Blaze Energy raises $6.5M seed to make ships fuel-agnostic
What's the deal? Blaze EnergyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised a $6.5 million seed round for a retrofit system that lets existing ship engines switch between alternative fuels. The startup makes a compact fuel "reformer" that uses a heated catalyst to split fuels like ammonia, methanol, and liquified natural gas (LNG) into a hydrogen-rich gas. That gas then burns alongside the original and conventional fuel to power existing engines.
Why now? The European Union and other jurisdictions increasingly require vessels to cut carbon emissions, pushing shipowners toward cleaner fuels. But it is unclear which — ammonia, methanol, or LNG — will prove most economical at scale, leaving shipowners unsure which technology to build engines around.
What's the endgame? Blaze says its bolt-on retrofit removes that bet. The system, which the startup aims to make less than a tenth the size of the engine, lets companies "adjust their assets based on how the global energy landscape, regulation, as well as their company direction is changing," CEO and co-founder Rok Sitar said.
How it works: The first product focuses on ammonia. It diverts some liquid ammonia over an electrically heated catalyst, splitting it into hydrogen and nitrogen. The hydrogen helps the remaining ammonia burn more efficiently alongside conventional fuel, with no engine modifications needed.
If the reformer fails, the ship reverts to conventional fuel alone — a fail-safe Sitar said lowers risk for shipowners.
The opportunity: Blaze is targeting the existing fleet of roughly 100,000 commercial vessels, versus just 1,500 new ships built each year. It plans to install its system when ships enter dry dock for routine maintenance, typically every five years. Strategic partners include vessel operator Lomar ShippingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which expects to pilot the system at sea next year, and consultancy Link MarineDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Commercial rollout is planned for 2028.
The signal: The round sits in the 93rd percentile for seed deals in US energy, underscoring investor appetite for retrofits that let the global fleet decarbonise without betting on a single fuel.
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Image credit: Blaze Energy
