April 2003 - Nr. 4
Kiel Shipbuilder Unveils World’s First Fuel-Cell Powered Sub
TWIG - It can pace the sea for weeks without surfacing, silently slips past foes and will give the German navy the most advanced nuclear-free submarine fleet in the world. Germany’s largest shipbuilder, Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW), has unveiled what it described as the world’s first submarine to be powered by fuel-cell technology. The U31 submarine, the first of four in the company’s new 212A class being built for the German navy, was launched from the company’s shipyard in the northern city of Kiel for testing in the Baltic Sea on Monday (April 7).
The hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vessel runs on technology that converts oxygen and hydrogen to water and electricity. This ultra-quiet system emits neither heat nor sound, making it virtually impossible to detect - and void of harmful emissions. The 60-meter craft is also small enough to navigate narrow or shallow channels. "This is a quantum leap," said a German navy spokesperson.
The U31, which cost US$300 million to US$350 million to build, is expected to head for Norway in July for deep-water testing, before returning to Kiel next March for final fitting and delivery. HDW is a leading manufacturer of non-nuclear military submarines. The company, which also builds ferries, large yachts and specialist vessels, is increasingly concentrating on smaller, high-tech craft. Last year, a Chicago-based investment firm took a controlling interest in HDW.
