H4PERION was proudly presented at SMM Hamburg 2026, one of the world’s leading international maritime events, bringing the project’s vision for cleaner, safer and more efficient shipping to the global maritime community.
The presentation introduced H4PERION’s ambitious approach to developing and demonstrating the safe, reliable and economically viable operation of an internal combustion engine running on hydrogen (H₂) and biomethane (CH₄) in an open-sea environment.
Covering the complete pathway from fuel to power, H4PERION is developing an integrated solution combining advanced fuel storage and handling, ultra-efficient combustion technologies and innovative exhaust aftertreatment. Together, these technologies aim to significantly reduce methane slip, CO₂, NOx, SOx and particulate matter emissions while supporting the transition towards near-zero-emission maritime operations.
The presentation also highlighted the important contribution of Wärtsilä and ABS within the H4PERION consortium. Wärtsilä leads key activities related to engine, fuel-system and emission-abatement technology development, integration and validation, helping bridge the gap between research and future commercial deployment. ABS leads the Approval in Principle (AiP) review for future vessel integration and the development of an approval roadmap, while also contributing to standardisation, safety assessment, training and demonstration activities.
Beyond technological development, H4PERION is addressing some of the key conditions required for the wider deployment of low- and zero-carbon fuels in shipping. These include safety and hazardous-scenario assessment, business-case development for additional vessel types, training for ship crews and port personnel, and contributions to future regulations, standards and recommendations.
Thank You to the Maritime Community
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who attended the H4PERION presentation, joined the discussion and showed interest in the project and its technologies.
Your participation, questions and engagement are invaluable as H4PERION works to connect research, industry, classification and the wider maritime community in accelerating the transition towards cleaner shipping.
We also warmly thank SMM Hamburg, our project partners and everyone who contributed to making H4PERION’s presence at the event possible.
We look forward to continuing the conversation and sharing the project’s progress as H4PERION moves forward towards the development and demonstration of innovative solutions for safe, efficient and near-zero-emission maritime propulsion.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101270728.
