France’s Green Navy takes wraps off hydrogen-fueled catamaran design
Written by Nick Blenkey
Production of green hydrogen fueled cat Prometeo is already underway in France. [Image: Green Navy]
La Forêt Fouesnant, France, headquartered Green Navy is set to unveil an innovative hydrogen fuel cell powered passenger catamaran design at next week’s Monaco Sustainable & Smart Marina Rendezvous event on September 24 and 25.
Green Navy says that it is collaborating with governments, research institutions and industry partners to showcase the advantages of hydrogen storage and fuel cell development across a range of marine applications from regular island hopping, to growing eco-tourism.
Called Prometeo, the catamaran is already under construction at the Merré shipyard in Nort-sur-Erdre, France, from where its twin catamaran hulls are set to be transferred to the Merré shipyard in Brest in spring 2024.
“Our team of engineers has re-engineered the propulsion system and the vessel architecture to reduce mass and optimize energy efficiency” says Green Navy CEO Charles Cardi. “Green Navy offers adaptable, efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for operators to buy or lease. Prometeo is carbon-free, silent, vibration-free, odor-free, and easily maneuverable – which makes it a pleasure for crews and passengers alike.”
“Our commitment to efficiency has seen us work closely with G-Sea Design on the ultimate precision of structural calculations,” says Cardi. “This has resulted in a lightweight catamaran with exceptional strength and rigidity – tested in all weather conditions and in passenger/cargo/ and combined configurations. We have a clean technology vessel that is carbon-free with low energy consumption, offers full marine capacity, is made in France and available at short notice. But what really differentiates Green Navy is our flexibility. Our electro-hydrogen solution is uniquely adaptable to every operator’s budget. Any size of craft can be built with a carefully calculated and optimized weight/performance ratio that dictates the number of batteries and hydrogen containers required.”
In addition, Green Navy says that it has developed an innovative transmission system, with an optimized gearbox that develops greater torque at reduced speed, thus improving efficiency and making it easier for the crew to operate
Meantime, the company is, at this stage, releasing few technical details on Prometeo, though it says it will be powered by green hydrogen and its website indicates that the vessel will be propelled by two 115 kW motors powered by Toyota fuel cells combined with intermediate storage batteries.
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