First service vessel powered by hydrogen fuel cells goes into service in China

At Zhongshan, South China’s Guangdong Province, a 500 kW service vessel powered by hydrogen fuel cells went into operation.

The vessel will be utilized for transit, patrolling, and emergency operations in the seas between the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam, as well as the Three Gorges reservoir, with a top speed of 28 km/h and a top cruise range of 200 km.

On May 17, 2022, the vessel’s construction got under way. The vessel was certified by China Classification Society and was built by China Yangtze Power Co. under the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) and China State Shipbuilding Corporation, CTG said via its official WeChat account on Friday.

The ship is propelled by a hydrogen fuel cell that was produced domestically and a supporting lithium battery, resulting in less noise, expense, and pollution. The yacht has the highest energy storage and generated power among service vessels worldwide, according to experts.