Northern Ireland firm secures £533,000 grant to decarbonise crewboat operations

A study led by Northern Ireland-based maritime design and applied technologies company Artemis Technologies has been awarded £533,000 (US$624,000) to investigate transformative solutions to decarbonise crewboat operations in the offshore wind sector.

The grant has been awarded as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) funded by the UK Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

Artemis’ partners on the project include crewboat owner and operator Tidal Transit, renewables research organisation ORE Catapult, and Lloyd’s Register.

The project will seek to demonstrate the capability of Artemis’ proprietary electrically-driven hydrofoil propulsion system when installed on an 11-metre workboat. The system will include hydrofoils, a flight control system, and an electric drivetrain.

Artemis said the installation will enable high-speed sailing without generating any wake or wash, resulting in minimal disruption to the water surface and the surrounding area.