In the United States (US), Newlight Marine Technologies Inc. (Newlight), a developer of marine hydrogen fuel solutions, has announced the successful completion of Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) for its hydrogen retrofit package for two- and four-stroke main diesel engines that enable greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions – in a major step from prototype to ship installation.
The system allows existing diesel engines to operate on a blend of hydrogen and conventional fuel, reducing carbon emissions without the need to replace the entire engine.
From dock to deep sea, Newlight proved its performance on a four-stroke engine used as genset at a shore-based test and on a two-stroke engine used as main propulsion for a yacht on a sea trial.
Newlight validated precise hydrogen-blend injection timing, rock-solid load tracking, and continuous thermal/emissions monitoring – plus seamless, instant changeover between conventional fuel and hydrogen to maintain smooth engine performance with no downtime.
Greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions were demonstrated while retaining confident control of the engines through real-world sea conditions and load swings, up to full open-water passages.
This milestone shows our hydrogen systems behave exactly as a ship operator expects – clear states, consistent responses, and conservative safety margins – with measurable efficiency gains. Users of the system will immediately see less fuel per nautical mile and lower emissions without any downtime or sacrificing performance. We designed the system for engine rooms, and the package is ready to move from the factory floor to the vessels, said Haran Cohen Hillel, Co-Founder and CEO of Newlight.
Designed and built to the International Code of Safety for Ship Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels Code (IGF Code) and validated to RINA Class Rules for hydrogen-fueled ships, the RINA-approved FAT verified the package’s safety layers, control and monitoring logic, electrical integration, and engine behavior under representative duty profiles.
Looking at the FAT results, I can confidently say that the solution is robust and safety-focused by design. Its detection, ventilation, segregation, and shutdown functions align well with the expectations outlined in the safety goals of the IGF code. The successful execution of this phase brings us closer to realizing fully integrated hydrogen systems that meet the stringent requirements of marine operations and international regulatory frameworks, said Patrizio Di Francesco, North Europe Special Projects Manager, Principal Engineer at RINA, an international company specializing in inspection, certification, and engineering consultancy.
Four-day FAT program
Over a focused four-day FAT program, Newlight exercised the full operating sequence of the hydrogen injection system end-to-end, demonstrating predictable transitions of system states, layered safety in line with applicable regulations, and calm, proportional responses to any alerts.
Emergency stops worked from both local and remote controls, and fire and leak detectors were verified to support a safe, easy-to-maintain installation.
In collaboration with lomarlabs, the technology development arm of Lomar Shipping, Lomar Shipping Ltd (Lomar), a leading ship owner and ship management group and a maritime subsidiary of Libra Group, and AURELIA Holding BV (AURELIA), a Dutch naval architecture and marine engineering company specializing in green technology design integration on board of ships, Newlight’s solution is now ready for retrofit on a commercial vessel with all interfaces set, layouts optimized, and approved according to class rules.
Newlight shows exactly why lomarlabs exists—bringing bold ideas onto ships – offering founders a fast track to testing in real operating environments, to prove what works at sea. Our role is simple: we give founders access to expertise, experience, and ships so that their technology can move at speed from whiteboard to shipboard, said Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director, lomarlabs.
With FAT complete, Newlight now moves into Harbor Acceptance Testing (HAT), which will be conducted under RINA’s supervision, during commissioning of the first vessel.
Newlight’s technology stands out for its innovation and robustness. Our role has been engineering design integration—interfaces, layouts, routing, and commissioning plans that make the package ship-ready. This has been a united effort by a single team across companies, and the result shows, said Raffaele Frontera, CEO of AURELIA.
Enable the life extension of existing assets
The maritime sector is moving to reduce emissions from existing fleets without sacrificing availability.
By verifying the retrofit at the factory level against the IGF Code and RINA Rules, Newlight gives shipowners a practical solution to adopt hydrogen-blend operation on existing in-service engines.
The approach extends the life of the asset, avoids full powertrain replacement, and delivers immediate fuel savings and efficiency while fuel supply chains continue to develop.
With HAT and the first installation imminent, Newlight is focused on repeatable integration: standard interfaces to main engines and auxiliaries, straightforward documentation, and commissioning playbooks that shorten time at the yard.
What I’m most proud of is the discipline in the controls and safety stack. From the moment the system vents to the moment it injects, every step is validated, logged, and recoverable. Operators get straightforward modes, dependable changeover to conventional fuel, and a retrofit that drops into existing machinery without the need for any vessel modifications, commented Evyatar Cohen, Co-Founder of Newlight.
