Greenpeace is undertaking one of its most ambitious projects aimed at global awareness and the fight against climate change, trusting Freire Shipyard to make it real.
The construction of its new flagship will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to reduce emissions in the maritime industry while bringing together the most advanced emission-reduction technologies within a single project.
Greenpeace’s new vessel is a 75-meter sailing ship with capacity for 38 people, designed to circumnavigate the globe, including polar waters with the presence of ice (Polar Class 7). She will be capable of operating helicopters and drones from its flight deck, deploying auxiliary boats in adverse sea conditions, and supporting scientific campaigns using ROVs, AUVs, submersibles, and onboard laboratories. The vessel will also serve as an operational base for working, training and celebrating conferences in different ports, thanks to its accommodation and conference spaces.
Its main propulsion comes from two almost 1,746 square meter sails. The ship will also generate electricity while sailing, through two variable-pitch propellers coupled to two generators. For electrical power generation, the ship will have four dual-fuel generators and four proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The generators are designed to operate on methanol, while the fuel cells will use hydrogen, which will be stored below deck in 72 tanks at 250 bar of pressure. Solar panels mounted on the bridge will provide an additional energy source. From launch, the new Greenpeace ship will be as close as possible to fossil fuel free and be futureproofed to become 100% fossil free as soon as supply chains and logistics allow.
The electrical energy produced onboard through any of these sources will be stored in lithium-ion battery banks and can be used to support the main power source during navigation, to absorb load peaks optimizing overall system efficiency, or by providing additional power when needed.
