Page 38: of Marine News Magazine (September 2021)

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Vessels

Sea Change

The United States’ ? rst zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry has been launched and is gearing up for operational trials off the U.S. West Coast.

Constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine,

Inc. (AAM), SWITCH Maritime’s 70-foot newbuild Sea Change will oper- ate in the California Bay Area as the United States’ ? rst hydrogen fuel cell vessel, developed to demonstrate a pathway to commercialization for zero- emission hydrogen fuel cell marine technologies. While still working on per- mitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels with the U.S. Coast

Guard, the completed ferry will exhibit the viability of this zero-carbon ship propulsion technology for the commercial and regulatory communities.

The vessel is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell power package pro-

All American Marine vided by Zero Emissions Industries (formerly Golden Gate Zero Emis- sion Marine), comprised of 360 kW of Cummins fuel cells and Hexagon hydrogen storage tanks with a capacity of 246 kg. This system is integrated with 100 kWh of lithium-ion battery provided by XALT and a 2x 300 kW electric propulsion system provided by BAE Systems. The hydrogen fuel cell powertrain system affords the same operational ? exibility as diesel with zero emissions and less maintenance. The vessel design originates from Incat Crowther, and the construction supervision and management is led by Hornblower Group.

Rock Hall since 2008. The tug is named for a waterfront town lo- cated on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The town is known as “The Pearl of the Chesapeake.”

Chesapeake Shipbuilding and Naval Architects of

Salisbury, Md. has delivered 16 3,000-horsepower, model bow tugs and three 3,000-horsepower square-bow push boats. Two of the Rock Hall’s sister tugs, the Salisbury and the Annapolis, were delivered in 2019 and 2020, re- spectively. The molded depth of these push tugs is only 10.5 feet, making them well suited for working in con- ? ned, shallow-draft areas along the U.S. East Coast’s in- land waterways.

One more 3,000-horsepower Salisbury Class push boat,

Vane Brothers the Charles Hughes, is scheduled for delivery from Chesa- peake Shipbuilding and Naval Architects later this year.

Jones Act marine transportation provider Vane Broth- To create the Salisbury Class design, Chesapeake Na- ers has taken delivery of the third in a series of four val Architect John Womack worked in close collaboration 3,000-horsepower push tugs. Named the Rock Hall, with Vane Brothers Port Captain Jim Demske, who has

Vane’s newest addition is the nineteenth Maryland-built overseen construction of nearly 50 tugboats for Vane over towing vessel to join the Baltimore-based company’s ? eet the last two decades.

38 | MN September 2021