IMO issues Interim Guidelines for the Safety of Ships Using Fuel Cell Power Installations

This milestone for ship propulsion received the formal stamp of approval when IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) approved the Interim guidelines for the safety of ships using fuel cell power installations, at its 105th session from 20 to 29 April 2022.

The Guidelines are another step towards achieving the decarbonisation ambitions set out in the IMO strategy on greenhouse gas emissions, but the main goal of the guidelines is to provide an international standard for the arrangement and installation of fuel cell power installations on board ships.

The Interim Guidelines provide criteria for the arrangement and installation of fuel cell power installations with at least the same level of safety and reliability as new and comparable conventional oil-fuelled main and auxiliary machinery installations, regardless of the specific fuel cell type and fuel.

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS:

MSC.1/Circ.1647 Interim guidelines for the safety of ships using fuel cell power installations