Hybrid Marine – a pioneer in marine hybrid propulsion systems

Hybrid Marine has been developing advanced hybrid systems since 2002, providing systems for inland canal boats, commercial barges and sailing boats, including fast offshore sailing catamarans.

Our award-winning patented parallel hybrid systems result from extensive research and provide an integrated power and propulsion solution; our systems have found many applications and are well-proven.

World’s first technology

In 2007, we were the first in the world to introduce a production parallel hybrid to the marine market.

Since 2010, Barrus Ltd (a leading importer, distributor and custom-engine builder in the UK) and Hybrid Marine have been working together to develop hybrid propulsion systems based on Yanmar marine diesel engines, a global standard in sailboats and small craft propulsion.

Growth in demand

Hybrid Marine’s customer base has grown to include leading UK canal boatbuilders, such as Braidbar Boats, European commercial craft operators, Aister (Spain) “Pelican” vessels and exponential growth in the luxury catamaran market with Antares Catamarans, Max Cruise Marine, and Hudson Yacht Group, whose HH44 Sport Cruiser is Sailing World’s Boat of the Year 2024.

Hybrid Marine International was formed

With an increasing demand from boatbuilders generated by Hybrid Marine, the company recognised the need to upscale. A new joint venture between Barrus and Hybrid Marine, Hybrid Marine International, was created in January 2024.

The two companies’ successful fourteen-year partnership provided a compelling case for the next step in Hybrid Marine’s journey building on the combined hybrid propulsion system expertise and Barrus’s extensive engineering
facility based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. This will enable an accelerated road map of product development, bespoke applications and the ability to develop further the integration with other world-leading partners such as WhisperPower.

Hybrid Marine International will continue to provide custom packages to OEM boat builders in the UK and worldwide who wish to offer hybrid technology to their customers requiring new boat builds in the leisure and commercial markets.

Green Hybrid Solution

In September 2023, the UK government set the path for all new cars to have zero emissions by 2035. The simple answer is that it does not apply to marine craft as there are different targets here.

How does this affect marine craft?

The simple answer is that it does not apply to marine craft as this sector has different targets.

In 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed on its initial strategy for reducing greenhouse gasses (GHGs) from ships. This strategy commits the maritime sector globally to reducing emissions of GHGs from
shipping by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008.

In January 2019, the UK government published Maritime 2050, a strategic vision for a clean maritime sector in the UK.

In support of this strategy, the Government has published the Clean Maritime Plan, the Environment Route Map of Maritime 2050 and sets out Clean Maritime Plan Ambitions for the UK. These zero-emissions shipping ambitions
are intended to provide aspirational goals for the sector, not mandatory targets.

You can download this document from the link above. There are a lot of words and lofty ideas here (60 pages of this), but it is the closest indication we can get about what may happen in the future.

Here is Hybrid Marine’s interpretation and response to the Clean Marine Plan :