e5 Lab and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to provide design for hybrid electric vessel

Tokyo-based firm e5 Lab Inc and Japan’s Mitsubishi Shipbuilding have agreed to cooperate in the development of a hybrid electric propulsion vessel for coastal cargo sailings.

The type called Roboship will be promoted as a vision for the future of ships. The design will be used for a 499-tonne biomass fuel carrier being built by Japan’s Honda Heavy Industries for Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. After completion and handover in April 2023, the ship is expected to operate as a biomass carrier for Aioi Bioenergy Corporation.

The Roboship has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the coastal vessel industry, and lessen the workload for crews, Mitsubishi said. Roboship will use a standard system package comprising the hardware for electric propulsion, including propellers, motors, switchboards, storage batteries and generators, together with the software to safely and efficiently control this equipment. The vessel will have a hybrid propulsion system of large-capacity storage batteries and generators.