"We need more zero emission ships on the water," said Thomas Bjørdal at Hyvolution Paris, during a roundtable on “H₂ for Shipping: the Rise of e-Methanol, Ammonia and LH₂”, moderated by the Managing Director for Europe & IMO, Felicia Mester.

RENERGY is coordinating NORHyWAY and has been involved in several of the first hydrogen production initiatives in Norway.

Madadh MacLaine (Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs) and Sébastien Zimmer (Sia) took us through an update on the realised vessels and production capacity, where Norwegian maritime sector has significant role. The first upscaled production projects are under construction or reached FID, and our focus on the roundtable was how we must speed up the market development.

The pilots as presented by Paolo Guglia (FINCANTIERI) and Taku Hasegawa (Kawasaki Gas Turbine Europe GmbH) are important milestones, but we need to move from one-off vessels to fleets. That will unleash a more predictable demand at much higher volumes than the piloting phase we have been in for too long. This will make it financially feasible to invest in large-scale production and bunkering sites for hydrogen or derivates such as ammonia and e-methanol that can compete with fossil alternatives.

Some key take aways perfectly summed up by Methanol Institute:

Closing the cost gap through tools like contracts for difference.
💶 Long-term certainty and predictability to unlock investment.
🏛️ Strong public support, beyond pilot projects.
⛓️ Better integration of value chains, across fuels, regions and sectors.
🤝 Breaking down silos and ensuring shared ownership of the transition — from policymakers to international bodies.