FERRIES 2023: Retrofitting ferries with hydrogen propulsion and storage technology

Christophe Rident of BMT will present on retrofitting ferries with hydrogen propulsion and storage technology at FERRIES 2023.

Pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is increasing across the global maritime sector, and ferries are no exception. The adoption of alternative fuels will be vital to achieving decarbonization, and existing fuels, such as marine gas oil and heavy fuel oil will need to be replaced by low-carbon alternatives. Hydrogen, or hydrogen propulsion, is one of the options being explored across ferries and other commercial vessel types.

To go into more detail on retrofitting ferries with hydrogen propulsion and storage technology, Christophe Rident, lead naval architect, commercial maritime sector for BMT will present at at Marine Log’s 36^th annual FERRIES conference on November 14 in Jersey City, N.J., just across the harbor from Manhattan, N.Y. Mike Davis of PA Consulting will co-present.

Rident will address concerns for operators on the transition pathways to hydrogen propulsion adoption and also discuss competitiveness against other emerging fuel options, fuel cost reduction trajectories, time-to-maturity of key technologies and development of required infrastructure.

A University of Southampton, UK, graduate, Rident’s career spans the oil and gas, renewable energy, and commercial small ship designs. Over the years he has built up a strong understanding of alternative marine propulsion systems, such as electric and hybrid propulsion and alternative fuels for fast commercial vessels, culminating in the concept design of an emissions-free fast passenger ferry powered by batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.

Most recently, as technical project manager and lead naval architect for a 34-meter hybrid catamaran patrol vessel, Rident has been able to fully appreciate the implications and challenges involved in combining the latest battery and motor technologies with the traditional marine diesel engines and drivetrains.

FERRIES 2023: The Conference

Set to take place at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson, November 14-15 in Jersey City, N.J., the 36th annual Marine Log FERRIES conference will have as its theme “Designing today’s ferries for future operations.”

The venue, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking ferry traffic on the Hudson River, is a quick ferry ride from New York City.

Delivering two days of in-person discussions, dynamic Q&A sessions, and multiple networking opportunities, FERRIES 2023 will be an opportunity for the North American ferry industry to come together to share experiences, network, look for new suppliers and reconnect with existing suppliers.

The art of designing or upgrading ferries takes a lot into consideration outside of the vessel’s blueprints. Making a greener ferry is a design choice and so is enhancing the passenger experience.

FERRIES 2023 will focus on how today’s ferries—those under construction, coming online soon, or already in operation—can be prepared for the changing scope of future operations.

As ever, a focus of the program will be on lessons learned from hard-earned, real-life experience. In addition, the program will explore new ways to meet economic and environmental targets through advances in technology, innovative approaches to operating a vessel, and the latest trends in ferry design.

In addition to thought leaders presenting on topics relevant to the ferry industry, three panels have been incorporated in this year’s program focused on ferry operator challenges and successes, battery options for ferries, and an interesting overview and look at the new Governors Island ferry project.

Other topics will explore leveraging shoreside terminals and infrastructure to increase profits; low-carbon alternatives, such as electric, hydrogen and hybrid options; what’s trending in ferry designs being delivered today; and more.

The Tour

Following the end of conference sessions, on November 15, an industry tour will be provided to a limited number of attendees. This year’s tour will have attendees board a NYC Ferry vessel and tour the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where it will learn more about NYC Ferry’s Homeport Pier C, its deisgn and construction.

Guests will also learn the history of the area and discover plans for Homepoort II in Red Hook. Hornblower will round out the conversation with an inside look at NYC Ferry’s marine operations and more.

The complete agenda can be found here.

For inquiries regarding sponsorships or ways you can connect with FERRIES 2023 attendees, contact David Harkey at dharkey@sbpub.com.

The Sponsors—So Far

The following organizations are signed up to sponsor FERRIES 2023, although more will be announced soon:

Anchor (Platinum)

VPS (Platinum)

Bayonne Dry Dock (Cocktail Reception)

W&O (Luncheon)

PPG (Registration)

Coastal Marine Equipment (Laynards)

ABB (Gold)

Glosten (Gold)

All American Marine (Silver)

BMT (Silver)

Christie & Grey (Silver)

EMS Marcon (Silver)

GL Power (Silver)

Neste US (Silver)

Hamilton Jet (Silver)

Karl Senner (Silver)

Kongsberg (Silver)

MTU – A Rolls-Royce Solution (Silver)

NCP Coatings (Silver)

RIX (Silver)

Bulutlu Marine (Silver)

Schottel / elkon (Silver)

J&A Enterprises / Soundown (Silver)

United Safety & Survivability Corporation / Fireboy-Xintex (Silver)

Vulkan (Silver)

BAE Systems (Bronze)

CANAL (Bronze)

Conrad Shipyard (Bronze)

Crowley (Bronze)

Cummins (Bronze)

Elliott Bay Design Group (Bronze)

EV Maritime (Bronze)

LeBlanc & Associates LLC (Bronze)

MOPS (Bronze)

PROP (Bronze)

Rigidized Metals (Bronze)

SSI (Bronze)

The Shearer Group (Bronze)

Thrive Payments (Bronze)

World Wide Metric (Bronze)

ZF Group (Bronze)

Allied Marine Crane (Bronze)

Artemis Technologies (Bronze)