MOL’s Wind Hunter hydrogen project selected for NEDO’s research initiative

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ (MOL) Wind Hunter project, a zero-emission initiative that utilizes wind power to produce hydrogen, has been selected by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to participate in a project to research the potential for achieving a hydrogen society.

As disclosed, this project, named ‘Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society,’ encompasses activities such as researching optimal wind conditions of the sea area around Japan for green hydrogen production, constructing a demonstration vessel under the Wind Hunter initiative, and analyzing the hydrogen supply chains.

To note, the Wind Hunter is understood to utilize offshore wind energy to produce hydrogen onboard vessels and supply it to the onshore market, with the aim of realizing a decarbonized, hydrogen-based society.

The initiative was launched in November 2020, and since then, MOL has conducted various demonstrations using the yacht Winz Maru. In March 2025, the company reached a milestone in the project by supplying green hydrogen produced from offshore wind onboard the mentioned yacht for use on shore.

Assuming that a hydrogen value chain will be established in Japan in the future, MOL said it aims to build and commercialize a demonstration vessel as early as the 2030s.

It is also worth mentioning that the company has set the target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and it intends to pursue renewable energy projects and the establishment of a clean energy supply chain.