Hybrid hydrogen-diesel engine retrofit project moves ahead

Lomarlabs, the innovation arm of Lomar Shipping, has announced a strategic collaboration with Newlight, a technology company specialising in hybrid hydrogen-diesel engine retrofits, to accelerate the adoption of cost-effective, lower-emission solutions for the shipping industry. 

The collaboration will focus on retrofitting conventional diesel engines to operate on a hydrogen-diesel mix, reducing fuel consumption by 20% on average and significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Savings of up to 30% have already been demonstrated in workshop trials and this new collaboration will seek to replicate this onboard vessels.

Stylianos Papageorgiou, managing director of Lomarlabs, commented: “We believe in accelerating progress through energy efficiency improvements, emissions treatment and leveraging clean energy sources, always with a focus on maintaining costs at sensible levels. Newlight’s solution fits right into this approach. Decarbonisation isn’t about waiting for the perfect fuel; it’s about acting now with every viable tool at our disposal. Newlight’s dual-fuel retrofit technology promises an immediate, scalable and cost-effective way to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.”

Through this collaboration, Lomarlabs and Newlight will conduct a pilot installation scheduled for summer 2025 on board a Lomar vessel to collect data and carry out harbour and sea trials.

“Hydrogen has enormous potential as a maritime fuel, but transitioning entire fleets to pure hydrogen is a long-term challenge. We believe the industry cannot afford to wait. By taking immediate steps with the current fleet, we can decarbonise ship by ship—delivering real impact today,” said Haran Cohen Hillel, CEO of Newlight. “By retrofitting existing diesel engines to operate on a hydrogen blend, we provide an immediate, scalable solution that cuts emissions without requiring a complete overhaul of the propulsion systems.”