Blaze Energy Raises $6.5 Million to Scale Fuel-Flexible Maritime Technology

Blaze Energy has raised $6.5 million in seed funding to accelerate commercial deployment of its Flex-Fuel Reformer System, a technology designed to allow existing marine engines to run on multiple lower-carbon fuels. The round was led by Propeller Ventures and Catalyzer Ventures, with participation from Safar Partners, SOSV, Desai Ventures and Cartography Capital. The company plans to use the funding for marine engine testing, expansion in the US and Norway, and a commercial-vessel pilot with Lomar Shipping in 2027.

The system is designed to address a major uncertainty in shipping decarbonisation: shipowners need to cut emissions, but there is still no single clear winner among future marine fuels. Blaze Energy says its technology could allow operators to adopt fuels including ammonia, methanol and LNG while continuing to use existing engine platforms.

 

Fuel Flexibility Could Reduce the Risk of Choosing the Wrong Pathway

 

Ships are long-lived assets, and committing a vessel to one fuel can leave operators dependent on specific fuel supply chains, port infrastructure and future pricing. Blaze Energy is positioning its reformer as a way to reduce that lock-in by giving operators more flexibility over which fuel they use.

The company estimates that retrofitting ships with its system could enable fuel transition at around 20 times lower cost than replacing vessels outright. That claim will need to be proven at commercial scale, but the potential cost advantage is central to the technology’s appeal for operators with existing fleets.

 

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The System Converts Fuels Into a Hydrogen-Rich Mixture On Board

 

Blaze Energy’s Reformer System uses compact, engine-integrated hardware to convert fuels including ammonia, methanol and LNG into a hydrogen-rich mixture aboard the vessel. That mixture is then used to support combustion in conventional engines.

The approach is intended to compensate for the slower combustion characteristics of many alternative fuels compared with diesel. Blaze says its proprietary heating system and catalyst allow the equipment to fit within existing vessel space constraints and support both retrofit and newbuild applications.

 

Commercial Testing Is the Next Major Step

 

Blaze Energy plans to complete land-based marine engine testing in Norway before installing the technology aboard a commercial vessel operated by Lomar Shipping in 2027. The pilot is intended to test performance under real operating conditions and create a pathway for wider retrofit deployment.

"Blaze exists to cut through that uncertainty, giving shipowners fuel flexibility through their existing assets, so they can stay resilient no matter what is thrown at them," said Rok Sitar, CEO and Co-Founder of Blaze Energy.

 

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A Successful Pilot Could Open a Larger Retrofit Market

 

The company is targeting a maritime market it estimates at $120 billion, with longer-term applications also possible in heavy equipment, mining, transportation and industrial heat. A successful vessel trial would be an important step in demonstrating whether the technology can provide a practical bridge between conventional marine engines and emerging fuels.

"Blaze Energy’s Reformer System offers shipowners a practical, cost-effective pathway to meet increasingly stringent emissions requirements while preserving the value of their existing vessels and infrastructure," said Kristina Johnson, Partner at Catalyzer Ventures.

 

The Main Test Is Whether the Technology Works Reliably at Sea

 

Blaze Energy is now moving from laboratory and land-based validation into the stage where reliability, integration and economics will be tested in live maritime operations. The 2027 pilot will be especially important because shipowners will need evidence that fuel flexibility does not come at the expense of safety, performance or operating cost.

If the technology performs as intended, it could give shipping companies more optionality as fuel markets evolve. The larger question will be whether the system can scale across different vessel types and engine configurations while meeting increasingly stringent maritime emissions requirements.