The "Salvatore Todaro" will be delivered to the Navy in mid 2005, followed by its sister boat "Scire" in mid 2006. The two Italian boats and the four German boats are submarines of the 212A class, developed by HDW and Siemens using a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell plant, which produces electrical energy from oxygen and hydrogen, permits the new class of submarines to cruise under water for weeks without surfacing. Germany’s boats, launched in 2002/03, are undergoing a test programme in the Baltic Sea at the moment.