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Munich, 29 August 2008 - The technology company The Linde Group has today officially opened the world's first hydrogen filling station for fuel cell passenger ships in Hamburg. Wolfgang Tiefensee, Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs was in attendance for this "Zemship-related" grand opening, an EU-sponsored project for the development of fuel cell ships.
"As a pioneer in hydrogen technology, we want to make environmentally-friendly, hydrogen-based locomotion a reality in all areas. With this globally unique filling station, we are showing that hydrogen is well-suited as an emissions-free fuel for passenger ships," said Dr. Aldo Belloni, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG.
The Zemship filling station is located in the Hamburg city park. It provides regular fill-ups of hydrogen gas for this "zero emissions ship". The first passenger ship for 100 people to be operated via a hydrogen fuel cell will convey passengers on both the Alster as well as the Elbe rivers. For fuelling, liquid hydrogen stored at a temperature of minus 253 °C is transformed into hydrogen gas in an evaporator and then compressed up to 450 bar via a two-stage compressor system. The complete fuelling station was designed and built by Linde.
As one of the world's largest manufacturer of hydrogen systems, Linde offers a complete range of technologies that are required for a functioning hydrogen value-added chain - from production to fuelling.
With 120,000 hydrogen fill-ups by the end of last year, the company has set a new fuelling record. This includes passenger cars with an average 300 fill-ups per week as well as lorries, busses and forklifts. Linde is the leading international equipment supplier for hydrogen fuelling stations. The gas company is represented in 15 countries with fuelling technology. The use of hydrogen as a fuel for motors does not cause any damaging emissions. Electrical energy is created in the fuel cell with the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to water with an efficiency of up to 70 per cent.
Zemships To prove that hydrogen is well-suited as a fuel for ships, the Hamburg Office of Urban Planning and Environmental Affairs has brought together Germanische Lloyd AG, Proton Motor, Hamburger Hochbahn AG, The Linde Group, Alster-Touristik GmbH, Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg, hySolutions GmbH and The UJV Nuclear Research Institute rez plc for this Zemship project. Zemship is a EU-sponsored project.
The Linde Group is one of the world's leading gas and engineering companies with approx. 50,000 employees working in approx. 100 countries worldwide. It had annual sales of EUR 12.3 billion in fiscal year 2007. The strategy of the Linde Group is for sustainable and revenue-oriented growth. The targeted expansion of its international business with future-oriented products and services is the main focus. Linde acts responsibly with respect to shareholders, business partners, employees, society, and the environment - throughout the world, in every business segment in all regions, and at all locations. Linde develops technologies and products that combine benefits to the customer with a contribution to sustainable development.
More information about The Linde Group can be found online at http://www.linde.com
