Nation's First Hydrogen-Powered Inland Container Vessel "Oriental Hydrogen Port" Completed, Filling Industry Gap

Recently, the "Dongfang Hydrogen Port," the nation's first 64TEU hydrogen fuel cell-powered container ship for inland waterways, funded by the Binhai Group of Jiaxing Port Area, was officially completed and obtained the Classification Certificate for Domestic Navigation Ships from the China Classification Society. This marks a breakthrough in the commercial application of hydrogen energy in China's inland waterway shipping sector.

As an innovative benchmark for zero-carbon inland waterway shipping, the "Dongfang Hydrogen Port" has a total length of 64.5 meters and is equipped with two sets of 240 kW hydrogen fuel cell systems. Using hydrogen as its sole power source, with water as the only reaction product, it achieves zero emissions throughout its entire voyage. United Hydrogen provided the shipboard high-pressure hydrogen storage system, handling supply, installation, and commissioning. With a hydrogen storage capacity of 550 kg and a driving range of approximately 380 km, the vessel overcomes numerous technical challenges and fully complies with the safety regulations of the China Classification Society.

Previously, global hydrogen-powered ships were mostly small ferries or experimental vessels. As a commercially operated ship with a cargo capacity of 64 TEUs and a one-way route of 120 km, the "Dongfang Hydrogen Port" fills the gap in hydrogen energy application for inland container transport scenarios, laying the foundation for the large-scale promotion of hydrogen-powered ships. This project aligns closely with the requirements of the "Outline for Building a Country with Strong Transportation" to "promote new energy-powered ships," demonstrating the feasibility of hydrogen energy as a green power source for vessels.

Leveraging the hydrogen energy resource advantages of Jiaxing Port Area, the "Dongfang Hydrogen Port" enables rapid hydrogen refueling, meeting the "high-frequency, short-cycle" demands of inland waterway transport. It helps build a synergistic ecosystem covering the entire chain of "hydrogen production, storage, and use," serving as the core carrier for the country's first green hydrogen inland container transport dedicated line. The ship can reduce carbon emissions by approximately 700 mt annually, with emission reduction benefits equivalent to the ecological contribution of a thousand acres of forest.

In the future, utilizing Jiaxing's "sea-river intermodal transport" advantage and with the large-scale deployment of hydrogen-powered ships, container transport will shift from a "scale-and-speed model" to an "economic-and-efficiency model." United Hydrogen will continue to provide technological output, promoting the low-carbon transformation of inland waterway shipping, offering replicable solutions for the green development of the Yangtze River Delta's sea-river intermodal transport, and injecting strong momentum for achieving China's "dual carbon" goals.