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Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Glosten has been awarded an approval in principle (AIP) by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the design of the University of California San Diego’s new hydrogen-hybrid Coastal-Class Research Vessel (CCRV). The CCRV will be operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and feature a propulsion system that utilises hydrogen fuel cells for zero-emissions operation.
Glosten and the project’s electrical integrator, Siemens Energy (SE), completed the preliminary design for the CCRV in March 2024. Glosten said that, as an uninspected, California Air Resource Board (CARB)-compliant, ABS-classed vessel and an alternative design under SOLAS, the CCRV faced a complex regulatory regime.
Glosten Marine Engineer Robin Madsen said the challenge was to align the requirements of a modern research vessel with evolving regulations and novel technologies for liquid hydrogen fuel. This was especially true in ensuring the machinery spaces and hydrogen systems were efficiently and safely arranged without compromising the utility of the vessel.
The CCRV will help Scripps and its researchers study the marine ecosystem along the California coast. The vessel will run entirely on emissions-free hydrogen fuel cells for 75 per cent of its missions.
