Klaipėda Port sees Lithuania’s first hydrogen-powered ship in the water
The Klaipėda State Seaport Authority has commissioned the move of
the first ever green hydrogen and electricity-powered ship in Lithuania from a
shipyard into the water.
In June 2024, a keel-laying ceremony at the West Baltic Shipyard of the
West Baltic Shipyard Group marked the start of the ship’s construction.
The hull has been fabricated and painted, with piping, valves, coolers,
shaft lines, rudder feathers, and heat and fire insulation installed.
Once the tanker is moved into the water, the engine room equipment will be
installed, the interior of the wheelhouse will be redecorated, the electrical
wiring and the main electrical engines will be installed, the hydrogen system
will be installed and other work necessary for the operation of the ship will be
carried out.
According to the current rules, vessels must hand over the waste they
produce when they arrive and before they leave Klaipėda Port. The Seaport
Authority was entrusted with the collection of waste, and the company decided to
use modern and environmentally friendly equipment further to improve the quality
of the ship waste collection service.
The tanker’s main function is to collect stormwater, sewage, sludge and
garbage, as well as to ensure efficient waste management. The ship will be
equipped with special tanks and a modern rainwater treatment plant that will
allow the treated water to be transferred to the city’s sewage treatment plants.
The tanker will be ready to work around the clock and collect up to 400 cubic
metres of liquid waste.
The tanker is 42 metres long and 10 metres wide. The ship’s power system
will consist of two electric motors powered by 2,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh)
batteries and a hydrogen fuel cell system. Depending on the intensity of the
work, the tanker will be able to operate in the port of Klaipėda for up to 36
hours without additional power charging.
This ship-building project, which has a total value of €12 million ($12.5
million), has been commissioned by the Port Authority and is being built by West
Baltic Shipyard together with Baltic Workboats under a joint operating
agreement.
“We have not only launched a tanker, but also a new approach to port
operations – cleaner, smarter and more environmentally friendly,” said Algis
Latakas, Director General of Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.
“This first-ever hydrogen and electricity-powered ship is not only an
innovative technological solution but also an important step in strengthening
Lithuania’s image as a modern maritime nation. At the moment, the tanker is
getting used to the seaport water, so to speak, and at the end of the year we
expect it to start its important mission of taking care of the clean seaport
environment.
Last summer, a Memorandum was signed in Klaipėda, providing for closer
cooperation in decision-making on developing the new European gauge railway line
to Klaipėda.
