Netherlands Develops Hydrogen-Powered Superyacht

Built by the Dutch company Feadship and designed by RWD, Project 821 is "the world’s first" superyacht to utilize hydrogen fuel cells. Project 821 features dual-layer cryogenic fuel tanks capable of storing 4 tons of hydrogen, connected to 16 compact fuel cells.

However, despite the yacht being over 100 meters long, it cannot carry enough liquid hydrogen to power the entire voyage but can generate sufficient electricity to meet the hotel load. According to the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index, the hotel load accounts for 70-78% of the yacht’s total daily energy consumption, with heating and air conditioning being the largest contributors.

Project 821 also incorporates an efficient waste heat recovery system, which can heat all facilities such as the swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, air temperature, towel rails, and floors in guest bathrooms. Additionally, a smart air conditioning system will further reduce costs.

During long-distance voyages or when pure hydrogen is unavailable, the 3200 kW ABB pod drive system is powered by MTU generators that run on hydrogenated vegetable oil. These generators have been tested and validated on Feadship's "Obsidian" in 2023.

The yacht is currently located at the Feadship Amsterdam shipyard and is now being sold by Edmiston for €600 million ($647 million).

Jan-Bart Verkuyl, Director of Feadship and CEO of Royal Van Lent Shipyard, stated, "We have now demonstrated that the low-temperature storage of liquefied hydrogen inside a superyacht is a viable solution. For Feadship, the most important thing is to decarbonize upstream processes, such as our extensive use of aluminum produced in more environmentally friendly ways, as well as the production of net-zero carbon fuels or hydrogen carriers."