Hydrogen Powered Superyachts: Future or Fantasy?

Enter AQUA. The 112m liquefied hydrogen-powered superyacht engineered by Lateral in collaboration with Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design was announced at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019. The project attracted significant publicity after a false rumour later spread that Microsoft founder Bill Gates had bought the yacht. Discussions of sustainability are getting louder. From hybrid propulsion systems to lightweight, energy-efficient materials, almost every yacht builder or designer can pride themselves on making more effort to build more sustainably today than they did ten or 15 years ago. Very few of them however have gone so far as to lay out a feasible and industry-wide solution to achieve ‘zero’; zero carbon, zero emissions. This is exactly what James Roy and the rest of the team at Lateral Naval Architects have done. The only thing standing between James and his vision for the future? Some visionary yacht owners, an organised movement, and a multi-billion pound investment.