Zemship, Zero Emission Ship | What Floats Your Boat?
Zemship, Zero Emission Ship | What Floats Your Boat?
By Viola Woolcott
Germany - Hamburg
On November 1st 2006, the 100 passenger “Zemship” (Zero Emission Ship), construction of Hamburg’s first fuel-cell powered hybrid passenger ferry is underway and is after intensive testing by “Germanischer Lloyd” to be expected to start setting sail cruising the city’s Alster Lakes for the ATG - Alster-Touristik GmbH tourist company by mid summer 2008. Setting sail has always had an image of excitement and romance and waterborne excursions with zero emission have the added novelty of a technical watershed.
The advantages of the 100 tourist Zemship are that it is powered by two 50KW fuel cells (derived from natural gas) and is zero emission. The first steamer in his generation benefits a eco-friendly, quiet engine with less water pollution for Lake Alster and if you happen to plan a candlelit dinner, it won’t be spoilt by the noises of groaning engines.
The Zemship’s are fuelled by hydrogen supplied by Linde Gas. In PEM fuel cells, hydrogen will be converted into electrical energy, generating the power to propel across the Lake in style. The hybrid is designed with the intention to be nearly twice as efficient as the conventional diesel powered ferries and not to forget without a doubt cleaner than the coal-fired steamer ferries which are originally running on Lake Alster.
The Zemship project is funded by the EU and includes building a dockside hydrogen station so that the ferry will refill its pressurised tanks every 2-3 days.
With the length of 25 meters and breadth of 5 meters the “green ferry” provides enough space for over 100 passengers and the total cost of the project is around 5,2 Million Euros.
Filed under: Environment | Green Issues on January 11th, 2008
By the end of 2008 a simillar ZEM-ship will start in Amsterdam, partly for touristic canal trips and partly as a ferry between the Amsterdam City Centre railway station to the northbound industrial and office area from Shell New Technology Centre, across the Amsterdam harbour.
The Amsterdam fuel cell boat ‘Princess Máxima, converting hydrogen, supplied by Linde, into electricity by one 75 Kw fuel cell, has a length of 21,95 m, breadth of 4,25 m and height of 1,4 m (because of the low city centre canal bridges)’for transportation of 86 passengers.
The project is partly funded by the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs and includes a dockside hydrogen production and refill station, also to be used by Amsterdam public transport buses, as well as a private hydrogen small van company, for zero emission inner city goods delivery cars.
Hi Alexander - I have had a look at your website www.fuelcellboat.nl
Very interesting. Good luck with your launch of ‘Princess Máxima’. I hope all goes well.
Viola