Hydrogen-powered truck for trial at Immingham port

During the trial at the Port of Immingham in Northeast Lincolnshire, the vehicle will transport shipping containers. The hydrogen technology means the vehicle produces no exhaust fumes. The trial is funded as part of a government project and aims to reduce carbon emissions in the maritime industry. Maritime minister Baroness Vere said the initiative shows that the UK is „serious about cleaning up the sector“. „Decarbonising the maritime sector goes beyond reducing marine emissions, and this trial shows that hydrogen will play an important role in UK port operations and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels,“ Vere said. Figures from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) show that shipping produces a billion tonnes of CO2 emissions annually – about 3% of total global production. In 2018, the IMO, the UN body that regulates the sector, agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050.

The port of Immingham handles about 55 million tonnes of cargo annually. Associated British Ports (ABP) has also installed a mobile hydrogen refuelling station to fuel the vehicle. Simon Bird, ABP’s regional director of Humber ports said he hoped the trial would show „how progressive we are in meeting the need to decarbonise the port“. Immingham is one of the UK’s busiest ports, handling around 55 million tonnes of cargo a year. Last January, ABP announced a new £100 million cargo terminal that would create up to 100 jobs.