The 55-metre ZULU 06 has a cargo capacity of 400 tonnes and has been purpose-built to take on urban logistics. LMG Marin designed the vessel, encompassing two 200kW hydrogen fuel cells delivered by Ballard and a power generation system supplied by ABB Marine & Ports.
ZULU 06, which uses 300kg of compressed hydrogen to power seven days of operation, was developed through the EU-funded FLAGSHIPS project.
In the future, the vessel is expected to operate commercially in the heart of Paris, according to Valérie Bouillon-Delporte, Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
“Building on the momentum of the FLAGSHIPS project, further applications in river and maritime transport will enhance air quality, reduce noise pollution, and drastically shrink the carbon footprint of waterborne transportation,” she explained.
Jyrki Mikkola, Flagships Project Coordinator and Senior Scientist at VTT, added, “Years of effort have brought us to this incredible milestone. The deployment of ZULU 06 as the first hydrogen-powered vessel on the Seine is a breakthrough in sustainable logistics.”
Ada Jakobsen, CEO of Maritime CleanTech, also claimed that inland waterways are the “veins and arteries of Europe’s green freight system.” The CEO continued, “Sogestran’s hydrogen-powered vessel in Paris demonstrates the power of bold EU partnerships and cutting-edge technology to tackle the challenges of decarbonization.”
France’s Minister of Transport, François Durovray, also praised the initiative, labelling it as a “major breakthrough for river transport and the energy transition in France.”
