Greece’s Seanergy Maritime Holdings is breaking new ground on hydrogen power under a European Union scheme. The Nasdaq-listed owner will retrofit a capesize bulker to generate electricity using the green fuel, while some propulsion power will also be derived from hydrogen.

The company said it is the first Greek shipowner to accomplish a partnership with the EU under its Safecraft project, which aims to demonstrate the safety and viability of alternative fuels. Proponents of hydrogen as a shipping fuel envisage it primarily as suitable for smaller ships, with ammonia earmarked for deepsea operations, so all eyes will be on how the trial goes on a big bulker. Seanergy will provide one of its existing conventionally fueled vessels for the retrofit work. Hydrogen will then be the main energy source for electric power generation. The system is also expected to cover a portion of the propulsion requirements and reduce reliance on conventional fuels.

Seanergy will oversee the feasibility study and the retrofitting of the equipment in cooperation with Hydrus Engineering, class society the American Bureau of Shipping and the National Technical University of Athens. Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries, the University of Patras, the Dresden University of Technology, RINA Services, Pherousa Green Technologies and others are also involved. Seanergy said the “visionary” project will last four years.

Funds will come from the partners and the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. The aim is to achieve a 26% reduction of CO2-equivalent emissions. Chief executive Stamatis Tsantanis said the deal is “another major achievement” towards Seanergy’s global ESG objectives.

He told TradeWinds the project has been in the works for between a year and 18 months. The aim is for the retrofit to take place in 2025, the CEO added. The company has three or four candidate vessels in mind, all built between 2010 and 2013, either with or without scrubbers, he explained.

As for the long-term prospects for hydrogen use on larger ships, Tsantanis said: “The initial aim is to provide the electrical energy plus partial performance. In any case I don’t think anyone can offer a clear plan as to which the prevailing fuel will be in the future.”

Energy & sustainability manager Vasileios Petousis said: “We strive for a more sustainable course of operations, and we constantly evaluate and further improve the company’s ESG milestones in an effort to meet the global environmental targets through tangible and proven solutions.”