In 2024, a team of students from the Liceo Industrial de Punta Arenas, in Chile, presented the "Lord Antarctic", a scale ship that runs on green hydrogen. The initiative, led by the teacher Javier Garay, was born in the framework of the Hidrogenios program, which seeks to train new generations around the industry of this clean fuel.
The ship uses fuel cells powered by green hydrogen, demonstrating the practical feasibility of this technology in maritime propulsion. "This project arises from the location and relationship that Magallanes has with the sea, whose main objective is not to pollute. It would be the perfect equation: ships that do not pollute and, at the same time, provide benefits to the country," said Garay.
The fundamental purpose of this type of proposal is to minimize the carbon footprint as much as possible, replacing traditional fossil fuels with a cleaner and renewable energy source. The production of green hydrogen, which is still at an incipient stage worldwide, responds to the growing challenge of addressing climate change and decarbonizing strategic sectors such as maritime transport.
Likewise, the project's promoters foresee that the model can be replicated in real size, which would allow its use in complex southern routes, such as the Strait of Magellan and Chilean Antarctica, opening new possibilities for sustainable navigation in extreme zones.
Yuliana Mercado, a student who participated in the creation and materialization of the initiative, expressed her enthusiasm for the impact generated by the Lord Antarctic: "It has been a very nice experience, many people have shown their support. We continue with the motivation to bring this ship to reality and to teach the new generations; the idea is to transfer this same energy to them. My dream is to be an electrical engineer, so that I can relate to science and then apply it to the ship".
A region committed to industry
Chile has emerged as an international benchmark in the development of green hydrogen, thanks to its geographical advantages for the production of renewable energy, especially wind and solar. This clean fuel is obtained by separating water using electricity generated from renewable sources, positioning itself as a key player in the decarbonization of the economy both locally and globally, and attracting investment and technological innovation.
In this context, Magallanes has played a fundamental role, because thanks to its climatic conditions and geographical location, it has positioned itself as a pole of attraction for the green hydrogen industry. Without going any further, since 2021, the first operational e-fuel plant in the world, Haru Oni of HIF, began operating.
