The Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships ProjectCompletion of Hydrogen Engine R&D Center to promote decarbonization in ships

The Nippon Foundation launched the Zero Emission Ships project in January 2022 to develop ships with zero CO2 emissions. As part of this project, construction of the Hydrogen Engine R&D Center, to be operated by JPN H₂YDRO CO., LTD., was completed on September 4 in the city of Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture. The Center is able to carry out all functions from hydrogen engine development to hydrogen storage and hydrogen loading.
The Center, which will be the first facility of its kind located within a shipyard,* will consist of testing facilities for hydrogen engines, which are expected to be increasingly adopted as part of the creation of a hydrogen society, and a hydrogen station (scheduled for completion in January 2025) that is designed specifically for ships. In addition to engine development for hydrogen-fueled ships, the Center is seen developing a wide range of applications for the use of hydrogen engines in areas including large trucks and heavy machinery. As a front-line base for Japan’s development of hydrogen engines, the Center is expected to contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by 2050.

  • * According to The Nippon Foundation’s research (as of September 2024), this will be the “world’s first” research and development center for hydrogen engines located within a shipyard.
Photo of the completed R&D Center
The completed R&D Center
Photo of testing equipment
Testing equipment for hydrogen engine functionality

Features of the Hydrogen Engine R&D Center

The Center has a full range of capabilities from hydrogen-fueled ship design to hydrogen engine testing, certification, and loading of hydrogen onto actual ships. Going forward, the Center is seen being used for a broad range of applications in addition to the development of hydrogen-fueled zero-emission ships, including the use of hydrogen engines for large trucks, heavy machinery, and other equipment requiring large output.

Image explaining the Hydrogen Engine R&D Center. The top of the diagram contains the text “The R&D Center has facilities for hydrogen engine development and as a hydrogen station for ships” and “The Center will be made available to other organizations, with the aim of becoming a base for Japan’s development of engines fueled solely by hydrogen.” The middle of the diagram shows an overhead view of the R&D Center. The right-hand portion of the diagram shows photographs of the Hydrogen Engine R&D Center. The left-hand side of the diagram shows a photo of the hydrogen station designed specifically for ships, which is scheduled for completion in January 2025.

1.Hydrogen engine testing equipment

The facility currently has equipment in place for the testing of hydrogen engine functionality and for obtaining certifications (an engine test bench).
The Center will also be made available to research institutions and companies pursuing hydrogen engine development, with the aim of promoting Japan’s development of hydrogen engines.

Photo of testing equipment

2.Hydrogen station designed specifically for ships

Unlike existing hydrogen stations for fueling automobiles and similar vehicles, ships equipped with hydrogen engines require large amounts of fuel and need to be harbor accessible.
This hydrogen station, which the project aims to complete by around January 2025, is slated to be the world’s first hydrogen station for ships, with facilities for loading large amounts of hydrogen fuel, mooring equipment, and equipment to maintain the ship’s stability during loading. Plans also include the installation of ship-use loading equipment on the wharf.

Photo of a worker checking equipment

Implementation plan for Hydrogen Engine Zero Emission Vessels Consortium

Led by JPN H₂YDRO, the Hydrogen Engine Zero Emission Vessels Consortium will develop medium-speed zero-emission ships fueled solely by hydrogen, as well as floating hydrogen fuel loading systems, with the aim of promoting zero emissions in coastal shipping as an R&D center for hydrogen engines.

Image explaining the activities of the Hydrogen Engine Zero Emission Vessels Consortium. The top of the diagram contains the text “Zero-emission ship (medium speed, fueled solely with hydrogen; world’s first), fueling station, facility environment for engine research and development.” The left-hand side of the diagram contains the text “1. Zero-emission ship development” and “Developing an engine fueled solely with hydrogen by increasing the percentage of hydrogen in mixed fuel in stages,” and shows photos of three vessels scheduled for development as zero-emission ships. Beneath this text are photos from top to bottom of a “Passenger vessel (Equipped with high-speed engine using hydrogen-mixed fuel),” a “Tugboat (Equipped with medium-speed engine using hydrogen-mixed fuel),” and a “‘World’s first’*1 Restaurant ship (Equipped with solely hydrogen-fueled medium-speed engine). The middle of the diagram contains the text “2. System for providing hydrogen fuel and “‘World’s first’*2 Floating offshore hydrogen station,” and beneath that is an image explaining the functions of the floating system for providing hydrogen fuel, which are: “45MPa differential pressure loading for hydrogen bunkering, a “Machinery Room & Control Room equipped with hydrogen mixture-fueled power generator,” a “Low-pressure hydrogen receptacle that captures byproduct hydrogen,” an “Accumulation container with modules designed for transport/storage,” and a “Hydrogen compressor & hydrogen control unit that raises the pressure of low-pressure hydrogen to 45MPa.” The right-hand side of the diagram contains the text “3. Facility environment (Hydrogen engine research and development)” and “Base for conducting hydrogen engine R&D and certification.” Below that are photos of the Hydrogen Engine R&D Center and below the photos the text “‘World’s first’ hydrogen engine R&D facility located within a shipyard” is shown.
*1. According to The Nippon Foundation’s research (as of September 4, 2024), this will be the “world’s first” zero-emission operation of a vessel equipped with a solely hydrogen-fueled medium-speed engine.
*2. According to The Nippon Foundation’s research (as of September 4, 2024), this will be the “world’s first” floating offshore hydrogen station.

Plans for The Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships project going forward

The Consortium plans to conduct demonstration tests of two zero-emission ships equipped with engines fueled solely by hydrogen in fiscal 2026.

[Verification completed]
Hydrogen Fuel Cell CTV Consortium		 [FY2026]
Hydrogen Engine Zero Emission Vessels Consortium		 [FY2026]
Hydrogen-Engine Tanker Consortium
MOTENA-Sea and 4 other companies JPN H₂YDRO and 11 other companies YANMAR POWER TECHNOLOGY and 5 other companies
Demonstration of zero-emission operation of CTV equipped with hydrogen fuel cells Photo of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered CTV HANARIA Demonstration and operation of passenger vessel equipped with solely hydrogen-fueled combustion engine and development verification of hydrogen fuel loading system Photo of passenger vessel equipped with solely hydrogen-fueled combustion engine Demonstration of zero-emission operation by tanker equipped with solely hydrogen-fueled combustion engine Artist’s conception of the hull of a tanker equipped with solely hydrogen-fueled combustion engine

The Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships project – developing ships of the future with zero greenhouse gas emissions

This project will develop and conduct demonstration testing of some of the world’s first ships powered by hydrogen combustion (zero-emission ships), working toward the realization of carbon neutrality in Japan’s coastal shipping industry by 2050. The project successfully operated the hydrogen fuel cell-powered CTV HANARIA with zero emissions in April 2024, and plans to have two additional consortia conduct demonstration testing by the end of fiscal 2026.
In addition to providing a strong boost to the realization of carbon neutrality, a pressing issue worldwide, the development of zero-emission ships is also expected to become a “future industry” that can utilize Japan’s world-class hydrogen and engine technologies.

The Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships Project logo

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Contact

Ocean Affairs Team
The Nippon Foundation

  • Email: Zeroemission2050@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp