China's First Hydrogen-Powered Diesel-Electric Propulsion Transport Ship Was Designed and Built in Wuhan.

(Yangtze Daily/China Government Website/Hubei Provincial Government Website) The vessel uses hydrogen as fuel, providing power comparable to traditional diesel-powered ships, but emitting only water vapor, achieving zero-carbon power. On April 24th, the 2026 Hydrogen Energy Cooperation Conference and Hydrogen Energy Exhibition Supply and Demand Matching Meeting was held at the Sanfeng Petroleum Maritime Integrated Energy Supply Station. At the meeting, a representative from the Wuhan Standards and Regulations Research Institute of the China Classification Society revealed that China's first hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine electric propulsion vessel will be designed and built in Wuhan, and is expected to be launched in Wuhan in 2028.

The hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine electric propulsion transport vessel is a new type of transport vessel that uses industrial crude hydrogen as its primary power source and electric power as an auxiliary power source. Zhao Wentao, general manager of the new power business unit of Hydrogen Green Motion New Energy (Wuhan) Co., Ltd., a participant in the project, introduced that the vessel under design is a 2,000-ton class hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine inland waterway transport vessel, which adopts hydrogen-electric range-extending technology and has a range of more than 500 kilometers.

“Using industrial byproduct crude hydrogen as fuel, the fuel cost per kilometer is 20% lower than that of traditional diesel-powered transport ships of the same tonnage, and only water vapor is produced during the voyage.”

Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine-powered transport ships and hydrogen fuel cell-powered ships already sailing on the Yangtze River each have their own advantages. Zhao Wentao explained that the lifespan of a hydrogen internal combustion engine is comparable to that of a conventional diesel internal combustion engine, reaching over 20 years, which is longer than that of a hydrogen fuel cell. However, hydrogen fuel cells use high-purity hydrogen as fuel, making them 50% more expensive than using crude hydrogen.

He said that internal combustion engines inevitably produce noise, while hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen energy into electrical energy, and electrically powered ships are noiseless. "Hydrogen internal combustion engines are suitable for large-tonnage transport ships, while hydrogen fuel power is suitable for cruise ships or government vessels that require high comfort."

How to safely store and transport hydrogen? Zhao Wentao explained that last year, the company's first domestically developed hydrogen internal combustion engine generator set and hydrogen storage and transportation system were put into commercial demonstration operation in Xiaogan, and the overall operation has reached the design specifications. Currently, breakthroughs have been made in domestic hydrogen storage and transportation and hydrogen internal combustion engine power generation technologies.

Construction of a waterborne hydrogen refueling station and a pilot-scale platform for the integrated application of advanced hydrogen energy technology for inland waterway vessels was simultaneously launched at Sanfeng Petroleum's waterborne integrated energy supply station. Han Ling, Chairman of Sanfeng Group, introduced that the integrated service area will cover a full range of services including hydrogen refueling, hydrogen-powered ships, hydrogen-powered drones, and hydrogen equipment testing and R&D.

Qingshan District is a major steel and petrochemical manufacturing base in China, possessing a solid foundation for hydrogen production. Currently, the district's annual hydrogen production reaches 200,000 tons, forming a stable supply capacity of industrial by-product hydrogen. Several hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and refueling projects have been completed within the region, including the Wuhan Iron and Steel Gas coke oven gas hydrogen production project, the spectral isotope special gas project, and the Guangzhou Iron and Steel Gas "Central China Gas Island," providing strong hydrogen source security for this comprehensive waterborne energy supply station and hydrogen-powered ships. READ MORE