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A recent study carried out Germanischer Lloyd (GL) says that fuel cell systems have a 'high market potential' for use in shipping in the future and concludes that the technology could be used to substitute around 160 GW of auxiliary engines worldwide.

The market study was carried out by GL in conjunction with the Hamburg City Administration for Urban Development and Environment.

GL experts examined the technical possibilities, the currently available technology, integration concepts and the legal background for the use of fuel cells on board ships. The target prices for fuel cell systems were also analysed as well as the market size onboard seagoing vessels. In total, approximately 53 percent of the world's merchant fleet was examined.

The study says that five years after finalizing the development of the first systems for commercial shipping, fuel cell systems can be competitive in comparison with traditional diesel engines from an economic point of view - even if the prices for fuel cell systems will be higher.

The first markets identified for the application of fuel cell technology are cruise vessels, RoPax vessels and mega yachts.

As fuel cell systems become more economically competitive, GL says a much larger market would open up for other ship types such as container feeders.

"The study concludes that fuel cell systems have a high market potential in shipping in the future", said Dr Gerd-Michael Würsig, GL's expert for fuel cell technology and one of the authors of the study.

"Today, still some technical challenges have to be overcome. But current and ongoing projects already demonstrate the suitability of fuel cells systems for power generation on board ships."

Eco-concerns, environmental regulations and high energy prices have forced the shipping industry to become more energy efficient with greener vessels. GL says one solution to achieve this goal is the use of fuel cell systems for power generation on board ships.

Apart from the high energy efficiency of fuel cell systems, which is reported to be more than 50 percent, GL says the very low or no emissions (depending on the fuel type) is another an argument in favour of the use of fuel cell technology.

"Furthermore, the modular design and the negligible noises and vibrations give the fuel cell system a big advantage compared to traditional power generation on board ships," GL added.

GL has been involved in developing ships, storage and transfer facilities for hydrogen. It has produced its own guidelines for the use of fuel cells in watercraft, which not only cover fuel cells and fuel systems but also standards for the materials used, ventilation systems, fire-fighting equipment, explosion protection and other safety systems. They also offer guidance on testing the fuel cell system.