Born and brought up in Egypt, Abdelhakim gained a master’s degree in Power Electronics from Alexandria University in 2013, followed by a PhD from the University of Padua, Italy, in 2019. He joined the ABB Corporate Reseach Center (CRC) in Västerås, Sweden in late 2018 as a Scientist. He was promoted to Senior Scientist and later to Principal Scientist, driving R&D around power electronics in energy storage and hydrogen systems. In his current role as Global Product Manager, Fuel Cell Solutions at ABB Marine & Ports since May 2024, he remains based in Västerås, Sweden.
I bucked the trend but it paid off; with electrification everything's about power electronics!
A power electronics guy to the core
"I got hooked on power electronics from my very first undergraduate course. Drawing old-school circuit diagrams on paper working out the currents and voltages was great fun! I came to appreciate that power electronics and power conversion are fascinating tools to learn about almost any application – from chargers for electric vehicles to motor drives, control systems, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid,and way more. I don't just like power electronics, I love it!"
Coming top of his class in his BSc, Abdelhakim was offered an assistant teaching position at Alexandria University as a natural springboard to masters and doctoral degrees. "At the time, most of my associates were into power distribution systems, and a lot of them went to Canada to do PhDs. I bucked the trend but it paid off; with electrification everything's about power electronics!"
Curiously, there are no engineers in his family. "We have some doctors and chemists but no engineers – yet. I guess I inherited my logical mind from my father, who is retired now but as a skilled and brilliant technician could take apart and reassemble a diesel engine single-handedly. And I'm talking about megawatt machines."
I was especially excited to join the race to electrify maritime transport.
No hesitation
During his time in Padua, Abdelhakim became familiar with ABB and decided to apply to the ABB Corporate Research Center because its research focuses on developing tangible products, not just theory. "Given the chance to move to Sweden I didn't hesitate for a second. And I was especially excited to join the race to electrify maritime transport. As fuel cell technology is still in its infancy compared to other mature technologies, I can apply my knowledge and hopefully leave my mark."
His position carries broad responsibilities. "I take care of all strategy-related topics, support marketing communications and interactions with customers, strengthen relations with suppliers and help to prioritize R&D activities that serve the product roadmap."
He says it is crucial to keep product strategies aligned firstly with the wider Electric Solutions product group, then the entire Marine Systems Business Line and, of course, at ABB Group level. "Close communication is essential, otherwise things can drift in different directions."
As one of the very early movers and pioneering in fuel cell integration since 2017, ABB Marine & Ports has significantly pushed this toward developing multi-megawatt (MW) concepts integrating fuel cell stacks and centralized Balance of Plant (BOP).
Electric Solutions acts a marine electric system integrator, integrating everything from various power sources, e.g. fuel cells, to different propulsion solutions, in addition to power and energy management solutions. "The scope for me and my fuel cell team starts at the fuel cells and surrounding subsystems, integrating all these units into a larger whole including power converters, power and energy management, safety systems, etc."
As one of the very early movers and pioneering in fuel cell integration since 2017, ABB Marine & Ports has significantly pushed this toward developing multi-megawatt (MW) concepts integrating fuel cell stacks and centralized Balance of Plant (BOP). Besides, the company has many other innovations related to power and energy management and optimization, and how to split the power between the different power sources to enhance the entire system performance, for example fuel cells with batteries or gensets.
The big picture is about energy efficiency but from both operational and integration standpoints, fuel cells are agnostic, Abdelhakim says. "Whether it's with AC or DC systems, LV or MV levels, or shaft generators, we can integrate fuel cells in a wide variety of systems that we offer to customers, both for newbuilds and retrofits."
Other fuel technologies that can be used with fuel cells include ammonia, methanol, and even LNG. "There are solid oxide fuel cells, low and high temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, ammonia crackers and methanol reformers. These technologies are still at different Technology Readiness Levels (TRLS), but there are suppliers for all of them. At ABB we do integrate different technologies from different suppliers, considering different customer needs and challenges."
Market drivers and outlook
The key drivers for fuel cells are shipping companies' sustainability targets and decarbonization efforts, in line with the IMO's 2050 target. "Fuel cells, particularly when combined with green hydrogen produced using renewable energy such as wind or solar, offer a promising pathway toward achieving near zero emissions, from fuel production to utilization – well to wake or renewables to propulsion in other words," Abdelhakim says, highlighting the IMO's focus on the entire emission history of fuel production along with the current regulations in the EU.
"This has triggered a big push firstly toward low-emission hydrogen production, incorporating some carbon capture, and ultimately toward green hydrogen. The availability of low-emission and green hydrogen will drive greater utilization of fuel cells and batteries, so increasing penetration of renewables is essential to advancing electrification."
However, it's a chicken or egg situation right now with regard to fuel availability. "You need demand and commitment to enable increasing hydrogen production, and sufficient production to secure the demand. These have to go hand in hand, and I expect an exponential increase in both over the next five to ten years as we see more and more regulations, policies, and investments."
He admits the market has been slow so far, but given investments being made in different countries in hydrogen production, grants and funding for hydrogen utilization projects, and the development of supporting policies, for example for green corridors, "I believe we're on the right track but more efforts are still needed."
Potential first movers
The cargo and energy segments are leading the push for high power fuel cell installations. "Some ship owners even aim to reach net-zero by 2040. But we're also seeing enquiries from other segments, including passenger segment."
We are proud of that capability, and when we achieve greater scale, we will have much more operational data to figure out how we can optimize other aspects like lifecycle maintenance.
He stays attuned through listening to customers' needs and challenges while also monitoring technology developments. "This allows us to show how ABB can provide them with solutions they may not yet have considered – in effect opening their eyes to new possibilities for the integration of all vessel systems, not just sticking in a fuel cell. Our main focus is megawatt installations, but we take discussions case by case and we do integrate smaller ones as well."
As ABB Marine & Ports’ products are supplier-agnostic, they can recommend customers the solutions that best meet the needs of their vessels. "But right now our different fuel cell solutions are still in the introduction or ramping up phase. There are some technical challenges and opportunities with larger systems, but we are in the process of dealing with these. We are proud of that capability, and when we achieve greater scale, we will have much more operational data to figure out how we can optimize other aspects like lifecycle maintenance."
Cost factor
Fuel cell technology is still experiencing higher Capex compared to traditional combustion engines but what really matters is the total cost of ownership and we are seeing interesting cost levels on volumes. "Minimal carbon taxes under the FuelEU regulation will also boost the potential of fuel cells because there are reduced or no emissions, also enabling operations in Emission Control Areas (ECAs). Even if you use hydrogen internal combustion engines, as of today, it's still of low TRL and there are still some emissions. This contrasts with the minimal operational environmental impact of a pure fuel cell-driven ship."
Further benefits include significant reduction in noise and vibrations. "You still have some BOP running around the fuel cells but nothing compared to the noise and vibrations of diesel engines," Abdelhakim adds.
Vessel design implications
Different alternative fuels will impose different design requirements because of their volumetric energy density compared to Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) or LNG. Hydrogen has lower volumetric energy density than, for example LNG, requiring more space to store the same amount of energy.
"Designers have to consider the energy requirements of the vessel and how frequently it will need to refuel. Some vessels have been storing way more than what is needed. That's one aspect. The second aspect, looking at the entire energy efficiency picture, as we move toward more efficient propulsion solutions like ABB Azipod® and ABB Dynafin versus traditional single-shaft propulsion, less energy will be required to move the ship. Fuel cells versus combustion engines are more efficient at both rated and full power, and much more so at partial loads, which generates a lot of opportunities to optimize overall vessel design.
The safety dimension
Safety is of course extremely important for any technology being introduced to the market for the first time. "Some people will remain sceptical about safety until fuel cells become more widespread – just like batteries. However, class requirements for fuel cell systems have seen a big leap forward in 2023 and 2024, with many class societies now having their own guidelines for using different alternative fuels," Abdelhakim says.
He is confident that outstanding requirements for megawatt installations, including larger hydrogen or methanol storage onboard, will be solved in the next few years. "However, there will be still concerns over the toxicity aspect of ammonia, despite its higher energy density. Not everyone will want to work on a ship using stored ammonia as the fuel."
Implementation milestones
Before Abdelhakim assumed his current role, work had already been underway on the hydrogen-powered Zulu 06 barge, which was officially christened on 3rd December 2024 in France. "The demo vessel is part of the EU-funded FLAGSHIPS project and will be operated on the River Seine in Paris by Sogestran Group. We're also working on 3.2MW fuel cell installations on two container feeder vessels for Samskip, as well as some other very interesting projects. So we are definitely at the stage of theory becoming practice," he says.
Leading by example
Being a good listener and giving everyone the opportunity to share their ideas is at the heart of Abdelhakim’s leadership philosophy. "I try to lead by example, keeping the team engaged, taking ownership and pride in what we're doing. We also gather face-to-face, which means I travel a lot besides customers and suppliers-related travels. We have core locations in several countries across Europe, North America, and Asia. We are a huge team, so effective communication is essential."
Life hacks
During his time as an assistant teacher at the beginning of his career, Abdelhakim always made sure his students understood the importance of the basics and the physical meaning behind. "Don't just learn by heart and go for high scores. Think about the future and where you want to contribute. Never get stuck in the box; discover new ways to do things. And lastly, stay optimistic and stay human, despite all the crazy stuff happening in the world," is his message to younger aspiring engineers.
He adds that he keeps learning and exploring new things every day. "That's personally motivating, and it's exciting to be part of shipping's decarbonization journey. I am confident that I am helping in making tomorrow better and the world greener for our future generations, my lovely son included. "
"Away from work I of course enjoy spending time with my wife and my son and talking with my parents on the phone. Otherwise, I go to the gym and play table tennis and padel with my friends. It's the only thing that switches my mind off! And for holidays we like to go back to Egypt and visit my parents – especially in winter to get some much-needed sun."
