TECO 2030 is starting its second EU Horizon project, Zero Emission Adriatic Ship (ZEAS), together with 13 partners from various European countries. The overall project grant from EU Horizon is more than €13.5 million; more than €2.3 million is reserved to TECO 2030’s deliverable of 1.2 megawatts (MW) of fuel cells for full vessel propulsion.

The project focuses on pioneering a shift towards the safe and sustainable use of climate-neutral fuels in maritime transport, specifically through a full-scale demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered system suitable for maritime applications. This passenger ship ship will be tailored for operation in the Adriatic Sea’s marine ecosystem.

TECO 2030’s 400 kW fuel cell module

Key activities in the project include the design and construction of the ship, the development of comprehensive hydrogen distribution, storage, and bunkering solutions, and testing through sea trials to ensure compliance with certification standards. The project also places a strong emphasis on environmental impact, with thorough emissions assessment, environmental performance studies, and risk and safety evaluations.

Advanced digital technologies will play a crucial role, with the development of digital twins for monitoring, control, simulation, and predictive maintenance solutions augmented by augmented reality systems. These technologies will be tested and optimized for use by shipowners, operators, shipyards, and engineering firms.

The involved consortium partners are Lurssen Design Center Kvarner, TECO 2030 and affiliates, Gitone Kvarner, Maritime Center of Excellence, Jadrolinija, University of Rijeka – Maritime Faculty, DNV Greece, Hycenta research, TECNO Ambiente, Scan Projekt, Technische Universitaet Chemnitz, Zenlab and the Croatian Hydrogen Association.

TECO 2030 is a Norwegian clean tech company developing PEM hydrogen fuel cell stacks and PEM hydrogen fuel cell modules that enable ships and other heavy-duty applications to become emissions-free.

TECO 2030 is building up Europe’s first Giga production facility of hydrogen PEM fuel cell stacks and modules in Narvik, Norway. The production capacity will be built up through 2024 and 2025, targeting an output capacity of up to 200 MW of fuel cells in 2025, increasing to 1.6 GW in 2030.

The main currents of the three portions of the Adriatic Sea (graphics: F. Boero).

The Adriatic Sea separates Italy and the Balkan Peninsula; the Adriatic is more than 800 km long and around 150–200 km wide, with a surface of about 138,600 km².

In an overview of Italian seas (Adriatic and Tyrrhenian), Roberto Danovaro of the Università Politecnica delle Marche and Ferdinando Boero of the Università del Salento note that:

Increased human activities are affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Fisheries and aquaculture (mussels and fish) in the Adriatic and southern Tyrrhenian are intense. The Adriatic has >140 offshore active oil and gas fields, and both seas are important touristic destinations.

Several legal instruments help ensure sustainable use of resources in these seas. There are currently 29 marine protected areas, mainly in the Tyrrhenian Sea, but these are insufficient to reach the Aichi target that requires protection of at least 10% of marine environments. Trophic downgrading and “jellyfication” currently affect most Italian seas. Clean-up and habitat restoration have been conducted in the Adriatic Sea for >10 years, including experimental restoration of seagrass. In the Gulf of Naples, a highly contaminated area caused by from the decommissioning of industrial activities is being restored, representing the largest effort of decontamination of marine areas ongoing at European Union level.

Resources

• Roberto Danovaro, Ferdinando Boero, Chapter 11 - Italian Seas, Editor(s): Charles Sheppard, World Seas: an Environmental Evaluation (Second Edition), Academic Press, 2019, Pages 283-306, ISBN 9780128050682, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-805068-2.00060-7