Energy Observer 2 zero-emission ship unveiling at One Ocean Summit

The marine vessel was designed to meet the International Marine Organization decarbonization targets.

Energy Observer 2, a zero emission ship developed to help meet the International Maritime Organization’s decarbonization objectives, is about to be unveiled tomorrow in Brest at the One Ocean Summit.

The company behind the creation of the vessel, Energy Observer, is focused on maritime decarbonization.

Energy Observer has already developed the first autonomous lab vessel with a complete hydrogen chain. The zero-emission ship was able to produce its own H2 fuel with its renewable power surplus. The company is now taking its next step forward by launching its next design to the maritime transport industry. This multi-purpose cargo vessel is liquid hydrogen fuelled. The vessel operates without any greenhouse gas emissions with high transport capacity and solid autonomy.

The vessel will be presented tomorrow at the One Ocean Summit by Energy Observer founder and President Victorien Erussard. The company and its partners are seeking to use prototype solutions to decarbonize goods transportation, as maritime transport currently produces an estimated 3 percent of total global CO2 emissions.

The Energy Observer 2 zero emission ship is based on technology that has now reached maturity.

The Energy Observer 2 uses the well matured liquid hydrogen storage technology combined with the latest fuel cell tech. The challenges the vessel is overcoming is the integration of the large tanks and the management of cryogenic temperatures, among others. That said, the marine vessel is said to have overcome those barriers through the support of the company’s technological and historical partners.

“With this demonstrator ship, we want to go all the way in decarbonizing medium-sized industrial ships, using hydrogen directly as a fuel. We believe in the capacity of the French maritime industry to become an international model, benefiting from an agile and efficient research-industry ecosystem,” said Erussard.

The Energy Observer 2 zero emission ship primary features are its 120-meter (about 393 feet) length, 22-meter (72 foot) width and 5.5-meter (18 foot) draft. The wing surface is 1450 square meters (4757 square foot). The vessel has a 5,000-ton deadweight and 240 TEU containers. Its commercial speed is 12 knots with 4MW of electric propulsion and 2.5MW fuel cell power (RexH2 EODev). It is equipped with 70-ton liquid hydrogen fuel tanks and has a range of up to 4,000 nautical miles.