He made a name for himself by launching a laboratory boat capable of producing its own hydrogen. Soon, the former skipper Victorien Erussard could be the “inventor” of a new generation ship capable of transporting up to 5,000 tonnes of goods without the slightest emission. The entrepreneur at the head of Energy Observer announced on Sunday that he plans to develop a hydrogen-powered freighter capable of producing it himself by 2025. “We are no longer on a ship of exploration but on an industrial cargo ship”, explained the former skipper, who will detail his project at the One Ocean Summit in Brest.
This future freighter will be 120 meters long, 22 wide and will have a loading capacity of 5,000 tonnes, corresponding to 240 containers or 500 linear meters of vehicle loading. It will be fully electric and equipped with batteries. In terms of fuel, to generate electricity, it will be equipped with liquid hydrogen tanks. It will also have sailing assistance. “If we manage to demonstrate that with this technology we can transport goods with zero emissions, we potentially have the possibility of decarbonizing around a third of the world’s fleet”, underlined Victorien Erussard.
The boat will be built on a French shipyard
At a cost of 80 million euros, the ship in the colors of the French flag and with futuristic lines will be able to be operated commercially for around thirty years on intra-European lines. It will be built in a French shipyard with partners such as the Air Liquide group or the shipowner CMA CGM.
Maritime transport emits more than a billion tonnes of CO2 each year, the equivalent of a country like Japan, not counting the emissions of fine particles, recalls Energy Observer in its press release. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a reduction in CO2 emissions from the sector of at least 40% by 2030 compared to 2008 and 50% by 2050.