The world's first self-fueling boat left dock in Paris on Saturday, the beginning of a voyage which French engineers hope could mark the start of a revolution in seafaring technology.
The boat is called Energy Observer and it generates its own power via solar panels, wind turbines and a hydrogen fuel cell system. The hydrogen fuel powers the ship at night and is produced through electrolysis of sea water.
The 30.5-meter vessel was originally designed in 1983 for use in open-sea sailing races. A 5 million-euro ($5.25 million) refit by ship captains Frederic Dahirel and Victorien Erussard, with the help of a French research institute, converted it into the Energy Observer project.
