ST Engineering Plans Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tugboat Trial in Singapore Under MPA Oversight
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ST Engineering is developing a containerised hydrogen electrolyser and fuel-cell propulsion package for installation on a newbuild tugboat in Singapore, in a trial designed to test the viability of hydrogen as a zero-emission power source for harbour vessels. The project, overseen by Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority, will adapt ST Engineering's proven onshore HubGen technology for marine certification and use it to drive two electric thrusters on the vessel, with delivery of the completed trial platform expected in 2028 or 2029.
Technology Background and HubGen Platform
The foundation of the trial is ST Engineering's HubGen containerised hydrogen electrolyser and fuel-cell package, which has been developed for onshore power generation applications up to 1 MW. The HubGen system integrates hydrogen production through electrolysis with fuel-cell power generation in a single containerised package, a design approach that simplifies installation and supports modular deployment across different platform sizes. Adapting this proven onshore technology for marine certification requires meeting the additional requirements of the maritime environment, including vibration tolerance, saltwater exposure resistance, safety standards for hydrogen storage and handling on vessels, and integration with marine-grade electrical and propulsion systems. ST Engineering team leader Junwei Fan has confirmed that the trial includes developing a marine-certified hydrogen-fuelled propulsion package built on the existing HubGen technology to drive the two electric thrusters that will power the trial tugboat.
Singapore's Broader Hydrogen Maritime Programme
The tugboat trial sits within Singapore's strategic effort to reduce emissions from harbour and service vessels, a programme coordinated through the Maritime and Port Authority. Singapore has positioned itself as a leading hub for alternative marine fuel development and testing, with the MPA providing regulatory frameworks that enable controlled trials of hydrogen, methanol, ammonia, and battery electric propulsion on operational vessels in the port environment. The involvement of an MPA-supervised trial structure gives the ST Engineering programme a clear pathway toward regulatory validation that would be necessary before hydrogen fuel cell technology could be deployed more broadly across Singapore's harbour fleet. The small newbuild tugboat being acquired specifically for the trial will provide a controlled platform for testing marine-certified hydrogen propulsion under real operational conditions in Singapore's busy port environment.
Fast Ferry Retrofit as Parallel Development
In parallel with the tugboat trial, ST Engineering Marine received an approval in principle from class society RINA in April 2026 for a hydrogen fuel cell retrofit of Asean Raider I, a 25-metre aluminium fast passenger ferry operated by BatamFast. The AiP covers a HubGen hydrogen fuel-cell system supported by lithium-ion batteries, and ST Engineering deputy president for marine Lim Nian Hua has described it as a key feasibility milestone in expanding the company's retrofitting capabilities and as validation of the robustness of the retrofit concept and the engineering expertise to safely integrate new hydrogen technologies into existing vessels. The two programmes together, one a newbuild trial tugboat and one a passenger ferry retrofit, reflect a deliberate strategy to develop and validate hydrogen propulsion across different vessel types and use cases simultaneously, accelerating the accumulation of operational data and regulatory precedent.
Implications for Harbour Vessel Decarbonisation
The ST Engineering project is commercially significant because harbour tugboats and service vessels represent one of the more tractable near-term opportunities for hydrogen propulsion in the maritime sector. Their operating profiles, characterised by intensive short-duration power demands in port combined with extended idle periods, are reasonably well matched to the performance characteristics of hydrogen fuel cell systems, which can deliver high power output with zero direct emissions and recharge or refuel during idle periods between jobs. If the Singapore trial demonstrates that marine-certified hydrogen fuel cell propulsion is operationally reliable and commercially viable in the harbour tug context, it would provide a credible reference case for port authorities, tug operators, and regulators in other jurisdictions evaluating how to decarbonise their own harbour fleets. Given Singapore's global influence in shipping policy and its role as a major bunkering and maritime services hub, a successful hydrogen tug demonstration in the port would carry significant signalling value for the wider maritime decarbonisation agenda.
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This article was contributed by an external writer affiliated with our publication.
