Zephyrus Marine announces MOU with Mirai Ships, SHIFT and Ad Hoc to power wind service hubs in Japan
Zephyrus Marine has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mirai Ships, a Japan-based leading shipyard located in Miyagi prefecture, to build the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service vessel, according to the company's release. Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd. (Ad Hoc) will be providing the design for the zero-emission Crew Transfer Vessel (“CTV”) which will incorporate Shift’s leading-edge 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.
The Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service operation will utilize Shift’s PwrSwäp technology – a pay-as-you-go energy subscription service that delivers instant renewable, clean 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. Not only does PwrSwäp reduce emissions and costs, it saves time. Unlike traditional refueling which can take hours, it takes between 3-15 minutes to swap modular batteries. This addition will facilitate the transition of Japanese wind and offshore vessels to hybrid or fully electric.
This project and partnership between Zephyrus Marin, Shift, Mirai Ships, and Ad Hoc, marks an important step towards the decarbonization of the shipping industry in Japan and beyond. Zephyrus is rapidly accelerating the electrification solutions for offshore wind. With Japanese waters known for the rough seas all year around, it was a natural fit to use Ad Hoc’s SWATH CTVs, which are tailor designed to withstand such harsh annual conditions.
Zephyrus is a collaboration between` Vessel Manufacturers, Naval architects and both battery manufactures and infrastructure electrical charging specialists. The group has combined the most experience operators in Offshore wind. Zephyrus is able to offer a optimized package in the provision of all electric zero carbon vessels operations with the option of both on and offshore charging. Zephyrus offers training and knowledge transfer to offshore wind farm owners and operators.
Mirai Ships is a Japan-based shipyard specializing in the construction, design, repair, and sale of a wide variety of vessels. The company has over 100 years of experience within the maritime industry. Mirai Ships was founded in 1910 and has built a trusted reputation for its high quality construction and meticulous attention to detail.
Shift Clean Energy provides energy storage solutions to decarbonize the marine transport industry and other hard-to-abate sectors. Shift enables customers to meet their climate action and ESG goals with clean energy solutions based on leading-edge energy storage systems.
Ad Hoc is a UK-based design and consultancy company with over 60 years of experience in shipyard production and design. It offers a wide range of technical services, including Naval Architecture, Marine Design, and Technical Support Services.
