China's first H₂ ship, the "Three Gorges H₂ Boat No. 1", made its maiden voyage to Yichang City, Hubei Province. This maiden voyage represents a breakthrough in the application of H₂ fuel cell technology in inland navigation vessels.

The vessel, with a steel and aluminum composite structure, has a total length of 49.9 meters, a width of 10.4 meters and a draft of 3.2 meters. Powered by a 500-kW H₂ fuel cell, the ship reaches a maximum range of 200 kilometers.

After delivery, the vessel will be used for transportation, patrolling and emergency response purposes in the Three Gorges Reservoir region and between the areas between the Three Gorges and Gezhouba Dams.

The ship was jointly built by several companies, including China State Shipbuilding Corporation, China Yangtze Power Corporation and Jianglong Shipbuilding, and organizations including the Wuhan Changjiang Ship Design Institute and the Three Gorges Navigation Authority. In addition, it is the first H₂ boat certified by the China Classification Society.

In recent years, the use of new electric power propulsion technology has become a key focus in the development of environmentally friendly ships. H₂ energy does not generate pollution, in addition to being renewable and highly efficient. H₂ fuel cells can increase the energy efficiency of ships, eliminate their emissions and improve onboard comfort, making them ideal electric propulsion devices for green ships.

Compared to traditional fuel ships, the H₂ ship is expected to replace 103.16 t of fuel oil while reducing CO₂ emissions by 343.67 tpy. The ship can be refueled at the Three Gorges Green Electricity and Green H₂ Demonstration Station, located in Yangjia Bay in the lower reaches of the gorges.

The first H₂ production and refueling station open to China's inland waters, the facility uses clean electric energy generated by the Three Gorges Power Plant to electrolyze water and produce H₂ which will be directly supplied to ships H₂ after compression, storage and filling. The station can supply 240 kg/hr of H₂.