Regulatory harmony key to EU’s maritime H<sub>2</sub> ambitions
Ad hoc national regulations threaten to stymie bloc’s hopes of weaning shipping industry off fossil fuels
Decarbonising Europe’s maritime sector will require unified regulations governing hydrogen-powered vessels, subsidised hydrogen prices and loan guarantees, industry experts believe. Hydrogen is integral to the European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU net zero for global warming emissions by 2050—yet there are no Europe-wide regulations governing hydrogen-powered ships. Financial institutions, shipbuilders and shipowners need a comprehensive and predictable legal framework to invest in building such craft, Lionel Boillot, project manager at Europe’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU), told Norway’s fifth International Conference on Maritime Hydrogen and Marine Energy. N
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