全球首艘氢能货船！在无锡开工了！The world's first hydrogen-powered cargo ship! It has started construction in Wuxi!

On November 4, in a workshop at Wuxi Hongqi Shipyard, accompanied by the 'hiss' of steel plate cutting, the world's first hydrogen internal combustion engine ship officially began construction. This 800-ton inland cargo ship, named 'Hongqi Hydrogen No. 1,' is equipped with a 'hydrogen internal combustion engine with organic liquid hydrogen storage' power system and is the world's first hydrogen internal combustion engine inland commercial vessel to enter the actual construction phase.

The ship is being built by Wuxi Hongqi Shipyard Co., Ltd., a company located in Qianqiao Street, Huishan District, with leading research and development by Huacan Science and Ship Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. In the first half of this year, the project completed the first phase of joint commissioning and testing. According to plans, the ship will be launched for sea trials by the end of this year. Its construction marks a key leap in the marine hydrogen power field from land-based testing to full-ship implementation, opening up a safe, economical, and scalable path for zero-carbon transformation of inland shipping.

"Red Flag Hydrogen No. 1" has changed the way traditional energy sources such as diesel are used for power, storing hydrogen in a 'fuel' to serve as the power source. This method of energy use is a first in the shipping industry. The ship outputs 120 kilowatts of power, and with full hydrogen capacity, it can travel about a thousand kilometers on a single trip, far exceeding the 300-kilometer endurance of ordinary power sources.

Red Flag Shipyard was established in 1958 and is a production base for high-performance medium and small vessels such as full-turn tugboats, roll-on/roll-off ships, and ferries. In recent years, the shipyard has collaborated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the 707 Institute, and other research institutions to seek transformation and development. In April 2025, Red Flag Shipyard reached a strategic cooperation with Huacan Ke Shipbuilding, clearly establishing itself as a hydrogen-electric ship construction base, and leveraging its factory area to build a 1:1 scale test platform for a 'hydrogen internal combustion engine with organic liquid hydrogen storage' power system."

Wu Chunming, Chairman and General Manager of Wuxi Hongqi Shipyard Co., Ltd., introduced that the company is currently undertaking two orders equipped with this system, with another one being a 2,000-ton vessel. The 800-ton vessels will be launched for trial navigation around the end of this year or the beginning of next year. After a period of trial navigation, together with scientific research institutions such as Huacan Ship Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., they will formulate industry standards and promote mass production. He stated that the cycle from land-based validation to practical application of new ship technologies is usually long, often taking several years or even longer. Hongqi Shipyard will strictly follow classification society regulations and design standards, rigorously controlling construction processes, quality safety, and engineering milestones. Safety is an unavoidable issue for hydrogen on ships. Yuan Yi, Chief Expert of Huacan Ship Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., stated that the hydrogen carried by the ships being built this time is only 0.3 to 0.5 cubic meters, which after technical treatment is within a safe range. The current price of hydrogen generally does not exceed 20 yuan per kilogram, which is also within an acceptable reasonable range, and the application market prospects are very broad.

"Red Flag Hydrogen Energy No. 1" is defined as a renewable energy experimental ship, capable of carrying various forms of energy such as internal combustion engines, solid-state batteries, quantum batteries, and energy-enhancing power generation systems, providing an experimental space for the application of multiple energies on inland river vessels. The ship is also a major scientific research project of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission and the Shanghai Transportation Commission for 2025. The development of an inland vessel power system based on hydrogen internal combustion engines and the demonstration application of the entire ship will provide scientific data for the 'hydrogen internal combustion engine with organic liquid hydrogen storage' power system.

A relevant person in charge at Huacan Kechuan Ship Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. stated that the commencement of this 800-ton demonstration ship is a landmark project in implementing the national energy security strategy and strengthening the technical innovation capabilities of the hydrogen energy industry. In the future, the project team will work with upstream and downstream partners in the industry chain to advance actual ship trials and demonstration operations, aiming to achieve the delivery of the first batch of commercial ships by 2027. The person in charge said that 'Hongqi Hydrogen No. 1' is the first step by Hongqi Shipyard in the layout of renewable energy ships. This is not only the construction of a renewable energy cargo ship but also a real ship verification of the entirely new technical route of 'hydrogen internal combustion engine and liquid hydrogen fuel', which will provide replicable engineering experience for the green upgrade of inland ships.

[Source: Wuxi Release (Wuxi Daily)]

[Editor: Xiao Neng]