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19th to 21st of May 2026
19th, 20th & 21st
MAY 2026
- CONFIRMED DATES -

SOERMAR unveils the HIDRAM project at the technical sessions of NAVALIA

The project aims at decarbonising maritime transportation through hydrogen storage solutions by generating green ammonia as a multi-purpose fuel, and it will conclude on December 31st of this year

SOERMAR (Society for the Study of Maritime Resources) will present the HIDRAM project at the technical sessions of NAVALIA 2024, aiming to decarbonise maritime transportation through hydrogen storage solutions by generating green ammonia as a multipurpose fuel. Its objective is to develop innovative technologies related to the hydrogen and ammonia value chain, while simultaneously boosting the R&D&I capacity of the Spanish industry related to the hydrogen value chain applied to the maritime sector.

The project, which received a positive resolution for the call of the Science and Innovation Missions Program of 2022, developed under Mission 4, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, will conclude on December 31st, 2024.


The consortium is composed of a multidisciplinary group consisting of five partners: three SMEs - Advanced Thermal Devices (ATD), Jalvasub Engineering (JALVASUB), and Ventor Innovations (VENTOR) -; and two medium-sized companies - Astilleros de Mallorca (MALLORCA), the project coordinator, and Astilleros Francisco Cardama, S.A (CARDAMA) - . Additionally, this consortium involves three research organizations: the Institute of Ceramics and Glass (ICV-CSIC), the Fluid Physics Laboratory of the Distance Education University (UNED), and the Cidaut Foundation (CIDAUT), as well as the entity representing private shipyards in R&D&I matters, SOERMAR, which is actively promoting and collaborating in the development of new technologies for decarbonizing maritime transportation.

To achieve the objectives of the HIDRAM project, intensive work is underway on the development of a pioneering demonstrator in Europe for the storage of green hydrogen in green ammonia, including the synthesis of ammonia from green hydrogen and two technologies for its conversion into electricity: one based on PEM multifuel fuel cells of hydrogen/ammonia, adapted to the maritime sector, and another based on SOFC ammonia fuel cells. There is also ongoing work on the design of a pioneering solution for ship electrification using ammonia as fuel, for which the advanced conceptual design of integrating the demonstrators developed in the project into two operational vessels will be developed. At the same time, efforts are being made in defining a Scaling Model, which will allow the evaluation of the integration of demonstrators into ships and port facilities.


At the Technical Sessions of NAVALIA corresponding to this project, presentations on the progress achieved to date in each of its demonstrators will be delivered, highlighting:

  • ATD has successfully demonstrated the possibility of synthesizing ammonia at low pressure in small to medium-scale plants with marginal energy costs similar to those of large plants and is uncovering new possibilities that could lead to significant improvements, as well as an ammonia dissociator for obtaining high-purity hydrogen used in the PEM fuel cell of JALVASUB..
  • JALVASUB has built a full-scale single cell to test MEA configurations and optimize the performance of the multifuel fuel cell that will operate with both hydrogen and ammonia.
  • VENTOR has made progress in the development of new composite materials for various components of fuel cells as well as hydrogen and ammonia tanks.
  • SOERMAR, together with MALLORCA and CARDAMA, has conducted a study to determine two ship prototypes for the conceptual integration of the demonstrators developed in the project and has analyzed the regulatory framework for the conceptual design of the integration of the demonstrators, which has already commenced.

Finally, it is worth highlighting that HIDRAM is based on unprecedented industrial technology and will position the participating partners at the forefront of clean and sustainable energy development for maritime transportation through their actions in driving and developing zero-emission energy vectors and propulsion systems, as well as the development of efficient innovative solutions and technologies for green ammonia storage and generation. Additionally, the new technologies developed by this project will create business opportunities for Spanish shipyards through the technology transfer that will take place.