First practical test on board AIDAnova planned in 2021 as part of the PA-X-ell2 project.

The aim of the participating companies is to investigate and develop a decentralized energy network and a hybrid energy system with a new generation of fuel cells for use on ocean-going passenger ships.

The first project meeting has now taken place at MEYER WERFT. Since October 2019, the PA-X-ell2 project consortium has included MEYER WERFT, Fr. Lürssen Werft, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, DNV GL, the German Aerospace Center, AIDA Cruises represented by Carnival Maritime GmbH, besecke automation and EPEA GmbH — part of Drees & Sommer.

The current project phase runs until the end of 2021 under the leadership of MEYER WERFT. In addition to the development of fuel cells, the entire energy system and its integration on board will also be investigated. The development of energy networks and energy management as well as ecological and economic analyses are also part of the project.

As early as 2014, MEYER WERFT commissioned a fuel cell demonstrator ashore as part of the previous PA-X-ell project and has carried out a first test of fuel cells aboard the Mariella Baltic Sea ferry since 2016. In the new project phase, the new fuel cells will be tested on the cruise ship AIDAnova. AIDAnova is the first cruise ship in the world to operate entirely with low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) and was delivered to AIDA Cruises by MEYER WERFT at the end of 2018. The fuel cell offers the option of generating energy on board with even lower emissions than is currently possible with LNG. It works with low emissions, noise and vibration. The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen, which is reformed from methanol. This can be produced in the long term with renewable energy sources and therefore the fuel cell can be operated in an emission-neutral manner. Methanol as an energy carrier also offers good properties in terms of storage volume.

After intensive tests on land, the fuel cells from the manufacturer Freudenberg will then be tested in real operation for the first time on board AIDAnova from 2021. For this reason, fuel cells from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies are also designed for significantly higher durability. Initial tests have shown that a lifetime of more than 35,000 operating hours can be achieved.

Like the RiverCell2 project, which is being carried out to research fuel cells on board river cruise ships, the PA-X-ell2 research project is integrated into the e4ships cluster. The research projects are part of the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme and are funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.