Ponant has announced a collaboration with the Nantes-based startup Farwind Energy to develop innovative solutions for ship refueling with renewable hydrogen, according to a statement.

The two companies have defined a road map to develop the production and use of renewable marine hydrogen, where the companies will share progress on the management of hydrogen onboard and collaborate on development of first-use cases and overcoming potential technological obstacles.

The two partners have set a goal to commission both Ponant’s Swap2Zero project and Farwind’s first energy ship at the same time by 2030.

A company with a mission, based in Nantes and the Caribbean, Farwind Energy said it develops cutting edge solutions to enable renewable energy to be supplied as close as possible to its point of consumption and in a form adapted to the requirements. Its energy ship technology aims to produce electricity at sea from offshore wind and transform it into hydrogen by the electrolysis of seawater. The hydrogen can be transported to shore to be used as a fuel, a solution particularly well suited to island territories, or refueling of a ship can take place at sea, helping accelerate the maritime transport industry’s energy transition.

Ponant, meanwhile, is working on its Swap2Zero project which is a carbon neutral cruise ship. Wind power is at the heart of the project and low-temperature fuel cells operating on liquid hydrogen for propulsion are also being studied. The project aims to be a catalyst for new energy solutions with strong replicability potential for the rest of the industry.

“Farwind Energy’s hydrogen production technology has the advantage of offering hydrogen refueling solutions in places where there are no means of production and supply. This collaboration is an opportunity to jointly develop a major project that associates a ship with her own source of renewable energy produced locally. It is an unprecedented revolutionary approach that makes total sense,”  said Mathieu Petiteau, newbuilding and research and development director at Ponant. “The Swap2Zero program is the ideal demonstrator to scale up this solution and set new standards. This technological building block will be integrated into our other areas of R&D to support our decarbonization strategy.”

“We are proud to share our roadmap with Ponant an innovative company committed to low carbon navigation. This collaboration opens up new perspectives for our highly innovative renewable energy production technology. Capable of being produced near the ship’s operating areas, our liquid hydrogen represents a promising solution to decarbonize maritime transport,” added Arnaud Poitou, Chairman of Farwind Energy.