The two Finnish companies have teamed up to develop a solution for producing hydrogen from liquefied natural gas (LNG) onboard vessels with high-grade allotropes of carbon as a by-product.

The produced hydrogen will be used either by blending it with LNG bunker or in fuel cells aboard the ship.

The process will also deliver solid carbon, including industrial graphite and carbon nanotubes, a potential additional revenue stream.

The concept design will be ready by mid-2023, while the prototype testing unit - in H2 2024.

The parties say the solution will apply in principle to all LNG-run vessels. They also underlined in a press release: "When using bioLNG, this solution enables even power generation on board ships with a negative carbon footprint."

"Our gas engines can already operate with mixtures of hydrogen and LNG. The ability to produce the H2 onboard opens up exciting new opportunities. This solution overcomes the lack of an existing hydrogen supply infrastructure. It also supports reducing the safety risks around storing and handling of liquid hydrogen and enables a gradual decrease of the vessels' environmental impact," Mathias Jansson, Director, Fuel Gas Supply Systems, Wärtsilä, said.

Laura Rahikka, Hycamite's Founder and CEO, added, "We are delighted to be partnering with an established technology leader such as Wärtsilä. They bring a vast depth of knowledge and experience in marine fuel gas supply systems, and by working together, we can make the availability and onboard storage of hydrogen a realistic option for the marine industry."

Photo: Wärtsilä