Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced that its Wind Hunter Project has been selected by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for participation in the "Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society / Regional Hydrogen Utilization Technology Development" initiative.
The Wind Hunter Project, initiated in November 2020, aims to produce hydrogen onboard vessels using offshore wind energy and supply it to the onshore market.
MOL has conducted various demonstrations using the yacht Winz Maru and, in March 2025, achieved the first successful onshore supply of green hydrogen produced at sea.
Under the NEDO project, the scope includes optimizing hydrogen production vessels, researching optimal wind conditions around Japan for green hydrogen energy production, constructing a demonstration vessel for the Wind Hunter project, and examining hydrogen supply chains.
Assuming the establishment of a hydrogen value chain in Japan, MOL aims to build and commercialize a demonstration vessel as early as the 2030s.
Additionally, a model of the Wind Hunter is displayed in the "Transportation and Mobility" zone of the "Future City" pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Tokyo.
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) is Japan's national research and development agency that promotes the development and introduction of new energy and industrial technologies.