Indian-origin CEO's green submarine project wins UK’s biggest clean maritime competition

An Indian-origin CEO-led company has developed the world's first green submarine, which has been named as one of 55 winning projects of a £23 million UK government-funded R&D competition. The announcement was made on Wednesday, 15 September, as part of the greenest ever London International Shipping Week by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, in Greenwich.

The United Kingdom government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition is held to support the development of innovative technology to propel UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s commitment to have zero-emission ships operating commercially by 2025.

World's first green submarine project

With the help from the GBP 23-million government-funded research and development (R&D), Dhruv Boruah’s Oceanways drive won for its concept of a fully-automated net positive submarine fleet, powered entirely on green hydrogen. The green submarine can function to help cleanse toxic pollution in the ocean by collecting microplastics on its pilot route between Glasgow in Scotland and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

In the first year of operation, the fleet could secure significant emission savings of 27 tonnes of carbon dioxide or CO2 emissions, while transporting cargo shipments with an overall mission to reduce 300 million tonnes of CO2 as the fleet grows.

Dhruv Boruah's take on the submarine project

 Dhruv Boruah, Founder and CEO of Oceanways said, “We would like to thank our Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP for selecting Oceanways to support the Department for Transport’s mission to decarbonize shipping and aid our Prime Minister’s commitment to building back better". 

He added, “Time is running out and it is imperative we don’t settle for 1 percent more efficiency in an existing system, but instead, radically rethink to create innovative solutions". 

Following the successful use of the submarine in the transportation of products, the entrepreneur is confident that the autonomous, or driverless system may well be in a position to transport humans in the future. 

Boruah said, “It’s not just #JetZero. Oceanways has assembled a world-class team to pioneer #SubZero by creating the new market of net positive underwater transport systems with zero-emission cargo submarines as an innovative tool to decarbonise shipping and clean up our ocean."

While, Shapps, the minister who unveiled the prize-winners during the ongoing London Shipping Week in Greenwich informed, “As a proud island nation built on our maritime prowess, it is only right that we lead by example when it comes to decarbonising the sector and building back greener."

He added that all the projects announced on 15 Spetember "showcase the best of British innovation, revolutionising existing technology and infrastructure to slash emissions, create jobs and get us another step closer to our decarbonisation targets."

(With PTI input)

(Image credit: TWITTER)