Offshore Experience

At the Offshore Experience 2025 in Den Helder, we hosted a vibrant and thought-provoking session on one of the most essential topics in the hydrogen transition: safety in ports.

Our project coordinator Joshua Dauda (New Energy Coalition) opened the session with a presentation on the NSH2V Ports project, highlighting why safety must be the foundation for any port that wants to handle hydrogen.
Because without safety, there are no permits, and without collaboration, there’s no progress.

As hydrogen enters ports and the wider maritime sector, it brings both opportunity and complexity. Integrating hydrogen safely often means rethinking port layouts, workflows, and operational culture, all while keeping day-to-day port activities running smoothly. The challenge is not only technical — it’s organisational and cultural.

Key themes from the discussion
Together with our panel, Saša Marinić (TotalEnergies), Martin Koelman (Seekable), René van der Kloet (Vicoma) and Wim Derksen (Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied) and under the moderation of Ellen van der Veer (EVC Strategy), we explored the question: how do we design, operate and regulate hydrogen safely in ports?

Drawing from real-world experiences and lessons learned, the discussion touched on:

• Design vs. operation: Safe design alone isn’t enough; safety depends on day-to-day operation, training and continuous supervision.
• Detection technologies: Ports can use advanced monitoring, digital twins and continuous detection systems to embed readiness into operations.
• Permitting and governance: The fastest route to safe and efficient permitting is collaboration between developers, authorities and emergency services from the very start.
• Culture and learning: Safety isn’t a checklist — it’s a mindset. Building a “safety culture” across ports, companies and regulators is key for scaling hydrogen with confidence.

These insights reflect one clear conclusion: hydrogen safety is not a barrier, but the platform that makes progress possible.
With shared standards, open collaboration and a culture of learning, ports can turn hydrogen safety from risk to routine, enabling the maritime sector to decarbonize safely and efficiently.

A big thank you to all speakers, partners and participants for contributing to such an open and insightful session. Together, we’re building the foundation for safe, scalable hydrogen in Europe’s ports.

Read the full article here: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/ns-h2v-ports/hydrogen-safety-in-ports-from-risk-to-routine