Newsletter

Following in the wake of our FPS Maas (now H2 Barge 1), the FPS Waal has just sailed its last inland voyage on a diesel engine! The container ship arrived at the Holland Shipyards Group shipyard in Werkendam this week, where its retrofit to a zero-emission hydrogen-powered vessel will commence! ♻ In order to sail 100% emissions-free, all the vessel’s internal combustion engines will be removed and a new fully zero-emissions propulsion system, including PEM fuel cells, hydrogen storage, battery packs and an electric drive train will be installed. Over the coming weeks, the main engine and generators will be…

Future Proof Shipping (FPS) is currently retrofitting its first inland vessel FPS Maas to sail on green hydrogen. In order to train the crew onboard to work safely with hydrogen (H2) and gain awareness of any potential hazards, they contacted the Maritieme Academie Harlingen (MAH) with a collaboration request. The idea is for FPS and MAH to develop a new training standard in Europe for working with hydrogen onboard ships. In a unique step to mature the H2 economy in the maritime industry in Europe, the FPS and MAH teams will work together with PLATINA3. Collaboration is key PLATINA3 is…

Happy Birthday! This month, all of us at Future Proof Shipping are celebrating our 5 year anniversary! We marked the special occasion with a small drinks reception to toast our proud moments with key people and organisations that have helped us tremendously along the way. This was followed by a fun team dinner with our families. As our Founder, Huib van de Grijspaarde put it, we started as a consultancy to help ship and cargo owners get to zero, and somewhere along the way we ourselves became a shipowner to prove it could be done. While we can’t celebrate a…

Future Proof Shipping (FPS) has selected Ballard Power Systems to provide PEM fuel cells for the retrofitting of its second inland container vessel, the FPS Waal. Once the project is complete, the vessel will operate emissions-free, powered by green hydrogen fuel. Powering Technology This agreement will see the 109,8 x11,40 x 3,53 m FPS Waal receive six FCwaveTM modules. As a result, the vessel will have a fuel cell capacity of 1.2 MW. As the world’s first DNV type-approved fuel cell module for marine applications, FCwaveTM uses proven technology from Ballard's heavy-duty module platform to deliver reliable performance, high power…

We’ve arrived! It’s now time to make shipping history! Celebrations are in order this week as our inland vessel, the FPS Maas, made her final voyage on diesel and an internal combustion engine from Belgium to Rotterdam. The container ship arrived at the Holland Shipyards Group shipyard in Werkendam on Monday. And finally, after years of hard work and preparation, the retrofit to a zero-emission vessel can begin! Over the coming months, the engine will be removed, and a hydrogen and fuel cell propulsion system will be installed.

FPS Waal, the second inland container vessel we added to our fleet of inland vessels, is progressing on its zero-emissions journey thanks to the continued support of the Interreg North Sea Region. Work on the Zero Emission Ports North Sea - ZEM Ports NS projects is speeding up as we head towards the retrofit of our first inland vessel, FPS Maas, to 100% green hydrogen power and now the FPS Waal will benefit from a pre-paved path towards zero-emissions shipping.

A rare glimpse into the fabrication of a hydrogen fuel cell for our FPS Maas! When developing sustainable technology, everything is new. This makes the process of creating a zero-emissions ship a challenge, but it’s never dull. Together with our partners Koedood Marine Group, Nedstack Fuel Cell Technology and Kooiman Marine Group we are currently in the midst of preparing our first fuel cell system for its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT).

Future Proof Shipping (FPS) has joined FLAGSHIPS, a leading European innovation project, to bring the shipping company’s second zero-emissions inland container vessel, the FPS Waal, to Europe’s waterways. FPS will strengthen the FLAGSHIPS consortium and expand its green hydrogen-fueled fleet with the addition of the FPS Waal to the project. Collaborative operations are set to commence this year with the vessel sailing on green hydrogen by summer 2023.

Future Proof Shipping (FPS) has signed a long term agreement with Air Liquide (AL) for the supply of carbon-free hydrogen to their inland container vessel, FPS Maas, which is transporting containers between the Netherlands and Belgium. As part of the agreement, Air Liquide will supply carbon-free hydrogen through specially designed multi-modal hydrogen storage suited for inland barges. The newly designed storage will be homologated with the support of notified bodies and will pave the way to make this new market a reality.