The 97.5m long, 13.6m wide, 232teu multi-purpose prototype is named RMS Kiel and is being built by Con-Mar (the former Lühring Werft) in Brake for delivery in October for a three year charter between England and Wörth on the Rhine. The prototype is financed by BWK Schiffsinvest and was designed by New Logistics, both in Kiel.

RMS Kiel carries a maximum 3,300dwt on 4.15m maximum draft and has a 68m x 11.8m x 6.3m hold for containers, general cargo or bulk. Modular construction (stern and bow sections the same) means cargo flexibility, low investment and a claimed 35% reduction in operating costs.

The main job of the new Futura is to compete with road and rail. The hull is based on a semi-catamaran and has an unusual bow said to allow fast speeds in shallow water and low wave formation. It has a tight turning circle thanks to four MTU 12V2000 M60 engines, each of 600kW developing 12 knots and driving azimuthing pods, two in the stern and two at the bow, which turn 360°. Control from the stern bridge is via joystick. The development cost of the prototype has been put at 7.3m, with the Environment Ministry putting up 2.2m of that out of a special fund to promote ecologically sound transport modes.