As a decision on a shipbuilder for the new H2 ferries for Torghatten Nord nears, The Norwegian Ship Design Company claims their ground-breaking design heralds the dawn of shipping’s zero-emissions era.

Scheduled for operation from late 2025 along the arctic waters of Norway’s Vestfjord, Torghatten Nord’s new 599 passenger, 120 car-carrying double enders will be powered by pair of ultra efficient Marine System 200 hydrogen fuel cell stacks designed to provide 6.4MW of gross power. They will be the largest hydrogen fuel cells put to sea to date.

And while there has been conjecture that a proton-exchange membrane (PEM)-type fuel cell may not be equipped to deal with the fluctuating electrical loads demanded of a modern ferry’s power consumers, manufacturer PoweCell says they are the most “dynamic fuel cells on the market”.