Ship powered by fuel cell expected in 2008
A German group plans to begin operating a fuel cell-powered riverboat in 2008.
Proton Power Systems, which is building the propulsion system, said the hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship would be capable of carrying up to 100 passengers and will operate on Hamburg's Alster River. It is 25 meters long and five meters wide.
The ship is funded by the European Commission and uses a fuel cell being used on buses.
Besides reducing pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, the ship will be much quieter, said Felix Heidelberg, chief executive officer of Proton Power.
'A candlelit dinner on deck will no longer be spoiled by the sound of groaning engines and the smell of exhaust fumes,” he added.
Other partners involved in the project include the tour boat operator Alster-Touristik, the gas company Linde, the City of Hamburg, the Hamburg transport authority, and the class society Germanischer Lloyd.
Ship powered by fuel cell expected in 2008
