Launch of Demonstration Tanker ‘KIKOU MARU’ with Plans for Hydrogen-Fueled Engine InstallationDemonstration test voyage with zero emissions planned for 2026

A newly built tanker vessel being developed by The Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships Project’s Marine-Use Hydrogen-Fueled 4-Stroke Engine / Hydrogen Engine-Compatible Large Coastal Tanker Development Consortium (led by Yanmar Power Technology Co., Ltd.), to be equipped with a marine-use hydrogen-fueled 4-stroke high-speed engine, was launched on February 14, 2025, and named KIKOU MARU.

The vessel was built by consortium member Uyeno Transtech Ltd. and is to be used as a hydrogen-fuel demonstration vessel for the promotion of zero emissions in coastal shipping. It will be equipped with a marine-use, hydrogen 4-stroke high-speed engine that uses hydrogen fuel to generate electricity to operate the motor, making it possible to conduct zero-emission shipping.

Construction of the KIKOU MARU is ongoing, with completion scheduled within 2025. A zero-emission demonstration voyage is subsequently planned during 2026 using hydrogen fuel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), and is expected to make a significant contribution to the promotion of zero emissions in Japan’s coastal shipping industry.