- A group of large Japanese companies has come together to launch a consortium that will build the infrastructure to develop and launch large electric vessels, like oil tankers.
- Some of the world’s largest cargo ships emit pollution comparable to millions of passenger cars put together.
- It’s why 7 important Japanese companies have launched the ‘e5 Consortium’.
- The first project will be launched in March 2022.
- Its goal is to establish ‘new ocean shipping infrastructure services through various initiatives to develop, realize, and commercialize zero-emission electric vessels’.
Massive electric oil tankers are coming, writes Fred Lambert for the Electrek. Oil tankers and cargo ships are some of the biggest and most polluting vehicles on the planet. It is an important part of the world’s transportation industry that needs to transition to being battery-powered.
e5 Consortium
7 important Japanese companies have launched the e5 Consortium.
Here are the 7 companies involved:
- Asahi Tanker Co.
- Idemitsu Kosan Co.
- Exeno Yamamizu Corporation
- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
- Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co.
- Tokyo Electric Power Company
- Mitsubishi Corporation
Press release
“Coastal shipping in Japan faces structural issues such as a shortage of mariners due to the aging of the seagoing workforce, not to mention the aging of the vessels. In addition, the ocean shipping industry has urged the coastal shipping industry to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as one of Japan’s measures to address climate change.”
“The seven e5 Consortium corporate members are focusing their attention on fulfilling the potential of electric vessels to solve these urgent issues. The consortium aims to establish a platform that offers innovative ocean shipping infrastructure services based on electric vessels bringing to bear the strength, technological know-how, networks, and other advantages of each member company.”
Tanker specifications
In another press release, Asahi Tanker released some of the specs of the vessel, which is going to be equipped with a massive 3.5 MWh battery pack:
| （1）Dimension | LOA 62M / Beam 10.30M / Draft 4.15M |
| （2）Classification | NK |
| （3）Cargo | heavy oil |
| （4）Gross tonnage | Approx. 499 tons |
| （5）Speed | about 11 knots |
| （6）Tank capacity | about 1,300m3 |
| （7）Propulsion device | Azimuth thruster 300kW x 2 |
| （8）Side thrusters | 68kW x 2 |
| （9）Base battery capacity | 3,500kWh |
They are already planning two vessels to be deployed between March 2022 to March 2023.
In recent years, we have seen several efforts to electrify maritime transport.
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Source: Electrek
