Japan, Toyota to build fishing boat powered with hydrogen fuel cells

FRA will start designing the body of the ship in 2019 and will perform ocean testing in 2022, in order to commercialize the ship, local media report.

FRA aspires the ship to contribute in limiting global warming. It also hopes that hydrogen as fuel will make the fisheries industry more stable.

The  boat will be used at a tuna farm on the Goto islands in Nagasaki Prefecture. The agency wants to build a 19-ton prototype in 2019 to test safety and practicality.

Any additional energy will be used for hydrogen generation to reduce fuel production costs. The hydrogen will derive from fresh water.

Japan has advanced in reducing GHG emissions by 26% from the 2013 level by 2030, including a 15% reduction for ships. The downside is the fact that mass producing hydrogen will have extra costs.

To mitigate this, Japan plans to increase the number of hydrogen supply facilities such as hydrogen stations by 2030 and reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel by around one-fifth of the current price by 2050.