The world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial cruise ship plans to leave Iceland’s shore in April, allowing whale watchers a chance to take a day cruise on the “vessel of the future”.
Passengers aboard the aptly named “Elding” (meaning lightning in Icelandic) will embark on an eco-friendly voyage into whale territory. Currently, the 155-passenger ship itself may [...]

The world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial cruise ship plans to leave Iceland’s shore in April, allowing whale watchers a chance to take a day cruise on the “vessel of the future”.

Passengers aboard the aptly named “Elding” (meaning lightning in Icelandic) will embark on an eco-friendly voyage into whale territory. Currently, the 155-passenger ship itself may look like a sore site, but the plans to toss its diesel engine and replace it with that of a hydrogen-equipped one will make it the greenest sea-vessel yet — the latest sign that Iceland is pushing hard to become the first nation to break free from the constraints of fossil fuel.

Iceland is also home to the world’s first hydrogen refueling station, which was installed in 2003. The The North Atlantic country, with a population of just 300,000, has plans to convert its entire transportation system to hydrogen power is still reportedly on-track for a 2050 deadline.

The conversion of the Elding to hydrogen power will initially be confined to the use of a fuel cell to power the engine that runs its lighting, but for 43 euros ($62.26) a trip, the ship will offer whale-watchers unprecedented peace. When the crew spot whales at sea, the main engines will be shut down to let people hear the mammals swim and blow water.

The vessel will idle completely soundless, making the experience of seeing the whales in their natural habitat “even more magical”, says owner Vignir Sigursveinsson.

With global supplies of oil and gas dwindling each year and mounting worries about greenhouse gas emissions, the race to find an ideal green transportation fuel is gaining urgency. Since hydrogen can be made from plain water and produces only electricity and water vapor when burned, its backers see it as a prime candidate. But producing it from water takes electricity: according to 2005 data from the International Energy Agency, 67 percent of the world’s electric power still comes from non-renewable sources such as coal, gas and other fossil fuels.

Two-thirds of electricity in volcanic Iceland is already derived from renewable sources — its plentiful rivers and waterfalls and the geothermal heat that boils beneath its crust.

Countries including the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany and France are also exploring the fuel, but Iceland leads many with its progress on dry land. Full conversion will take time, as it will require drastic changes to infrastructure as well as affordable hydrogen cars (which are now as much as five times as expensive as conventional ones).