The 122-year-old Compagnie Maritime Belge is preparing for the fuel revolution with the latest vessel in its fleet, the world's first passengership powered by hydrogen.
The 16-passenger Hydroville, christened in November, has been under development since June 2016.
It will be used to shuttle CMB employees between Kruibeke and Antwerp during rush hour to avoid the traffic jams.
CMB also plans to host meetings and social events on the catamaran, as well as use it to demonstrate the new technology.
The Hydroville "is first and foremost a pilot project to test hydrogen technology for applications in large seafaring ships", CMB says.
Hydrogen fuel cells and batteries have been tested as a source of cleaner propulsion.
But CMB says it opted for combustion engines because batteries would be economically unfeasible due to their weight and size.
Fuel cells offer more possibilities, but their high cost makes them less suitable for large-scale commercial transport.
