A nearly 375 feet (114.2 m) long megayacht driven by methanol has been unveiled by Lürssen Yachts, a German boatbuilder well recognised for creating huge boats and yachts. The yacht, known as Project Cosmos, is now being built and should be finished by 2025.
A different approach
The marine sector is under pressure to abandon its methods for moving people and cargo that consume fossil fuels as the globe works to cut carbon emissions. Hydrogen fuel, which creates water as a byproduct when burned, is one of the alternatives that are being studied.
Yet, Lürssen Yachts warmed to the technology in a slightly different approach more than ten years ago. It uses a methanol-hydrogen fuel cell, which splits apart methanol to release hydrogen and then uses it to power the yacht, rather than using hydrogen directly. In this method, the ship can still use hydrogen as fuel without having to have hydrogen storage tanks.
Project Cosmos
The 375-foot yacht has recently finished its technical launch after three years of building. Although the ship is nothing close to being able to accommodate visitors, the structure gives us a hint as to what it might have to offer.
The framework, which was designed by Marc Newson, has been moved forward to create a massive aft deck. If the name Newson is recognisable, it’s because it was the same designer that created the approximately 460-foot-long (140-meter) superyacht Solaris for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Newson, an Australian, is also the one who gave the Apple Watch its current appearance in addition to his maritime ideas.
Luxury add-ons
In addition to the yacht’s swimming pool, another sizable cut-out is included in Newson’s design. It is currently unknown what he would store in his space, however, it may include a smaller vessel, possibly an electric one. Without emitting any carbon dioxide, the boat is predicted to slowly cruise for a distance of 1,000 miles or utilise the methanol-powered fuel cell to anchor for 15 days.
There is room for a helipad and a top viewing platform up on the bridge deck. Yusaka Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire businessman who may be most known for flying 2021 a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station, has ordered the explorer-styled boat.
He has also agreed to participate in SpaceX’s private Moon mission, which will use the company’s Starship and launch later this year. It’s also nice to see him make modest environmental improvements.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: Interesting Engineering
