In October 2024, Russia's first hydrogen-powered vessel, named Ecobalt, will undergo a series of sea trials, according to the Russian shipbuilding research and development institute Krylov State Research Center (KSRC).
The Ecobalt project is a collaborative endeavour between KSRC and the Ak Bars Group. The vessel is designed to accommodate 12 passengers and is equipped with the first domestic hydrogen fuel cell generator.
The design of the vessel was developed by the BaltSudoproject Central Design Bureau, in collaboration with a number of academic and research partners, including St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The contract for its construction was signed in October 2022, and the vessel was laid down in February 2023 at the A.M. Gorky Shipyard in Zelenodolsk. It was launched in August 2024.
The vessel is 15.4 metres long, 3.3 metres wide, with a draft of 0.54 metres. It can reach a speed of 12 km/h on calm water, has a range of 5 hours, and accommodates 10 passengers along with 2 crew members.
The Ecobalt platform is an experimental facility for the development of hydrogen energy systems and the establishment of regulatory standards for such vessels. It is anticipated that this technology may be utilised for the construction of other types of vessels, including tour and passenger boats. The commencement of testing is proposed on rivers in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, and Nizhny Novgorod.
Renat Mistakhov, the CEO of the Ak Bars Shipbuilding Holding, noted that the main goal of this prototype is to create and test the technology, as well as to develop a universal functional module for hydrogen fuel cells. A key advantage of these fuel cells over traditional diesel engines is lower noise and vibration, better fuel efficiency, and high performance. Testing and operation of the vessel will help verify these advantages.
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