DRIFT & Commenda Capital Partners establish exclusive capital & project framework for 50-vessel programme
DRIFT Energy has entered into an exclusive strategic framework with Commenda Capital Partners to support the commercial deployment of at least 50 DRIFT vessels. The framework pairs DRIFT’s proprietary wind-powered hydrogen production vessels, intellectual property and customer development with Commenda’s maritime finance, SPV structuring and project execution capability. The programme targets more than $500 million of project-level investment, expected to be financed through project-specific vehicles.
Under the framework, Commenda has been mandated as DRIFT’s exclusive capital and project partner for the agreed programme scope. DRIFT will continue to lead vessel technology, intellectual property, hydrogen production systems, routing software, project origination and offtake development. Commenda will lead capital structuring, investor engagement, debt and equity processes, SPV establishment and project execution.
Ben Medland, CEO of DRIFT Energy, said: “Securing this financing framework with Commenda Capital is an important step in proving that DRIFT’s model is not only visionary, but bankable and scalable. It positions us to lead the deployment of the world’s first energy-harvesting vessels and to show how clean energy can be produced offshore and delivered directly to end users.”
The agreement builds on DRIFT’s 2026 Approval in Principle from RINA, the first awarded for an energy-harvesting ship - a key milestone supporting DRIFT’s progression from vessel design and proof of concept toward commercial deployment.
Ulrik Uhrenfeldt Andersen, CEO and Managing Partner of Commenda Capital Partners, said: “DRIFT has identified a real problem and developed a serious answer. Turning that into commercial deployment requires more than technology. It requires structuring this new asset class in a way that maritime capital can underwrite and own. This is an innovative concept, but these are ships. They carry maritime risk and need to be financed accordingly. Commenda’s role is to bring the shipping and capital markets depth required to make this asset class financeable at scale.”
The agreement positions DRIFT to accelerate the deployment of its vessels as a new class of mobile offshore green hydrogen infrastructure, delivering clean energy directly to ports, islands and coastal users. For Commenda Capital, it marks a significant mandate for an independent maritime investment company focused on conventional shipping and new maritime asset classes.
A flotilla of energy-harvesting ships
DRIFT Energy’s high-performance sailing vessels harvest deep ocean wind to produce green energy, which is stored onboard for delivery to demand centres worldwide.