The Newlight hydrogen retrofit package, which allows existing two- and four-stroke diesel engines to operate on a blend of hydrogen and conventional fuel, has completed factory acceptance testing (FAT) under RINA supervision.
The system reduces carbon emissions without the need to replace the entire engine, as well as enabling greater fuel efficiency. FAT is considered a major step from prototype to ship installation.
Designed and built to the International Code of Safety for Ship Using Gases or Other Low flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code) and validated to RINA Class Rules for hydrogen fuelled ships, the RINA-approved FAT verified the package’s safety layers, control and monitoring logic, electrical integration, and engine behaviour under representative duty profiles.
Newlight has proved the system’s 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 optimised, and approved according to class rules.
With FAT complete, Newlight now moves into Harbour Acceptance Testing (HAT), which will be conducted under RINA’s supervision, during commissioning of the first vessel.
Haran Cohen Hillel, Co-Founder and 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, MD lomarlabs, added: “Newlight shows exactly why lomarlabs exists – bringing bold ideas onto ships – offering founders a fast-track 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.”
By verifying the retrofit at factory level against the IGF Code and RINA Rules, Newlight says it offers 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.
Image: Newlight’s RINA-approved hydrogen retrofit package will offer shipowners savings in carbon emissions without engine replacement (source: RINA)
