Hydrogen fuel cells are making a strong case for their greater adoption in shipping’s energy transition journey, the Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference will hear in December.
One of those leading the charge is Victor Åkerlund, Chief Analytics and Sustainability Officer with the PowerCell Group, whose opening day contribution will detail the real-world lessons from four marine hydrogen fuel cell projects.
His speech covers the technical, commercial and regulatory barriers each project faced, and how they were addressed. The projects involved ferries, bulk carriers, cruise auxiliaries and a superyacht, understood to be the 118m Feadship now named Breakthrough, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht which was originally built for Bill Gates.
Åkerlund will be speaking in the Breaking Barriers: Expanding the Future Fuel Mix Beyond Conventional Pathways session examining adoption challenges, operational considerations and how breaking barriers can enable a more diverse and resilient path to decarbonisation.
He will be joined by moderator Gavin Allwright, Secretary General of the International Windship Association, Harry Jankola, Commercial Development & Partnerships Manager at XFuel, and Boudewijn Pragt, Economics and Transition Finance Manager with the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Decarbonisation.
Founded in 2008 as an industrial spin-out from the Volvo Group, the PowerCell Group develops and produces fuel cell stacks and systems with uniquely high power density. Its hydrogen electric solutions are designed to deliver clean, scalable power for marine applications.
Also, along with several partners, the PowerCell Group is part of the EU-funded MiNaMi (Million Nautical Mile Fuel Cell System) consortium developing Europe’s first megawatt scale Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell system for maritime use.
The 2026 Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference – 8-10 December in Hamburg – has a great deal to offer, in almost every sense of the word. To find out more, click here
