Hydrogen ship soon to set sail

In a few weeks time, the Icelandic whale watching ship Elding will become the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial ship, transporting Iceland one step further from fossil fuels.

Hydrogen will initially only be used to power the vessel’s lighting system, but it marks an important first step in Iceland’s goal of converting their entire transportation system to hydrogen by the year 2050.

Because the lights on Elding will run on hydrogen fuel cell, the ship will be able to do away with the loud diesel auxiliary engine currently in use. Not only is the use of the hydrogen good for the environment, it’s also good for the ship’s whale watching clients.

In the past, when the crew sighted a whale, the ship’s main engines were stopped in order to let tourists hear the sounds of the whales swimming and blowing water. However, the sound of the auxiliary engines often marred the experience.

Ship owner Vignir Sigursveinsson said: “When we have the hydrogen machine, the boat will be completely soundless, which will make the experience of seeing the whales in their natural habitat even more magical.”

The 155 person vessel will be offering whale watching trips from April for just €43 and providing information on the viability of hydrogen power at sea.

Jon Bjorn Skulason is the head of the venture which put hydrogen fuel aboard the Elding, a venture which includes academia, the government and Icelandic industry. “We think, with the testing we’re doing over the next two or three years, our society will be quite well prepared to accept this technology on a larger scale,” Skulason said.