The Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs) on Tuesday (3 February) welcomed Hydro Air Concept Energie (HACE), reinforcing the deployment of Absolute Zero emissions shipping ecosystems.

HACE’s non-intermittent wave energy system, designed to operate across a wide wave spectrum, delivers electricity with typical load factors in the 50 to 90% range, depending on site, and with very low lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, measured at only a few grams CO₂e per kWh. 

The technology is modular and scalable, from megawatt-scale installations to multi-hundred-megawatt or gigawatt-class arrays, and is designed for integration with coastal and port infrastructure, with no adverse impact on marine ecosystems, while contributing to coastal protection through wave attenuation.

Energy supply is a foundational constraint. Zero-emissions vessels, shore power, and maritime fuel production all depend on access to continuous, genuinely zero-emissions electricity and hydrogen. Intermittent energy sources, while valuable in many contexts, pose specific challenges for port operations and for electrolysers used in maritime hydrogen production. 

Dr Jean-Luc Stanek, President of HACE, said: “Shipping’s transition to zero emissions requires energy systems that are reliable, scalable, and compatible with the operational realities of ports and coastal infrastructure. ZESTAs brings together the actors needed to address these issues in an integrated way, and we see strong alignment between our work and this approach.”

For ZESTAs, HACE strengthens the energy dimension of its work, particularly in coastal and port environments where space constraints, resilience, and environmental integrity are decisive.

Madadh MacLaine, Secretary General of ZESTAs, said: “Maritime shipping’s ability to meet the IMO’s revised GHG strategy targets hinges on access to continuous, zero-emissions energy. The HACE system goes well beyond this by also providing freshwater  and preventing coastal erosion. 

“ZESTAs is thrilled to partner with visionaries confronting the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation through a single technology. We look forward to including the HACE solution as a component of the Absolute Zero emissions ecosystem.”

For ZESTAs, this transition is inseparable from ocean health. Eliminating emissions from shipping is not an abstract climate objective, but a necessary condition for protecting marine ecosystems already under threat  from heating , acidification, underwater noise, and coastal degradation. Absolute Zero emissions shipping is therefore not only an industrial challenge, but a prerequisite for a sustainable relationship between maritime activity and the ocean.

ZESTAs brings together technology developers, ship designers, operators, ports, energy providers, and regulators to enable the integration of mature zero-emissions technologies into deployment-ready ecosystems. Today, ZESTAs brings together over 50 members, collectively covering the full range of components required to operate Absolute Zero emissions vessels — on board ships, in ports, and across associated energy supply chains.

MacLaine added, “systemic change in shipping comes not from isolated pilots, but from deploying integrated ecosystems where technology, infrastructure, regulation, finance, and operations are developed together.”

By joining ZESTAs, HACE will contribute to the association’s technical, regulatory, and deployment-focused activities, supporting the development of integrated maritime systems in which vessels, ports, and energy supply are treated as a single operational whole.

Photo credit: Chris Pagan on Unsplash
Published: 4 February, 2026