As part of its mission to decarbonise the maritime transport, Artemis Technologies has signed up to a new initiative launched by the UK Department for Transport in partnership with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.

Announced during an event at COP26, ‘Operation Zero’, aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) vessels working in the North Sea’s offshore wind farms.

Artemis Technologies will join a coalition of 28 founding signatories from the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium, with industry leaders such as Siemens Gamesa, Orsted, RWE, Vattenfall, ScottishPower Renewables, Equinor, ABP, Lloyds Register, Bibby Marine, North Star Renewables and the ORE Catapult representing the offshore wind supply chain.

Dr Iain Percy OBE, CEO of Artemis Technologies commented:

Our mission is to lead the decarbonisation of maritime through our innovative designs and technologies. With this in mind, we are very pleased to commit to Operation Zero, an initiative which we believe will go a long way in terms of achieving a net zero future for the offshore O&M activities.

We are already leading a project which received £533,000 as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition to investigate transformative solutions to decarbonise crew transfer vessel (CTV) operations.

We look forward to continuing these efforts by working alongside the Department for Transport, the ORE Catapult and all other Operation Zero signatories, and welcome the opportunity to lend our knowledge and expertise toward achieving net zero targets.

The vision of ‘Operation Zero’ was informed by previous research undertaken by ORE Catapult and the Workboat Association. It aims for zero-emission vessels to be deployed at North Sea offshore windfarms by 2025, while also taking into consideration the land-side infrastructure solutions needed to upscale and maintain the operation of the vessels.

Maritime Minister Robert Courts said:

To meet our world-leading net-zero goals and secure a sustainable future for the planet, we must decarbonise every aspect of every industry including the boats and ships used to maintain green technology such as wind farms.

We’re bringing together 28 leading companies in the maritime and offshore wind sectors to drive forward our goal of having zero-emission vessels in the North Sea by 2025 and demonstrate the value that industry collaboration can have on decarbonising entire industries.

Andrew Jamieson, CEO of ORE Catapult, said:

The offshore wind industry is committed to a rapid transition to net-zero operations and provides a fantastic springboard for broader maritime decarbonisation.

Right through the supply chain, we’ll see growth and job creation opportunities that will aid the transition from the maritime diesel fuels of today to the zero-emission, high-value technologies and skills of tomorrow, with much of this growth taking place in coastal communities where it is most needed.

Innovation is essential if we are to achieve this vision. Operation Zero provides a solid foundation for the future of collaborative innovation between industry partners, and with the support of government.

ORE Catapult is fully committed to Operation Zero and we look forward to working to support the industry to innovate and accelerate the transition to net-zero whilst creating economic opportunity for the UK.