UK company Drift Energy has been awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) by RINA for its novel energy harvesting vessel design, thought to be the first time that an AiP has been awarded for an energy-harvesting ship.
RINA’s risk based AiP framework confirms that Drift’s design meets safety levels equivalent to established marine industry standards while enabling clean energy generation at sea.
Ben Medland, Drift Energy Founder and CEO, said: “Our ships are set to play a pivotal role in the global energy transition, and I am delighted that Drift is defining the framework that such innovative vessels will be evaluated against in the future. The AiP validates the vessel’s feasibility from a class perspective and is a key step towards full plan approval. We have collaborated closely with the expert team at RINA to get to this point, and I am proud of the focused effort from Drift’s design team and the wider Drift crew that has enabled us to achieve this major milestone.”
Drift says it has gained global commercial traction in the utilities, ports and maritime operations sectors since its foundation in 2021. The AiP from RINA represents a milestone on the company’s roadmap towards building the first net positive vessel. Drift plans to launch its first ship during 2027, subsequently moving to series production to fulfil a current orderbook of more than 30 vessels.
Patrizio Di Francesco, RINA North Europe Special Projects Business Development Manager and Principal Engineer, said: “This Approval in Principle underscores RINA’s commitment to supporting the safe and credible development of innovative vessel concepts that contribute to the energy transition through the use of green hydrogen as an energy carrier. Through close technical collaboration with Drift Energy, RINA has assessed a novel design that introduces new approaches to the generation and transport of clean energy at sea, while addressing classification and safety requirements from the earliest stages of development.”
Drift’s energy harvesting ships harness deep ocean wind to produce green energy at sea and deliver it worldwide. The vessels use hydro-kinetic turbines under the hull to produce electricity, which is then converted via electrolysis into green hydrogen fuel and stored onboard. The company’s proprietary AI-enabled routing technology known as Goldilocks enables the ships to locate and follow optimal weather patterns, achieving ultra-high load factors compared to other renewable energy sources.
Image: Drift’s energy-harvesting ship concept (source: RINA)
