Deltamarin has joined H4Perion, an EU-funded Horizon Europe project coordinated by the University of Vaasa, aiming to accelerate the transition towards zero-carbon long-distance shipping through hydrogen-based technologies.
The four-year project brings together 16 partners from seven European countries across the maritime value chain – from ship design and engine development to vessel operation, classification, and research. The objective is to develop and demonstrate practical solutions that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining the high reliability required for long-distance maritime transport.
Decarbonising long-distance shipping remains a major challenge, requiring solutions that combine high energy capacity with operational reliability. Hydrogen is increasingly seen as a promising zero-carbon fuel, but its practical application at sea still needs to be proven. H4Perion addresses this by developing and demonstrating a hydrogen-capable internal combustion engine at full scale. The project brings together key elements such as fuel-flexible engine concepts, hydrogen supply systems and advanced emissions control.
These technologies will be tested both onboard Wasaline’s ferry Aurora Botnia and in parallel full-scale laboratory conditions, with the results feeding into future vessel and system development.
Beyond technological development, H4Perion addresses the broader ecosystem required for hydrogen adoption in shipping. The project includes activities related to safety, regulatory development, and training for crew and port personnel, supporting the safe and efficient implementation of new fuels in maritime operations. By combining expertise from across Europe, the project aims to establish new industry standards and create scalable solutions applicable across different vessel types.
Deltamarin contributes to H4Perion in two key areas. Firstly, supporting the integration design of the onboard installation and contributing to validating the achieved KPIs. Secondly, Deltamarin evaluates the transferability of the developed technologies by replicating them for different ship types, supporting scalability and broader industry application of the novel engine concept.
H4Perion brings hydrogen closer to practical use in large-scale maritime applications. By focusing on real-world demonstration and cross-industry collaboration, the project moves the sector closer to achieving ambitious climate targets and bringing zero-carbon solutions into practical maritime use.
Mia Elg, R&D Manager, Deltamarin, said: “H4Perion represents for us both an opportunity to be at the front row of developing next-generation engine concepts and it is also a continuation of our systematic development of digital modelling, enabling the introduction of new solutions to ships.”
Image: Ferry ‘Aurora Botnia’ will play a central part in H4Perion (credit: Wasaline/Kimmo Makkonen)
