Baleària's CAP DE BARBARIA to become testbed for onboard renewable hydrogen generation

FerryBaleària will integrate Europe's first autonomous e-methanol power generation container into its electric ferry CAP DE BARBARIA. The system, called eNomad and manufactured by Catalan company Methanol Reformer, will be installed in the coming weeks following successful technical verification and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at Methanol Reformer's facilities.

The eNomad system is a compact, autonomous container designed to produce hydrogen by reforming e-methanol. This hydrogen will power a fuel cell to generate auxiliary electricity, which will support the ferry's battery recharging and reduce the need for conventional generators, consequently lowering fuel consumption and emissions.

The CAP DE BARBARIA, operating between Ibiza and Formentera since 2023, was designed to accommodate such a hydrogen system. The vessel functions as Spain's first electric passenger and cargo ferry with zero emissions during port approaches and stays. The integration of the eNomad system will transform the CAP DE BARBARIA into a real-life testbed for validating the performance of renewable hydrogen generation onboard a vessel under operational conditions.

Through this pilot project, part of the BUCEMTO project financed by Next Generation Funds, Baleària aims to evaluate methanol as a flexible energy vector for maritime transport. This includes assessing the potential of generating hydrogen in situ without requiring extensive supply infrastructure, the hydrogen's contribution to overall energy consumption, and the solution's scalability to other ships and routes within the company's fleet.