“A fundamental step towards the development of a boat that is autonomous, safe and reliable, with zero harmful emissions” This is how Alexandra Rodrigues Pinto, a researcher at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), describes the GREENSHIP_E project, which is the result of the work of a multidisciplinary team made up of researchers from four FEUP R&D units (CEFT, LEPABE, and LSRE-LCM, which form the ALiCE associated laboratory), as well as SYSTEC and INESC TEC..

Designed to develop systems for producing and storing green fuels on board small vessels, in particular the recreational and fishing vessels that make up the overwhelming majority of the national fleet, GREENSHIP_E aims to take carbon-free marine propulsion technology at the disposal of the shipping industry to a new level. For this purpose, it sets out to create a solution capable of producing and storing pure hydrogen on board, without the need for large fuel tanks.

The development of this technological solution will be a significant step towards decarbonising the maritime sector, an area of great strategic importance for Portugal. GREENSHIP_E is based on a solid foundation of acquired knowledge and experience, which according to the researcher, guarantees ‘favourable conditions for the success of the project and allows the development and implementation of the proposed innovative solutions to be accelerated’.

The project, which has significant groundbreaking potential and is expected to have an impact in the area of Sustainability, will receive a total of 1.5 million euros in funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation until 2027. The contract between the two organisations was signed on 16 December at a ceremony attended by the President of the Board of Trustees of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, António Feijó, and the Rector of the University of Porto, António de Sousa Pereira.

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