Newlight Clears Factory Testing for Hydrogen Retrofit System Targeting Marine Diesel Engines

(Fuel Cells Works) Newlight Technologies has successfully completed factory acceptance testing (FAT) for its hydrogen retrofit system, aimed at converting conventional two- and four-stroke marine diesel engines to run on a hydrogen–fuel blend. The testing, approved by classification society RINA, marks a key milestone as the firm prepares to deploy the system onboard its first vessel for Harbor Acceptance Testing (HAT).

The tests verified:
- Precise hydrogen–diesel blend control
- Lower emissions, higher fuel efficiency
- Safety and reliability validated against the IGF Code and hydrogen interim guidelines

Raffaele Frontera, CEO, AURELIA, said: “Newlight’s technology stands out for its innovation and robustness. Our role has been engineering design integration — interfaces, layouts, routing, and commissioning plans that make the package ship-ready. This has been a united effort by a single team across companies, and the result shows.”

At AURELIA, we specialize in bringing clean technologies safely and effectively on board — bridging concept and reality through naval architecture, system integration, and class-ready engineering.

This FAT milestone proves that hydrogen retrofit solutions can be applied to existing fleets today, not years from now. Together with Newlight, RINA, and lomarlabs and Lomar Shipping we’re turning innovation into sea-proven technology.

The future of maritime decarbonisation isn’t distant — it’s being engineered now. READ MORE

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Newlight Completes RINA FAT for Hydrogen Retrofit on Two- and Four-Stroke Main Engines; Up Next: First Vessel Installation and HAT (RINA)

Excerpt from RINA:

The system allows existing diesel engines to operate on a blend of hydrogen and conventional fuel, reducing carbon emissions without the need to replace the entire engine.

Designed and built to the International Code of Safety for Ship Using Gases or Other Lowflashpoint Fuels Code (IGF Code) and validated to RINA Class Rules for hydrogen fueled ships, the RINA-approved FAT verified the package’s safety layers, control and monitoring logic, electrical integration, and engine behavior under representative duty profiles.

From dock to deep sea, Newlight proved its performance on a four-stroke engine used as genset at a shore-based test and on a two-stroke engine used as main propulsion for a yacht on a sea trial. Greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions were demonstrated while retaining confident control of the engines through real-world sea conditions and load swings, up to full open-water passages. Newlight validated precise hydrogen-blend injection timing, rock-solid load tracking, and continuous thermal/emissions monitoring - plus seamless, instant changeover between conventional fuel and hydrogen to maintain smooth engine performance with no downtime.

Over a focused four-day FAT program, Newlight exercised the full operating sequence of the hydrogen injection system end-to-end, demonstrating predictable transitions of system states, layered safety in line with applicable regulations, and calm, proportional responses to any alerts. Emergency stops worked from both local and remote controls, and fire and leak detectors were verified to support a safe, easy-to-maintain installation.

In collaboration with lomarlabs, Lomar, and AURELIA, Newlight’s solution is now ready for retrofit on a commercial vessel with all interfaces set, layouts optimized, and approved according to class rules.

With FAT complete, Newlight now moves into Harbor Acceptance Testing (HAT), which will be conducted under RINA’s supervision, during commissioning of the first vessel.

Leadership and partner perspectives

Haran Cohen Hillel, Co-Founder & CEO, Newlight, said: “This milestone shows our hydrogen systems behave exactly as a ship operator expects - clear states, consistent responses, and conservative safety margins - with measurable efficiency gains. Users of the system will immediately see less fuel per nautical mile and lower emissions without any downtime or sacrificing performance. We designed the system for engine rooms, and the package is ready to move from factory floor to the vessels.”

Evyatar Cohen, Co-Founder, Newlight, added: “What I’m most proud of is the discipline in the controls and safety stack. From the moment the system vents to the moment it injects, every step is validated, logged, and recoverable. Operators get straightforward modes, dependable changeover to conventional fuel, and a retrofit that drops into existing machinery without the need for any vessel modifications.”

Patrizio Di Francesco, North Europe Special Projects Manager, Principal Engineer, RINA, said: “Looking at the FAT results, I can confidently say that the solution is robust and safety-focused by design. Its detection, ventilation, segregation, and shutdown functions align well with the expectations outlined in the safety goals of the IGF code. The successful execution of this phase brings us closer to realizing fully integrated hydrogen systems that meet the stringent requirements of marine operations and international regulatory frameworks.”

Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director, lomarlabs, added: “Newlight shows exactly why lomarlabs exists - bringing bold ideas onto ships - offering founders a fast-rack to testing in real operating environments, to prove what works at sea. Our role is simple: we give founders access to expertise, experience and ships so that their technology can move at speed from whiteboard to shipboard.”

Raffaele Frontera, CEO, AURELIA, said: “Newlight’s technology stands out for its innovation and robustness. Our role has been engineering design integration—interfaces, layouts, routing, and commissioning plans that make the package ship-ready. This has been a united effort by a single team across companies, and the result shows.”

Why it matters

The maritime sector is moving to reduce emissions from existing fleets without sacrificing availability. By verifying the retrofit at factory level against the IGF Code and RINA Rules, Newlight gives shipowners a practical solution to adopt hydrogen-blend operation on existing in-service engines. The approach extends the life of the asset, avoids full powertrain replacement, and delivers immediate fuel savings and efficiency while fuel supply chains continue to develop. With HAT and the first installation imminent, Newlight is focused on repeatable integration: standard interfaces to main engines and auxiliaries, straightforward documentation, and commissioning playbooks that shorten time at the yard. READ MORE