SWITCH plans to build large LH2-powered RoPax in the U.S.

San Francisco-headquartered SWITCH Maritime, best known to Marine Log readers for its Sea Change ferry, is pushing ahead with its next zero-emission vessel project. And it’s significantly more ambitious than the Sea Change. SWITCH is cooperating with two Norwegian partners, LH2 Shipping and Seatrium subsidiary LMG Marin, to start U.S. construction of an existing DNV-classed 80-car, 300-passenger RoPax vehicle ferry design that is successfully operating in Norway on liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel.

“SWITCH is proud to be at the forefront of the energy transition in U.S. maritime shipping,” said Pace Ralli, founder & CEO of SWITCH. “With rigorous planning, state-of-the-art engineering, and support from leading industry partners and the U.S. Coast Guard, we are ready to pioneer zero-carbon LH2 fueling for heavier, higher-horsepower workboats.”

SWITCH’s first hydrogen-powered vessel, the Sea Change, is a 75-passenger catamaran ferry featuring 600 kW of electric motor propulsion, powered by 360 kW of fuel cells with 246 kilograms of gaseous H2 (GH2) storage at 250 bar pressure. It started public passenger service as part of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system in July 2024, after receiving its final Certificate of Inspection (COI) from the Coast Guard in May 2024. It is currently fueled once a week using a mobile compressed GH2 storage trailer towed behind a pickup truck. Each fueling takes approximately 2 hours to transfer 150 kilograms, allowing for three consecutive days of passenger operation. When ferry service increases to 7 days per week in coming months, the Sea Change will be fueled twice per week.

In addition to the Sea Change, SWITCH is working on a 150-passenger, 25-knot catamaran to build for the SF Bay Ferry service, using the same gaseous H2 (GH2) storage and fuel cell equipment as the first vessel. It says more details will be released in first quarter 2025.

When designing larger zero-emissions harborcraft such as 300+ passenger ferries, vehicle ferries and harbor tugs, SWITCH plans to transition from gaseous storage to cryogenic liquid H2.

Compressed GH2 is well suited for small- to medium-sized vessels; however, as vessel size and energy demand increases, cryogenic LH2 becomes the preferred storage solution. Similarly to LNG, cryogenic LH2 supports faster refueling speeds for large volumes (e.g. tons per hour).

“Our first H2 vessel was the result of years of close collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, demonstrating the viability and safety of hydrogen fueling. While the LH2 RoPax ferry design is already DNV-classed, there is still some work to do to bring it into U.S. Coast Guard compliance,” says Pace Ralli. “What I like about LH2 fueling is that it will follow the same IGF Code that applies to cryogenic LNG fueling of ships in the U.S., so we have a precedent regulatory framework to work from.”

The larger steel hull of the vehicle ferry offers more flexibility in terms of space and weight compared to aluminum catamaran fast ferry designs, making it an ideal platform for introducing LH2 fueling in the U.S., says SWITCH. The LH2 from the cryogenic storage tanks is vaporized onboard and used in the PEM fuel cells to create electricity for the electric motors. Like the GH2 fast ferries, the vessel’s only emissions will be pure H20 vapor, with zero carbon or other diesel-related emissions.

The RoPax vehicle ferry will have a service speed of 14 knots, and is expected to require fueling only once per week (volume of 3,000 kilograms from one LH2 truck) in a typical operation, with no requirement for shoreside electric charging infrastructure. Its Norwegian predecessor, the MF Hydra, which was designed by LMG Marin and is owned by Norled, performs a triangular six nautical mile round-trip vehicle ferry service, fueling LH2 only once every 2 weeks. The 4 tonne LH2 tank (about the size of a 40-foot container) fits easily on the top deck, and receives fuel from a LH2 truck via a bunkering system using over-pressure in the truck to push the liquid to the ship. To date, MF Hydra has successfully received LH2 fuel approximately 50 times since starting hydrogen-powered operation in March 2023, and notably, has not been out of service since operations started, other than for planned maintenance.

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