The Horizon series reduces the shipping industry's emissions

The Horizon series is our single most important initiative for reducing the climate impact of shipping. We have a long tradition of using the latest technology and constantly modernising our fleet of ships. Gotlandsbolaget formulated the first concept ship back in 2009 with a clear ambition to achieve fossil-free crossings between Gotland and the mainland. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to reduce the climate footprint. The Horizon series is our most ambitious step so far – a step that we consider vital not only for us, but for society as a whole.

 

The Horizon vessels require significant investment and technological development, to secure supplies of fossil-free fuels but also to promote technical advances in shipping. This work is led by Gotland Tech Development, that works with investments and in collaborations to turn our ambitious goal into reality. We see that the development of hydrogen technology offers the greatest potential, because the energy consumption is competitive and the fuel mainly releases steam during combustion. Other fossil-free alternatives could also potentially be used to cut emissions and achieve a faster climate transition.

 

2021 saw the launch of our first hydrogen-powered concept ship: the Gotland Horizon, which marks Sweden’s first project for large-scale, hydrogen-powered transport of passengers and cargo by sea. In 2022 we launched the Gotland Horizon X, the world’s first large-scale, hydrogen-powered catamaran. 

Gas turbines for a faster journey

Gas turbines are the beating heart of the ships in the Horizon series. Combining this technology with steam turbines allows improvements on today’s speed and service, while at the same time cutting emissions and ensuring competitive energy consumption. Gas turbines have long been used in the industry, but only now will they be powered by hydrogen. This provides a unique opportunity to accelerate shipping’s climate transition.

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Our large-scale, hydrogen-powered catamaran

Gotland Horizon X is a high-speed catamaran that further shortens the distance between Gotland and the mainland, with a crossing time of less than three hours. The ship is the second in the Horizon series, based on gas turbines fuelled by hydrogen.

Read more about Gotland Horizon X Link.

Our first concept ship within the Horizon series

We are developing the Sweden’s first large-scale, hydrogen-powered vessel for passenger operations. With the Gotland Horizon we are setting our sights higher than ever, as we seek to revolutionise shipping by offering maritime transport with low emissions.

Read more about Gotland Horizon Link.

An effective way to extract as much energy as possible is to install a steam turbine after the gas turbine, in a “combined cycle”. This creates a system where it is possible to recover the thermal energy from the exhaust gases, in this case via steam, by adding a steam turbine in the ship’s funnel. The steam turbine generates electricity that can be made available on the ship for electric motors, chargers and other electrical devices. The result is greater efficiency and improved energy usage energy use.

Read more Link.