Finland's Wärtsilä Corporation and the compatriate Hycamite have signed an agreement to develop an innovative technology for the onboard production of clean hydrogen and solid carbon ships from methane. The aim is to enable an economically sustainable production of hydrogen from liquefied natural gas, hydrogen that blended with LNG can be used to fuel the current range of dual-fuel engines produced by Wärtsilä and will be able to be also used in the fuel cells installed on the vessels.

The two partners also pointed out that solid carbon results as a by-product of the process, unlike conventional technologies that produce carbon dioxide, can be stored and operated more easily on board the ships. In addition, the carbon produced is made up of high quality allotropes, such as industrial graphite and carbon nanotubes, and its sale can therefore offer additional revenue.

Highlighting that this initiative is part of Wärtsilä's investments in the development of future technologies and solutions to help accelerate the decarbonisation of maritime transport, Mathias Jansson, Director Fuel Gas Supply Systems of the Finnish company has pointed out that Wärtsilä gas engines can already operate with mixtures of hydrogen and liquefied natural gas and thus the ability to produce hydrogen onboard the ships offers promising opportunities. "This solution solves the current lack of infrastructure for the supply of hydrogen and, moreover, contributes to the reduction of safety risks related to the storage and handling of liquid hydrogen," the company said. allows a gradual reduction in the environmental impact of ships. "