South Korea/United Kingdom – HyAxiom and Shell have agreed to power a deep-sea liquefied natural gas carrier with a solid oxide fuel cell developed by HyAxiom.
This will put the technology to the test in terms of its ability to reduce carbon emissions from maritime transport, a sector that is critical to global trade and economies but is difficult to regulate.
Shell, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), DNV, and Doosan Fuel Cell (DFCC) agreed to launch a vessel powered by a HyAxiom-developed Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) in 2025 as part of the agreement.
Collecting data
The agreement states that HyAxiom will design and develop the SOFC Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) incorporating the 2 x 300 kW sub-systems for long-range maritime demonstration; DFCC will manufacture, perform factory tests, and deliver the product; Shell will charter the demonstration vessel; KSOE will assist with system integration and technological deployment; and DNV will provide technical and safety expertise.
The vessel will be operational for one year after launch, during which time the parties will collect valuable data on how to further integrate SOFC technology into current vessels and inform how future vessels can be powered at scale by SOFC technology.
