Hydrogen Vessel Start Cruising The San Francisco Bay
Date
7/16/2024 2:14:09 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Alimat Aliyeva
The world's first commercial passenger ship powered by hydrogen
will begin cruising the San Francisco Bay on July 19. Its launch is
part of a plan to phase out diesel ships and reduce carbon
emissions contributing to global warming, Azernews
reports.
The MV Sea Change vessel with a length of 21 meters will be able
to carry up to 75 passengers between Pier 41 and the ferry terminal
in the center of San Francisco. As part of the pilot program,
travel will be free for the first six months. Sea Change is capable
of traveling about 300 nautical miles (about 550 km) and operating
for 16 hours without refueling. Fuel cells produce electricity by
combining oxygen and hydrogen in an electrochemical reaction, the
byproduct of which is water. This could help to "green up" the
shipping industry, which produces almost 3 percent of the world's
greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the International
Maritime Organization announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from commercial shipping by half by the middle of the
century.
The authors of the project also hope that hydrogen fuel cells
will be able to propel container ships in the future.
Earlier, the US government allocated $ 8 billion for the
development of pure hydrogen. However, environmental groups point
to the risks of pollution and climate impacts associated with
hydrogen. Currently, most hydrogen is produced using natural gas,
which does not contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
However, proponents of hydrogen energy believe that in the long
term, hydrogen production will become more environmentally friendly
through the use of wind and solar energy.
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