The MARINER project kicks off in Bergen
Mariner-HE has officially set sail in Bergen!
On a sunny day in the beautiful city of Bergen, Norway, the MARINER project officially kicked off with a consortium bringing together diverse expertise from across Europe to decarbonize maritime transport.
Our ambition?
To develop a 1 MW hydrogen-based fuel cell system that can be built in modules, making it suitable for a wide range of vessels and meeting the strict maritime requirements for performance, durability, safety, certification, and cost.
Why does this matter?
Because maritime transport carries around 90% of global trade and accounts for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, recent geopolitical tensions have highlighted Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels — reinforcing the need for resilient, homegrown clean energy solutions.
We were honored to open the meeting with welcome remarks from Kristin Flornes, EVP of Energy & Technology at NORCE Research, followed by inspiring words from our Project Officer Lionel Boillot from the EU Clean Hydrogen Partnership. The MARINER coordination team — Ulf Jakob Flø Aarsnes, Catherine Lourdes Dy, and Mette Stokseth Myhre (NORCE Research) then shared the project vision and roadmap.
But it wasn’t all slides and technical discussions!
Partners broke the ice with a fun “2 truths and 1 false project statement” game and a lively mapping activity facilitated by Dowel innovation, revealing surprising facts about their expertise and already connecting partners involvement in the project journey— setting the tone for strong collaboration ahead.
The afternoon focused on technical sessions covering system architecture, durability assessment, demonstration and validation, simulation and monitoring, scale-up strategies, and regulatory pathways.
We wrapped up the day with a group photo and a lovely dinner in the historic Bryggen district — a UNESCO World Heritage site — celebrating the start of what promises to be an exciting journey together.
The MARINER project is co-funded by the European Commission through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
Photo credits: Rune Rolvsjord (Norce)
