6 SEPTEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: TECHNOLOGY T echnology continues to be moving along at breakneck speed and the passenger vessel industry isn’t just holding on for the ride, it’s embracing these business-changing products and paradigms. In many cases, PVAmembers are finding themselves on the forefront on new technologies that have the potential to disrupt the way we used to think of operating commercial vessels. Alternative Fuels Some say that the end of fossil fuels is now in reach. PVA members Red and White Fleet, Bay Ship and Yacht, and Incat Crowther are working with other partners to build the nation’s first passenger vessel to be powered exclusively by hydrogen fuel cells. The vessel, Water-Go-Round, which was profiled in the July edition of FOGHORN, is expected to be completed in 2019. A website, watergoround.com, explains the project and the science behind the technology that will allow this ferry to develop. According to watergoround.com, fuel cell technology is unlike traditional combustion technologies that burn fuel. “Fuel cells undergo a chemical process to convert hy- drogen-rich fuel into electricity. Fuel cells do not need to be periodically recharged like batteries, but instead continue to produce electricity as long as a fuel source is provided. A fuel cell is composed of an anode, a cathode, and an elec- trolyte membrane. A fuel cell works by passing hydrogen through the anode of a fuel cell and oxygen through the cathode. At the anode site, the hydrogen molecules are split into electrons and protons. The protons pass through the electrolyte membrane, while the electrons are forced through a circuit, generating an electric current and excess heat. At the cathode, the protons, electrons, and oxygen combine to produce water molecules. Due to their high ef- ficiency, fuel cells are very clean, with their only by-prod- ucts being electricity, excess heat, and water. In addition, as fuel cells do not have any moving parts, they operate near-silently. Fuel cells are also scalable. This means that in- dividual fuel cells can be compiled on one another to form stacks, in turn, these stacks can be combined into larger systems. Fuel cell systems vary greatly in size and power, from portable systems for smartphone battery recharging, to combustion engine replacements for electric vehicles, to large-scale, multi-megawatt installations providing electric- ity directly to the utility grid.” Why use hydrogen? The website says, “Hydrogen is the simplest element consisting of only one proton and one electron. It is the most plentiful element in the universe and extremely high in energy. Hydrogen as a fuel source is similar to natural gas but does not contain carbon. Hydrogen fuel cells directly convert hydrogen to power with zero emissions. Hydrogen has been around for decades as a commodity with a proven track record for handling and safe usage in countless commercial/indus- trial applications.” The long and short of it is this: using technologically advanced research to build a vessel powered solely by hydrogen fuel cells means that Water-Go-Round’s only emission is water. Hydrogen fuel cells aren’t the only alternative fuels that Red and White Fleet is employing. President Tom Escher knows that today’s diesel isn’t the same as the diesel of days Innovative Technologies in the Passenger Vessel Industry By Karen Rainbolt, FOGHORN Managing Editor With the help of new technology, Enhydra, built by All American Marine for Red and White Fleet, is a electric-diesel hybrid vessel that goes into service this fall in San Francisco.