JAQ H2, the boat that produces hydrogen on board

One of the bottlenecks for hydrogen at sea is refuelling. Anderson Correia, president of IPT, has publicised JAQ H2, a 50-metre vessel planned for 2027 that will desalinate seawater and produce hydrogen on board, a project by Grupo Náutica with GWM Hydrogen, IPT and Itaipu Parquetec.

DNV data published by Manifold Times on 3 July 2026 show the scale: of the 137 orders for alternative-fuel vessels in the first half of 2026, one was for hydrogen, against 73 for LNG. The demand that would justify port hydrogen bunkering is still small.

Producing on board swaps dependence on the port for dependence on the electrolyser and the desalinator as critical systems of the vessel. Its predecessor, JAQ H1, uses MAN dual-fuel engines with up to 20% hydrogen in the diesel.

If the 2027 operation confirms performance, the country will have its own data on a model that dispenses with onshore infrastructure, which is what suppliers and shipowners need to assess scale.