Zephyrus Marine announces MOU with Mirai Ships, SHIFT and Ad Hoc to power wind service hubs in Japan

Zephyrus Marine announces today that it 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. 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.

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.”

Takeyoshi Kidoura, CEO of Mirai Ships, mentioned: “It is a great honor to become a part of this team of people who are trying to make the planet a better place to live. It is a challenge and requires dedication, passion, and, most of all, teamwork. As JFK once said, ‘Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable. I believe they can do it again.’ I believe he was correct, and we can do this in Japan as well.”

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 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.

John Kecsmar, Naval Architect and owner of Ad Hoc, added: “We are excited to work with the team at Zephyrus and Mirai Ships to build this unique solution for the Japanese market. This groundbreaking technology is a game changer, allowing vessels to quickly adopt electric energy while dealing with the space and weight constraints that CTVs and other smaller vessels experience when seeking a solution to reduce carbon emissions and improve operating costs. Also, teaming up with our partners at AMC is exciting, having previously shared historical roots in the same company many years ago. AMC is a trusted known builder of high-quality aluminum vessels, including ? of the world’s CTVs over the last 17 years. Collaborating with Mirai Shipbuilding to bring world-class aluminum production expertise into Japan, a country known for its attention to detail and quality, by linking with Mirai Shipbuilding, serves as the perfect platform to ensure the locally built vessels for the Japanese market are built to the highest quality standards.”

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.