Maritime Partners orders key technology for Hydrogen One

Image: Maritime Partners

Plans to make the world’s first methanol/hydrogen fuel cell-powered towboat — Hydrogen One —a reality are moving forward. The vessel will be powered by hydrogen generated from methanol and Maritime Partners, which aims to have the vessel available for charter, has now ordered the 10 RIX Industries methanol-to-hydrogen (M2H2) reformer systems that will deliver the hydrogen to the fuel cells.

The RIX reformers incorporate technology licensed from Element 1 (e1) to generate high-purity (99.97%) hydrogen with zero NOx, SOx, or particulate matter, eliminating the complexities of on-board high-pressure gas or cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage.

“Sustainability in workboat operations, specifically the inland brown water sector, is a priority for the industry,” said Austin Sperry, president of Maritime Partners. “By deploying RIX M2H2 reformers to power the fuel cells – on-demand, when needed – on our groundbreaking Hydrogen One vessel, Maritime Partners is sending a clear message that cleaner energy emissions can be achieved via convenient, manageable, and available hydrogen processes.”

The RIX M2H2 systems are capable of supporting fuel cell solutions from 10 kW to 140 kW with a single reformer and can be aggregated to support MW applications.

“The methanol-to-hydrogen process is changing the dynamics of vessel propulsion. On-board hydrogen generation is a reality, decoding the longstanding challenges of high-pressure storage and cryogenic temperature requirements,” said Bryan Reid, chief sales officer at RIX Industries. “Maritime Partners recognizes this breakthrough and, with our M2H2 Series reformers, will be primed to take full advantage of the wide availability of portside methanol – meeting not only Hydrogen One’s propulsion needs but also looming environmental mandates to offset dangerous emissions.”