For the past eight years, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has worked to develop the first-ever hydrogen-hybrid vessel, which would replace the diesel-powered Robert Gordon Sproul ship that was built in 1981.

The project relies on state and federal funding and was projected to be completed by 2029, but a recent cut to federal funding has brought the project to a halt.

”We’ve got a completely mature and ready-to-build design for this hydrogen-hybrid vessel,” Bruce Appelgate, the associate director of ship operations and marine technical support at Scripps, said Thursday.

Appelgate said creating a vessel like the hydrogen-hybrid has been in the works since 2017. After a feasibility study was completed on the project, around $35 million was awarded to the state speci

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