VARD enters European innovation project NAVHYS, aiming to develop a new zero emission SOV design, fueled by liquid hydrogen.
The NAVHYS project is an innovation project lead by ArianeGroup, the leading industrial company in the field of civil and military launchers.
Together with 11 partner companies the project will develop innovative solutions for a liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage and fuel system. The system will be integrated in a SOV ship designed by VARD for North Star and obtain an Approval In Principle by Bureau Veritas.
The project is supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members and co-funded by the European Union.
Building on its experience of using liquid hydrogen as a fuel for Ariane rockets, ArianeGroup and partners are launching the European NAVHYS project. Supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and co-funded by the European Union, NAVHYS aims to develop innovative solutions for storing and using liquid hydrogen (LH2) as an energy carrier for maritime transport.
NAVHYS’ goal is to provide a concept for a below-deck LH2 storage and fuel system for an SOV to propose a fully decarbonized maintenance solution for wind energy providers.
A major challenge is that integrating this technology will require major adaptations on board ships, as well as to port and maritime infrastructures.
The project brings together expertise from a wide range of fields, including the space industry, shipbuilding, ship operations and energy and safety, and seeks to drive forward shipping decarbonization. Over the next 36 months, a series of milestones to successfully develop and test the system.
NAVHYS is focused on providing a concept that will reduce the environmental footprint and improve the energy efficiency of a hydrogen fuel system. The selection of NAVHYS as an active project, backed by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership channeling Europe’s hydrogen strategy through optimizing research and innovation activities and co-funded by the European Union, is evidence that liquid hydrogen is a clear candidate for decarbonizing the shipping sector.
The project’s name takes its inspiration from the Latin words ‘navis’ (ship) and ‘vis’ (force/power), put together with the first letters of hydrogen (‘hy’) – NAVHYS conveys ‘the power of hydrogen for shipping’.