Lürssen builds hydrogen yacht

The shipyard group from Bremen has been focussing on hydrogen since 2009 and has been part of the Pa-X-ell research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport since 2012. Peter Lürßen is certain: "The future lies in hydrogen. Whether as a direct variant or hydrogen bound in methanol. We have opted for the latter in combination with a fuel cell." Lürssen's managing partner sees batteries as a bridging technology.

In video format, Lürssen provided initial insights into a test stand that is currently being built from six sea containers in Bremen and which Lürssen's Sales Director Michael Breman already mentioned during the German Superyacht Conference 2020. The centrepiece is a fuel cell from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies in Weinheim, in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen from the air. The result: water, heat and an electrical output of up to 120 kilowatts. The special feature: Hydrogen is obtained from methanol, which is stored in the demonstration plant in double-walled tanks and later in structural tanks in the hull. Lürssen pointed out that methanol is available in many harbours around the world and that the chemical industry produces it as a by-product. However, in order to be used in a climate-neutral system, methanol would have to be produced using renewable energy. The commissioning of the test stand in summer 2021 is intended to be the final step before installation on board.

Surprisingly, Peter Lürßen also announced details of the new hydrogen yacht: "In a departure from our usual communication behaviour, I can report that we are building a superyacht on which a fuel cell will be installed," said Lürßen. "It is being built for an owner who loves new technologies. When we told him about it, he was immediately enthusiastic. He wanted a hydrogen drive with practical benefits." Peter Lürßen held out the prospect of a system that would enable 15 emission-free nights at anchor or travelling 1000 nautical miles at low speed without emitting CO2. The specific project was not disclosed, but only this much was revealed: The launch is - logically - still to come.