Supporting decarbonisation across Royal Navy fleet
As part of our Continued Procurement of Maritime Services (CPMS) UK contract, we investigate and develop opportunities to support decarbonisation across the fleet we operate on behalf of the Royal Navy. In 2024, we were proud to announce that Serco had been chosen to be an operational partner in the innovative £8m Clean Hybrid Alternative Marine Propulsion 2 (CHAMP2) project with a consortium of partners.
Led by PurpleSector, a team of engineers leveraging Formula One racing technology to revolutionise business performance, the project aims to understand whether the Royal Navy’s Serco-operated vessels could be replaced by vessels that use alternative propulsion systems such as battery electric, hybrid, and green eMethanol.
A collaborative approach
Serco has played a critical role in enabling PurpleSector to rapidly develop a sustainably fuelled 590kW electric hybrid powertrain propulsion system which is clean, green and engineered to meet marine duty requirements. Understanding current vessel requirements and duty cycles, as well as modelling future duty cycle scenarios, has been key to success.
To that end, Serco gave PurpleSector access to equip the vessels we operate with pioneering, MoD-approved sensors and data acquisition modules. The operational data they captured was analysed to develop a deep understanding of utilisation, efficiency, costs and sustainability metrics.
Minimising environmental impact
Serco and PurpleSector are also collaborating to optimise journey plans and vessel tasking, identify fleet requirements, and enable predictive maintenance.
This work will allow Serco to deliver optimal service levels, reduce cost and minimise environmental impact. Initial investigations indicate a significant fuel and carbon saving is feasible.
