Namibia now has its first heavy-duty freight service powered by locally generated green hydrogen. The dual-fuel hydrogen combustion engine from BeHydro has been installed in the locomotive for the Walvis Bay–Windhoek route.
This 2,250-horsepower dual-fuel engine, developed through CMB.TECH’s partnership with Anglo Belgian Corporation, can run on both diesel and green hydrogen. It is based on a reliable platform designed for marine, rail, and power generation — now adapted to fit an existing locomotive chassis at Traxtion’s workshops in South Africa.
This exemplifies practical decarbonization: no need for new rolling stock or major infrastructure changes. We have a retrofitted locomotive with a dual-fuel combustion engine, and the hydrogen is produced off-grid at our facility in Walvis Bay. The hydrogen will be stored in interchangeable 20-foot containers on a specialized fuel tender, ensuring minimal downtime during operations.
Our technology enables the conversion of existing locomotives to dual-fuel hydrogen with minimal technical alterations, ensuring durability and simplicity. Building on a proven rail concept designed for Namibia’s demanding conditions, this sensible and economical strategy also allows for quick scalability — enabling the rapid conversion and deployment of fleets without interfering with ongoing operations.
Assembly is underway at Traxtion’s facilities in South Africa. We eagerly anticipate sharing additional updates as we approach the operational trial phase.
This project is a collaboration among CMB.TECH Namibia, TransNamib Holdings Limited, and Africa Global Logistics.Logistics.
