Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC has received approval in principle by Bureau Veritas for a hydrogen-fueled trailing suction hopper dredger.
IHC said in a statement on Wednesday it developed the design in partnership with the Dutch Rijkswaterstaat (the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) that is looking for solutions to slash emissions.
In addition, the shipyard says it designed the ‘LEAF’ or low energy adaptive fuel hopper to maintain the Dutch coastline.
IHC started working on the project at the beginning of 2019 with the aim of developing a vessel that could go into use in 2024, it said.
When operating on hydrogen the vessel would only emit water vapour, the shipbuilder said.
Rijkswaterstaat has the ambition to become CO2 neutral by 2030, and needed to come up with “cost-effective” solutions for its coastal protection projects, IHC said in the statement.
“The reception of the AiP gives Royal IHC and Rijkswaterstaat the confidence to continue on the path towards zero emissions and further develop the LEAF hopper as a solution for CO2 neutral coastal protection works,” it said.
