Hydrogen-powered ships remain at an experimental stage
Could hydrogen become a viable marine fuel?
The prospect of zero-carbon hydrogen-powered vessels is highly attractive, if cost and infrastructure concerns can be overcome
Hydrogen is one of the zero-carbon fuels being considered for use in marine applications of the future. The other zero-carbon fuel is ammonia, and the production pathway of the two are directly linked. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of sources, utilising conventional or renewable energy, which determine the cost of the fuel to the end-user as well as its lifecycle carbon footprint. Hydrogen can be extracted from fossil fuels and biomass, from water, or from a combination of the two. The total energy used worldwide hydrogen production in 2019 was about 275mn t oe, which corresponds to 2pc of total energy demand, according to the IEA. Reducing the cost of green hydrogen to $2/kg
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
