Dutch students complete North Sea crossing in self-built hydrogen boat

A team from TU Delft has embarked on the first hydrogen boat trip to England, a first for the North Sea. 

With their self-designed vessel, they are braving unpredictable waves, driven by the potential of clean fuel for shipping. After technical setbacks and changeable weather, the students are ready to cover the 160 kilometers in about eight hours. This crossing represents a milestone in maritime engineering and could accelerate a sustainable revolution in the industry.

Early Thursday morning began the historic journey of the hydrogen boat of TU Delft’s Hydro Motion Team. Started from Breskens, bound for Ramsgate, the voyage demonstrates the potential of hydrogen as a fuel at sea. The initial attempt was stranded earlier in the week due to technical problems and bad weather. But after a quick repair and a clear weather forecast for Thursday, the two students were still able to set sail.

The eight-metre boat, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system, used just 12.9kg of the 25kg of hydrogen stored onboard for the crossing, with a cruising speed of 40km/h.

To achieve the speeds, the team developed strut and foil systems to lift the boat out of the water, to prevent the hull from having to push large volumes of water out of the way.

Nonetheless, the students had to modify a deep-V-shaped monohull to allow the boat to cut through the brutal North Sea waves.

The cross-border crossing also posed safety, logistics and regulatory challenges. TU Delft Hydro Motion formed a full-time internal team to organise the crossing, ensuring safety protocols were drawn up.

Developed after the team became World Champions at the Monaco Energy Boast Challenge in 2023, the students hope the vessels have demonstrated the potential of hydrogen in maritime.

“When we show what our boat can do, we prove the viability of hydrogen. By working together with the maritime industry itself we can initiate action,” the team said. “We are all part of a problem, which means we can all be part of the solution. Only by working together, we can turn the tide.”