Tom Stieghorst
Turning hydrogen into electric power has always seemed a little like turning water into wine, but now several cruise lines are pursuing the idea as environmental concern about carbon fuels shows no signs of going away.
The latest cruise line to announced a hydrogen fuel cell initiative is Viking Cruises, which outlined a project for "what could become the world's first cruise ship with zero-emission technology."
Viking's project manager Serge Fossati unveiled the plans at the Norwegian Maritime Authority's annual Safety at Sea conference in Haugesund, Norway last week.
As yet there is no specific ship that would serve as a vehicle for the technology. "The road to that point is still long," Viking chairman Torstein Hagen said in a statement. "But here at Viking we want to be ahead of the game."
Viking joins Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in publicly acknowledging its work towards a fuel cell system. RCCL said last year that fuel cells will play a role on its "Icon" class ship being developed for 2022 and after, although propulsion is expected to be fueled mainly by liquefied natural gas.
One of the chief conundrums with fuel cells is that producing liquefied hydrogen requires lots of energy, which may generate more greenhouse gases than are saved by using the hydrogen for power.
Liquid hydrogen is not produced on a large scale in Europe, but Fossati said that Viking Cruises is in dialogue with Statoil, Norway's government-owned energy company, to find a solution based on a Norwegian refinery.
In addition to being a big oil and gas producer, Norway uses hydro-electric generation from dams to supply much of its electricity and producing hydro power doesn't generate greenhouse gases.
So while it may not be realistic to count on fuel cells as much of an alternative to fossil fuels yet, it is encouraging that companies such as Viking and Royal Caribbean, which both have histories as innovators, are tackling the idea before all the problems have been ironed out.
It is going to take some time before fuel cells ripen into practical technology, so getting an early start can only help the cruise industry be ready when the concept finally matures.