Students compete in Monaco with ‘flying’ liquid-hydrogen boat
In the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, students from across the globe build and race boats powered by sustainable energy. Leiden public administration student Damiaan Bertrams has entered with a team from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).
The turquoise waters of Monaco will be a spectacular sight from 8 to 11 July, says Bertrams. Teams from 29 universities will compete in futuristic boats they’ve built themselves. ‘The challenge aims to inspire green innovation in the maritime world.’
Liquid hydrogen
While some boats will run on solar energy or methanol, the TU Delft Hydro Motion Team has come up with a first. ‘We’re the first and only team with a boat powered by liquid hydrogen. It’s an environmentally friendly fuel to use because the only by-product is water.’ It’s a promising fuel, but they need to tackle some technical challenges.
Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen (electrolysis) takes a lot of electricity, which isn’t very sustainable. But in potential, this is the fuel of the future, says Bertrams. The students are exploring alternative sources of liquid hydrogen to complement existing technologies.
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This year’s design -
The 2025 TU Delft team’s hydrofoil -
Working on a liquid hydrogen tank
Flying boat
There are more distinctive aspects to their design. The boat will be able to ‘fly’ thanks to the foil, a winglike structure beneath the hull that lifts it out of the water. But they’re not there yet. The boat is currently being built in a big warehouse in Delft. ‘The hull is finished’, says Bertrams. ‘We’ll continue building over the next few weeks, and in May we’ll test it on the water.’
Like a business
The team includes Marine Technology, Industrial Design, Aerospace Engineering students and more. How did a public administration student end up joining them? ‘I live in Delft and knew a few of the students on the team, and was immediately intrigued. My background in public administration proved to be a valuable addition. I manage partner relations, look for sponsorship opportunities and co-manage our budget. With 26 of us students, we’re effectively running a small business.’
Learning experience
Although he won’t earn any credits for the project, he wouldn’t miss the adventure for anything. ‘It’s an amazing learning experience for me personally, and it also serves an important goal: demonstrating that liquid hydrogen can play a key role in the future of transport.’
Next year, another TU Delft team will take up the challenge. Any interested Leiden students are welcome to get in touch, and who knows, their expertise might be exactly what the next team needs, says Bertrams. Interested? Mail Damiaan Bertrams