A superyacht owned by late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi that has been rotting away in Malta after hitting a reef is about to get a green makeover.

The 28m Sun seeker Predator 95 Che Guevara that has been rotting away in a Maltese yard is now to be transformed into a zero-emission, entirely hydrogen-fuelled luxury vessel by Norwegian shipbuilder Green Yacht and partners.

An ambitious project spearheaded by Norwegian shipbuilder Green Yacht has assembled a team of major investors and technical partners. Norwegian studio Coase Design is also on board and has been tasked with redesigning the Sunseeker into the world’s first zero-emission high-speed luxury yacht.

Speaking on the project, designer Rory Coase described the state of the yacht as a “mess” when it was first found at the yard in Malta having sustained “considerable damage” in the reef crash.

The yacht was being sold off by Gaddafi’s nearest and dearest for a bargain price and was picked up by the Green Yacht initiative. “There was tons of water down in the keel and bilges,” he said. “It wasn’t even a blank canvas.”

The team is stripping and rebuilding the yacht, and will eventually kit it with hydrogen fuel cells created with a system developed by Toyota. It’s forward-thinking technology but they won’t be leaving history entirely behind.

Gaddafi’s helm chair—which only the Libyan dictator was allowed to lounge, will be kept. “There’s bits of history that are interesting to keep because it’s a very engaging story of the previous owner.”