Zephyrus Marine announces MOU with Mirai Ships, Ad Hoc and Shift
by CM Staff
This class NK-approved energy storage system will allow crew transfer vessels to swap their modular battery systems with ease while providing a zero-emission service to the Japanese offshore wind sector.
The Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore service operation will streamline the electric transition for Japanese offshore vessels.
VANCOUVER — Zephyrus Marine announces that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mirai Ships, a shipyard located in Japan, to build the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service vessel. Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd. (Ad Hoc) will be providing the design for the zero-emission Crew Transfer Vessel which will incorporate Shift’s PwrSwäp technology. This class NK-approved energy storage system will allow crew transfer vessels to swap their modular battery systems with ease while providing a zero-emission service to the Japanese offshore wind sector.
The design of the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service operation will be tailored to specifically service Japanese wind and offshore vessels. The fully electric Mothership will operate as the hotel and charging station with fully electric daughter vessels that will either be stowed on deck or returned to shore for near-shore operations. These daughter vessels will be lifted off the Mothership and launched into the field. When the charge is low, these CTVs will return to the Mothership to dock at the stern, allowing for the spent batteries (“e-pods”) to be lifted and replaced with fully charged ones within minutes.
Rob Stewart, Director at Zephyrus said, “We need to make it easy for shipowners and the offshore wind sector to go zero carbon. By partnering with Mirai Ships in building our unique solution, we can move the needle towards a net-zero shipping industry and we can do so while improving the operational cost and reducing the risk profiles within the offshore Japanese wind sector.”
Paul Hughes, President and founder of Shift, said: “When it comes to decarbonization, it needs to be a collaborative effort. We are thrilled to partner with Zephyrus and Mirai Ships to power these zero-emission wind service vessels. Utilizing our PwrSwäp technology, we give shipowners the power and freedom to utilize clean, reliable energy without having to purchase the energy storage system. Our energy storage systems provide the energy needed for the trip saving space, weight and costs. This is an important step towards lowering shipping emissions in Japan and beyond.”
The Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service operation will utilize Shift’s PwrSwäp technology – a pay-as-you-go energy subscription service that delivers energy to vessels without risk. As a result, vessels can utilize only the energy they need without committing to a fixed energy storage system. The technology is rooted in a network of swappable battery e-Pods and containers which are connected through cloud-based service and management centres.
This project and partnership between Zephyrus Marin, Shift, Mirai Ships, and Ad Hoc, marks a step towards the decarbonization of the shipping industry in Japan and beyond.
