In a world’s first, a commercial hydrogen-powered cargo vessel will make its maiden voyage later this year. Developed by French shipowner Compagnie Fluvial Transport (CFT), the vessel will be the world’s first cargo ship to run on hydrogen and is set to be deployed on the river Seine in Paris.

The hydrogen cargo vessel will operate on compressed hydrogen produced from electrolysis, paving the way for more local zero-emission transport to be developed in the near future. Designed to only operate on inland water routes, the vessel will be tasked with moving goods on pallets and containers along Paris’s iconic urban river.

The boat has been developed as part of the European project Flagships, which aims to accelerate the development of zero-emission waterborne transport. The EU recognizes the decarbonization of the shipping industry as key to tackling climate change, so the union awarded the project $5.9m in funding in 2018.

“The demand for more sustainable technologies in inland waterway transport is on the rise,” said Matthieu Blanc, CFT Director. “As part of the Flagships project, we are happy to be leading the way on reducing emissions from transport and demonstrating the superior features of hydrogen fuel cells in waterborne applications.”