On May 4, 2024, as the dock doors of Feadship Amsterdam Shipyard slowly opened, the moment marked the beginning of an epochal change in the yachting industry.

Project 821, also known as Project 821, has successfully built the world's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered superyacht, ushering in a new green era. After five years of careful planning and unremitting efforts, the Feadship 821 project is not only a profound response to the fundamental question of the green technology potential of superyachts, but also demonstrates the firm pace of the yacht industry to move towards environmental protection.

Designed by RWD and represented by Edmiston on behalf of the owner, the yacht features a multi-domain zero-emission design designed to enable green cruising between port and anchorage, while using zero-emission electricity from green hydrogen to power the yacht's hotel loads and facilities. Jan-Bart Verkuyl, dockyard Director and CEO of Royal Van Lent Shipyard, said: "Our goal is not only to bring innovation to this project, but also to promote clean energy technologies on a global scale, contributing to the sustainable development of the world."

In Project 821, a cryogenic fuel tank has been cleverly integrated into the design, which is capable of holding 92 square meters of hydrogen (equivalent to about 4 tons of hydrogen). The yacht is also equipped with 16 compact and efficient fuel cells, which are closely connected to the DC grid's switchboard, ensuring a steady supply of energy. To ensure safety, the yacht is also equipped with vents to release water vapor generated during the electrochemical reaction. The integration of these technologies has increased the yacht's original specification length by 4 meters. It is worth mentioning that the fuel cells specially developed for Project 821 also have the significant advantage of being able to use methanol, a liquid fuel that is more stable under environmental conditions and easy to store. Before the electrochemical reaction of the fuel cell, methanol is first converted to hydrogen, thus achieving the perfect combination of environmental protection and practicality.

Feadship's research and development team has been actively exploring hydrogen energy as well as other fossil fuel-free options as part of the company's commitment to achieving a "net zero" yacht goal by 2030. Hydrogen fuel cell as a non-combustion power generation technology, its unique advantage is that its emissions are only pure water, almost no impact on the environment. Although hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles and fuel cells have been used for more than 60 years as the primary source of electricity for human spaceflight, hydrogen energy technology is still lacking in the maritime field. At present, neither classification societies nor the IMO International Maritime Organization have developed specific regulations regarding hydrogen storage and fuel cell systems. As a result, Feadship, together with partners such as Edmiston and Lloyd's Register, is actively seeking the support of industry experts to develop the right scale of equipment, develop relevant protocols, and promote the development of safety regulations for hydrogen energy technology in the maritime sector.Editor/Zhang Liyuan