Malaysia-based Yinson GreenTech’s (YGT) marinEV has announced the start of commercial trials for the Hydromover, marking a critical milestone in the decarbonization of Singapore’s maritime industry.

The firm said in a statement on Friday that Hydromover was developed by the Goal Zero Consortium and funded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and
Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI).

The lightweight 18.5m Hydromover is Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel. The zero-emission vessel is designed with swappable battery solutions and can carry up to
25 tons of cargo.

The Hydromover will reduce operational costs compared to conventional vessels due to significant energy and maintenance cost reductions.

The commercial trials are open to industry leaders looking to reduce carbon footprint from their business activities.

This will support Singapore’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions in the domestic harbour craft sector by 2050 while allowing harbour craft operators to trial a fully electric lighter craft as part of their existing fleet, experiencing the operational benefits of the innovative technology first-hand.

The inaugural commercial trial commenced with OPL Services on August 26, 2024, when the Hydromover vessel was handed over by marinEV at the Lita Ocean shipyard.

Over the next few months, the Hydromover will be available to harbour craft operators in Singapore to trial charter the vessel as part of their operational fleet of harbour crafts.

YGT acknowledged six potential partners who have provided letters of intent to charter the Hydromover for operational trials with a view to electrifying their fleets in the future.

These include two Goal Zero partners, Lita Ocean and DM Sea Logistics, as well as OPL Services, Kanlian Ferry, RW Marine Services, and Tian San Shipping.

The six parties’ combined fleet is over 200 vessels, marking significant potential for future conversion to electric vessels.

“We are excited to take this significant step towards commercial adoption of electric vessels in the maritime industry,” said Jan-Viggo Johansen, Managing Director of marinEV.

According to him, this is a testament to the firm’s commitment to innovation and a crucial step in our mission to drive sustainable practices in maritime transport.

“We invite all industry leaders to partake in these historic commercial trials, taking the opportunity to have their next cargo delivered by a fully electric, zero-emission vessel,

“By demonstrating the real-world benefits of electric vessels, we hope to accelerate the industry’s transition to net zero,” he added.

Stanley Ong, Director of Netline Group, the parent company of OPL Services, said as prospective owners, they would like to further understand the capabilities and limitations of an electric vessel and what tangible benefits an EV would bring to the industry and them as business owners.

“Our future plans are to align with MPA’s green targets by 2030. Therefore, understanding Hydromover and its future iterations is of utmost importance to us as we embark on this journey,” he added.

YGT is a firm energizes the electric transition across diverse industries.

The firm invests in fusing cuttingedge technologies with clean energy solutions.

The firm is a business of Yinson Holdings Berhad, a global energy infrastructure and technology company active in offshore energy with Yinson Production, renewable energy with Yinson Renewables, green technologies with Yinson GreenTech, sustainable investment and asset management with Farosson, and offshore marine with Regulus Offshore.

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