Super-stealth sub powered by fuel cell

The U212A is an ultra-advanced non-nuclear sub developed for the German Navy.Powered by a revolutionary hydrogen fuel cell, it is almost totally silent.Without the need for combustible fuel, the sub can remain submerged for weeks at time.

CNN's global series i-List takes you to a different country each month. In February, we visit Germany and look at changes shaping the country's economy, culture and social fabric.

Eckernfoerde, Germany (CNN) -- It is almost totally silent, radiates virtually no heat and is constructed entirely from non-magnetic metals.

Meet the U212A -- an ultra-advanced non-nuclear sub developed by German naval shipyard Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft, who claim it to be "the peak of German submarine technology."

And few would argue. The super-stealth vessel is the first of its kind to be powered by a revolutionary hydrogen fuel cell that lets it cruise the deep blue without giving off noise or exhaust heat.

That's important, because according to Bernd Arjes, a captain in the German Navy, silence keeps submariners alive.

"We operate in coastal waters around Europe and this submarine is specially designed for finding submarines. If you want to find other submarines of course you have to be quiet," he said.

With this latest technology, he added, "the boat is virtually undetectable."

If you want to find other submarines of course you have to be quiet.

--Bernd Arjes, German Navy Captain