Fate, Behaviour, Potential Damage & Liabilities Arising from a Spill of Hydrogen in the Marine Environment

This report focuses on hydrogen as a non-traditional marine fuel, more specifically compressed hydrogen and liquid hydrogen (LH2). Hydrogen has been viewed as a viable option for shipping’s decarbonisation journey as it is one of the few alternative fuels that can be classed as ‘emission-free’ (only is the hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water using renewable energy, i.e. ‘green hydrogen’). The use of hydrogen as a fuel for shipping can be used in multiple states, such as liquefied or compressed hydrogen within internal combustion engines or using LH2 within fuel cells. Due to the economic and technical barriers facing hydrogen technology and infrastructure development, the industry is immature when compared to other marine alternative fuels and therefore these technologies may develop in the future, with one format potentially being more technically viable than others.

Categories: Alternative Fuels, Papers