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Introduction

  • The motivation for decarbonizing the maritime industry is introduced, highlighting greenhouse gas, NOx, and SOx emissions from global shipping. The pressure to significantly reduce emissions by 2050 compared to a business-as-usual scenario is explained.
  • Coastal shipping is focused on, with emphasis on its contribution to overall emissions and its reliance on smaller four-stroke diesel engines. The effects of wide operating profiles and unfavorable loading conditions on emission performance and fuel efficiency are explained.
  • The advantages of coastal shipping for decarbonization are discussed, including lower power requirements. The lower risk and easier adaptation of technologies such as fuel cells and batteries, compared to those on large ocean-going ships, are highlighted.
  • A hybrid propulsion system using hydrogen proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, batteries, and grid power is presented. Plug-in operation, energy storage, and the supply of auxiliary and propulsion loads are explained.
  • The role of deep reinforcement learning in planning hybrid powertrains is introduced, with a focus on maximizing efficiency while minimizing the degradation of fuel cells and batteries in hybrid systems.
Updated on Jan 18, 2026