Lab set up to develop sustainable ship technologies

The facility located in Osaka will include an indoor test centre plus an outdoor area for evaluating the performance of hardware including solar panels, rigid sails and wind power devices.

Tsukasa Nakawaga, president, KEI Systems, said: “The Aquarius Innovation Lab will allow us to develop with EMP a range of innovative technologies that will reduce fuel consumption on ships and also lower the noxious gas emissions from these vessels.”

The Aquarius Innovation Lab is unique because it will develop and test a wide range of equipment providing solutions suited for small passenger ferries and tugboats right through to bulk ore carriers and cruise ships.

It will also test and evaluate equipment from Italy, UK, Canada, Germany, USA, as well as at home in Japan.

Ongoing projects for the new lab will be the development of the Aquarius MRE System and EnergySail, both of which will be tested in the facility.

Both will start the final phase of prototype testing in the lab before sea trials which are scheduled to commence during 2014.