German consortium sets out to activate fuel cell technology for cruise ships

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, together with its consortium partners, has launched a new research project focused on fuel cell technology powered by green methanol as a climate-friendly and low-emission energy system for cruise ships.

The project called zero4cruise officially kicked off on January 24, 2025. In addition to Meyer Werft, the consortium behind the project includes fuel cell technology specialist Freudenberg Fuel Cell e-Power Systems and German Aerospace Center (DLR) with the DLR Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics and the DLR Institute of Maritime Energy Systems.

The zero4cruise project sets out to develop fuel cell technology powered by green methanol, creating large-scale fuel cell stacks and fuel cell systems that can be applied on newbuilds and retrofitted on existing ships, which, according to the project developers, is “key to accelerating decarbonization of the cruise sector given the long operational lifespan of vessels”.

As explained, the hybrid energy system will combine proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with a methanol reformer and battery systems to optimize efficiency and ensure ships can operate carbon-neutral in ports and coastal areas.

DLR’s role in the zero4cruise includes pre-developing and testing the technology for large maritime stacks and systems. The aim is to build prototype fuel cell stacks with 250 kW (LT-PEM) and 120 kW (HT-PEM), including performance verification in the laboratory.

The DLR Institute of Maritime Energy Systems is conducting long-term tests on a 500 kW maritime fuel cell system with an aim to simulate the real load cycles of a cruise ship and prove the long-term suitability of the system. In addition, newly developed LT and HT PEM fuel cell stacks will be tested in the Maritime Energy Laboratory to ensure development to the system level.

The zero4cruise project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology with a total of €18.7 million.