The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Maritime Administration:
(WASHINGTON) — The Maritime Administration (MarAd) is testing state-of-the-art, environmentally efficient technology onboard the training ship (TS) Kennedy. The National Defense Reserve Fleet vessel was provided to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy by MarAd for cadet training.
This one-year undertaking is part of a MarAd initiative to test fuel cells as a source of power for shipboard electrical systems. Researchers will evaluate the performance of the fuel cell technology and how low sulfur marine diesel fuel can be used to efficiently power a fuel cell to produce auxiliary power. Unlike using low sulfur fuel in diesel engine generators to provide electrical power, the system produces no harmful air emissions.