion system of Frisia I, an island ferry operated by German ferry company AG Reederei Norden-Frisia, converting the vessel to hybrid propulsion. The contract was signed in Norddeich, Germany, on 22 October 2026.

MEYER RE Secures ‘Frisia I’ Hybrid Conversion

MEYER RE will upgrade 'Frisia I' with hybrid propulsion technology, targeting annual CO₂ emission reductions of up to 400 tonnes MEYER RE has secured a...

Related news