As part of the project, SEA-KIT will partner Marine2o, a London company focused on decarbonising the maritime sector, for the build of land-based infrastructure to produce green hydrogen.
The ZEPHR (Zero Emissions Ports Hydrogen Refilling Survey Vessel) project aims to extend vessel operation for port operators and stakeholders through complete energy transferal, from readily accessible green electricity to 100 per cent green hydrogen production, compression, storage and dispensing.
Marine Zero, a UK engineering design and sustainability specialist, will support Marine2o with regulatory compliance and the design and integration of the dispensing facility. Consortium partner the Port of London Authority (PLA) will host the hydrogen refilling station on the River Thames and operate the ZEPHR USV.
In a statement, John Dillon-Leetch, PLA’s port hydrographer, said: "Our support of this exciting project underlines our commitment to creating a Net Zero future on the tidal Thames. Embracing innovation and new fuel technologies utilised on ZEPHR will enable us to be more sustainable and efficient in the production of the essential hydrographic data and products that we provide to all mariners on the Thames.
“The five-year project will also support environmental monitoring, academic and industry research programs as well as feeding into the Maritime Hydrogen Highway programme - all key elements of the Thames Vision 2050, supporting the PLA, our partners and stakeholders to deliver on their sustainability goals.”
The Thames handles over five million tonnes of goods and materials and millions of passenger journeys each year and the Thames Estuary has been identified as well placed to support the development of a hydrogen ecosystem, with potential demand across ports, marine and river transportation, airports and aviation, construction, distribution and logistics.
The configurable ZEPHR USV platform will have a high resolution multibeam echosounder as its primary payload, with the capability to mount additional sensors including LiDAR, cameras and environmental monitoring and sampling equipment. The vessel will also be able to launch and recover aerial drones for surveying, surveillance, search and rescue. ZEPHR will use two hydrogen fuel cell systems for redundancy.
The vessel’s design will be reviewed with Lloyd’s Register and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to satisfy regulatory and compliance requirements and to obtain approvals for continuous operations. ZEPHR will be built at SEA-KIT’s recently expanded production facility in Tollesbury, Essex.
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