H2NOR fast-tracks hydrogen fuel cell systems for green shipping

For international shipping companies under pressure to lower emissions, the challenge is clear. Batteries store energy and can deliver or receive power instantly, but deep-sea vessels need more range than batteries alone can provide. Fuel cells and batteries complement each other well for this purpose, especially when the fuel cell is powered by a clean energy source such as hydrogen. This is where the H2NOR project comes in.

"Toyota already mass produces fuel cells for cars. Corvus has proven clean battery technology for shipping. Along with our Norwegian maritime colleagues, we aim to dramatically extend the range on zero-emission shipping," says Thor Humerfelt, Senior Vice President Product Architect at Corvus Energy.

As experts in green battery systems, Corvus Energy has long recognised both the potential and the limitations of battery power for deep-sea vessels.

“Since 2019 we had discussed how to extend the vessel range beyond the capacity of a battery system. We began to look for a partner, and then Toyota approached us, asking us to make maritime fuel cell systems from their fuel cell modules,” explains Humerfelt.

“Toyota’s hydrogen strategy is to explore and enter new markets like the maritime industry in collaboration with field partners that understand maritime customer requirements and have strong expertise in regulation, to ensure success,” says Federico Paravicini, former Fuel Cell Business Manager at Toyota Motor Europe.

(Editor’s note:Mr Paravicini now holds the position of European Governmental Affairs Manager at Toyota Motor Europe.)

Toyota is one of the world’s largest fuel cell producers, with 30 years of experience in developing and producing fuel cells for cars and other land-based applications. Its industrial scale is important for making marine fuel cell systems more affordable and widely available.

Corvus and Toyota signed a partnership agreement on 18 December 2020. The agreement gave Corvus access to Toyota’s PEM cell fuel modules and opened the door to large-scale production and competitive pricing. “The potential for a cost advantage is high. Toyota deals in huge numbers, and we have the robotics. This has been a good opportunity to scale up and reduce costs,” says Humerfelt.

To realise the project, Corvus secured EUR 5.9 million in funding from Innovation Norway and the Research Council of Norway. It then gathered a team of Norwegian clean maritime experts, including the ship designer LMG Marin, which brings valuable experience as the designer of MF Hydra, the world’s first hydrogen-powered ferry.

“We jumped at the opportunity to work with Corvus,” says Torbjørn Bringedal, CEO of LMG Marin.

“H2NOR has been a way to get maritime hydrogen fuel cells integrated within a ship hull based on a product and to develop large-scale production capacity. It’s one thing to have a product that is safe, but it’s crucial to have sufficient capacity to produce fuel cells to meet expected demand in the maritime sector. We need to move from kilowatts to megawatts,” he adds.

Other major partners include Equinor, Norled, Wilhelmsen, Maritime CleanTech and the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Green hydrogen has clear advantages as an energy source. Kilogram for kilogram, it contains almost three times as much energy as fossil fuels. When used as fuel, its only by-products are water vapour and warm air. It is also the most abundant element in the universe.

“We have built an inherently gas-safe design so that hydrogen fuel cells can be used safely anywhere on board, including below deck. This gives ship designers more freedom to innovate,” says Sonja Vernøy Hansen, VP Marketing and Communications at Corvus Energy.

Because hydrogen is prone to rapid combustion and explosions, the project has worked closely with DNV, Norway’s world-leading classification society, which has the strictest maritime safety standards.

Launched in 2021, the H2NOR project has followed its planned timeline. In late 2023, the consortium successfully completed onshore testing of its proton exchange membrane (PEM) exchange fuel cell modules, demonstrating that these could reliably deliver power under the demanding conditions of deep-sea operations. The team also collaborated to integrate the modular fuel cell system with hybrid battery configurations, optimising energy management and performance.

In 2024, H2NOR reached a major milestone when the world’s first hybridised vessel equipped with the Toyota-Corvus marine fuel cell system completed sea trials in the North Sea. The trials confirmed the system’s robustness, efficiency and compatibility with vessel classes ranging from ferries to offshore supply ships.

In mid-2024, the Corvus Energy Pelican Marine Fuel Cell System was Type Approved by DNV and became commercially available. By 2025, several zero-emission demonstration vessels using the H2NOR system were in operation, consistently achieving extended range and significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions. One of these is the fishing training vessel MS Skulebas.

The project has also received recognition from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for its contribution toward the sector’s 2050 decarbonisation target.

The next step is scale. Ongoing development focuses on stepping up production and further reducing costs, with plans to adapt the technology for larger cargo ships and cruise liners.

Toyota had good reasons to look to Norway for a green maritime partner. Sonja Vernøy Hansen of Corvus Energy names several of them: “We are global technology leaders in green maritime, with cutting-edge R&D. We have high-quality maritime clusters, critical parts of the value chain, and resources for accelerating new technologies.”

The Norwegian government has also supported the industry through policy and funding. In recent years, state-funded Enova has provided funding to establish green hydrogen infrastructure along the Norwegian coastline. These include Hellesylt Hydrogen Hub, a green hydrogen production facility and refuelling station in operation in Western Norway, and Agder Hydrogen Hub, a green hydrogen production facility due to come online in Q1 2027 in Southern Norway.

“Norway has a stable democracy with strong public support for sustainable solutions. This makes us an excellent global partner in green maritime,” concludes Thor Humerfelt of Corvus Energy.