Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), a major global shipping company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kinetics, the energy‑transition initiative of floating power specialist Karpowership, to co‑develop a next‑generation Floating Data Center platform, according to the company's release.
Under the agreement, the partners will jointly design, construct and deploy a data center hosted on a retrofitted vessel.
The facility will receive dedicated, uninterrupted power from flexible sources, including Karpowership’s Powerships, as well as land‑based grids, solar farms, offshore wind or other generation solutions depending on location and client needs.
The floating platform is intended to offer a scalable, mobile, rapidly deployable alternative to traditional land‑based data centers, overcoming constraints such as limited power availability, land scarcity and permitting delays.
“This project represents a significant step toward our vision at Kinetics: delivering innovative, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure solutions that meet the energy needs of today and tomorrow,” said Mehmet Katmer, Chief Executive Officer of Kinetics.
“By pairing mobile power generation with floating data infrastructure, we are addressing critical market bottlenecks while enabling faster, cleaner and more flexible digital capacity expansion”.
Tomoaki Ichida, Managing Executive Officer of MOL, commented: “This MOU represents an important step forward in leveraging the MOL Group’s assets and extensive expertise in ship operations to rapidly build digital infrastructure while minimizing environmental impact. Moving forward, we will continue to expand a diverse range of social infrastructure businesses centered on the shipping industry… Through the advancement of our technologies and services, we are committed to proactively responding to society’s evolving needs, including the imperative of environmental conservation”.
Following feasibility studies and technical development, the first floating data center is planned for deployment in 2027.
A summary of the pilot project follows:
-Data center capacity: 20 to 73 MW (expandable)
-Cooling: Direct water cooling using sea or river water
-Ship specs: Gross tonnage 9,731 t; LOA 120.00 m; beam 21.20 m; draft 8.98 m
-Power supply: Powership by Karadeniz (multi‑fuel, including LNG); grid connection also under consideration
-Network: Connection to Internet Exchange onshore and via submarine cable
-Timeline: 2025 design and regulatory preparations; 2026 ship conversion and contracting; 2027 launch operations
Advantages outlined include independence from local power grids, no land acquisition, faster deployment (conversion in about one year vs. three years for land‑based builds), mobility, and reuse of existing ship hulls and systems to reduce cost and environmental impact.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) was founded in 1884 and is one of the world’s leading maritime transport companies, operating diverse fleets including dry bulk, tankers, car carriers and LNG vessels. The Tokyo‑based company has over 140 years of history delivering global logistics services and has been expanding into offshore wind, hydrogen transport, and social infrastructure projects.
Kinetics is the energy‑transition initiative launched by Karpowership, a Turkish company specialising in floating power plants. Since around 2024, Kinetics has focused on cleaner, flexible energy systems including floating LNG, battery energy storage and platform leasing tailored to utilities and independent power producers. Karpowership has deployed over 10,000 MW of capacity in 19 countries over two decades.