World-first: Japanese ship makes green hydrogen at sea, delivers it for use on land
Japanese firm MOL aims to produce roughly 200 liters of hydrogen with its Winz Maru vessel in 2025.
In a world first, Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) successfully produced hydrogen offshore and delivered it onshore to Tokyo.
MOL produced the hydrogen offshore using its demonstration yacht, Winz Maru. The company’s vessel features an onboard plant that produces easily-transportable green hydrogen.
The Winz Maru demostrator is part of the Wind Hunter Project, which aims to create a green hydrogen supply chain. Japan is the world leader in green hydrogen technologies. These could play a key role in the country’s transition away from fossil fuels.
The Winz Maru
MOL’s Winz Maru vessel produced the hydrogen offshore and delivered it to the central breakwater area of Tokyo.
The MOL team produced green hydrogen and converted it to the liquid organic hydrogen carrier methylcyclohexane (MCH) aboard Winz Maru. This was to allow safer and more efficient transportation.
According to MOL, the operation marked the first time a ship has produced green hydrogen at sea for supply on land.
Winz Maru is a wind-powered sailing vessel. The ship generates electricity using underwater turbines and produces green hydrogen from seawater. The multi-purpose vessel was designed to produce, store, and deliver hydrogen energy.
MOL has been conducting demonstration tests in Omura Bay since 2023. The company has been working toward supplying domestically produced green hydrogen from Winz Maru to onshore facilities in Tokyo Bay.