The hydrogen-hybrid research vessel design, developed by Glosten, has been awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP). The award was presented to the design by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

Prior to this submission, Glosten’s work focused on completing a risk assessment workshop which lasted for a week. This assessment was performed with the US Coast Guard (USCG), ABS, Scripps, Sandia, Siemens Energy and Ballard Power Systems and Chart Industries supplied the fuel cell and equipment.

After this collaboration over the assessment took place, it was stated that Scripps’ next task is to use the CCRV to support their researches, when it comes to studying the marine ecosystems which lie along the California coast. Doing this will act as an ‘integral’ tool in training new scientists, as well as leaders and policymakers.

Now that the approval has been granted, the team is currently focused on progressing the CCRV to a point where it will be a functional-level design. The project is also dedicated to helping Scripps complete a request for a proposal which involves beginning solicitation for construction.

The next steps for the marine engineering firm, centre around leading the design of US San Diego’s fuel-cell powered Coastal-Class Research Vessel (CCRV). To do this, the company will receive help and support from Siemens Energy, an electrical integrator. They will perform this task in order to make it ready for Scripps Institution of Oceanography to operate it.

Glosten’s Lead Engineer for the project, Robin Madsen, commented, “Our challenge was to harmonise the requirements of a modern research vessel with evolving regulations and novel technologies for liquid hydrogen fuel. Ensuring the machinery spaces and hydrogen systems were efficiently and safely arranged without compromising the utility of the vessel was like putting together an intricate puzzle.”

Associate Director of Scripps and Head of Ship Operations and Marine Technical Support, Bruce Appelgate, mentioned, “Our goal is to produce a fully capable ocean-going research vessel that meets the needs of our scientists and students, and demonstrate that this can be done in a way that absolutely minimises its impact on our environment.”