!["It is testimony to [the catamaran’s] pioneering design and its commercial applications."](https://www.thecooldown.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/image-345.jpg?w=1920&h=800)
In a promising development for the marine transportation industry, Renewable Energy Magazine reported that the French company Green Navy recently announced and presented "Prometeo" — its revolutionary vessel powered by electro-hydrogen propulsion, a hybrid energy system.
The catamaran is the first of its kind in Europe "to implement [electro-hydrogen propulsion] technology on board in the context of passengers and goods," according to Green Navy's website. The company also stated that by replacing fuel and oil with clean energy and installing innovative technology systems that lessen energy consumption, its "lightweight" commercial vessels will be "silent, odorless, and vibration-free" with "exceptional strength" and "superior efficiency."
Maritime cargo transport, integral to the global supply chain, is a "highly dynamic and complex system" involving many players, ports, processes — and potential problems, per Sinay, a technology corporation.
The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) detailed some of the distressing effects of marine travel on the environment: water contamination via oil spills and graywater discharge, disturbances and toxic chemical additions to undersea habitats and food chains, and the introduction of disruptive invasive species.
Like other traditional transportation methods (cars, trucks, and planes), standard shipping vessels powered by dirty energy sources release significant amounts of problematic air and noise pollution.
The harmful effects of pollution are visible through worrisome health outcomes, ecosystem damage, steep economic cost, and extreme weather that displaces communities and disrupts supply chains.
David Bartoletti, the general manager of Green Navy collaborator SECO Marine, said to Renewable Energy: "Hydrogen is a very promising energy vector … [it] provides a real answer to the decarbonization of vessels."
Prometeo joins a fast-growing lineup of sleek and sustainable transportation solutions, including electric vehicles, hydrofoiling ships, green aviation, and hyperloop infrastructure. That said, transit need not be complex or high-tech: biking, walking, and public transportation are all economic, efficient, and eco-friendly options.
Prometeo is currently under construction with a planned spring 2025 release. "It is testimony to [the catamaran's] pioneering design and its commercial applications that we are seeing great support," commented Green Navy CEO Charles Cardi to Renewable Energy. "Major operators want to be at the forefront of a new future in hard-working, low carbon, low noise, low fume, commercially attractive transport."
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