Dutch companies Koedood Marine and Nedstack have been chosen to supply a complete proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system to retrofit Future Proof Shipping’s (FPS) inland container vessel Maas to hydrogen power.

The Rotterdam-based Future Proof Shipping will retrofit the 110 m long boxship at Holland Shipyards Group (HSG), which has been given the green light to procure the system, comprising Koedood’s fuel cell stacks and technology from Nedstack.

Koedood will build three 275 KW fuel cell units and subcontract Nedstack to supply the fuel cell stacks as part of their co-development partnership for inland navigation.

The Mass will be retrofitted at HSG yard in Hardinxveld and is planned to be running on hydrogen power by the end of this year.

The vessel will ship containers between Rotterdam and Antwerp, with an expected greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 2,000 CO2 equivalent tonnes annually.

“The maritime knowledge and expertise of the Koedood group, together with the fuel cell capabilities of Nedstack provide us with an optimised product we can be confident in. It helps that we are all on the same page – collaborating to create a more sustainable future for the inland waterways in Europe,” said Fokke van der Veen, director of operations at Future Proof Shipping.

Future Proof Shipping aims to build and operate a fleet of 10 zero-emission inland and short-sea vessels over the next five years.