The Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) has published an independent report on the regulation of hydrogen propulsion in maritime vessels, to help take advantage of the benefits of hydrogen fuel and stimulate sustainable growth in the maritime sector.

Maritime vessels produce around 5% of the UK’s domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions, more than domestic rail and bus emissions combined, and there is growing demand for coastal vessels driven by expanding wind-power and offshore aquaculture industries.

Hydrogen-fuelled propulsion is considered one of a range of technologies offering a solution to decarbonise these operations. The RHC believes that now is the opportune moment to ensure that appropriate regulatory systems are in place to capitalise on the growth opportunities associated with hydrogen-vessel supply chains.

The RHC report builds on the Department for Transport’s consultation on domestic maritime decarbonisation and should inform the refreshed Clean Maritime Plan, the UK’s environment route map to zero emissions in the maritime sector, scheduled for publication by the DfT this year.

The Regulatory Horizons Council believes that the report’s recommendations, if implemented, could support the use of hydrogen fuel in the maritime sector by:

• Increasing the speed of approvals of zero-carbon and novel vessel designs, by appointing class societies as ‘Approved Bodies’ (ABs) for vessel design evaluation
• Providing clarity to shipbuilders and innovators, through the production of better specialized guidance for the designs of hydrogen-propulsion vessels
• Accelerating the build rate of hydrogen vessels, by ensuring future spending commitments are made at a scale comparable to international competitors and focus on de-risking hydrogen vessels from a technical and commercial perspective to bring private investment into the market
• Incentivising strategic planning for investment ahead of need for hydrogen infrastructure at ports, by establishing guidelines for ports to plan appropriately for the required transition to low and no-emission ship propulsion, and invest in the roll-out of the infrastructure
• Building investor confidence in port owners and shipbuilders to undertake hydrogen infrastructure and vessel construction, through improved governance for onshore hydrogen facilities
• Ensuring proactive resolution of evolving regulatory issues through the creation of a Centre or Taskforce for Hydrogen Maritime Propulsion

"I recognise that understanding the future of the fuels landscape is a crucial next step in our drive towards reaching net zero by 2050. On 10 March 2022, we announced a £206 million funding pot and the creation of the UK Shipping Office for the Reduction of Emissions (UK SHORE) research and development programme. This represents the biggest government investment in the commercial maritime sector and is focused on accelerating the technology necessary to decarbonise our domestic maritime sector. This includes funding research into hydrogen fuels", Baroness Vere, the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security wrote to the RHC.

In parallel, she added, "my department has an extensive maritime decarbonisation policy and regulation programme. As part of this, we are considering those interventions which may be necessary to support the transition to net zero by 2050 for the maritime sector - including with regards port infrastructure and fuel supply. Whilst our approach is technology neutral, I believe that hydrogen will play a significant role and this report helps us in that regard. We plan to publish an updated Clean Maritime Plan by the end of this year which will set out a trajectory to 2050".