The launch of the IMOG Project marks unprecedented industry collaboration to secure Canada’s shipbuilding future

The Intelligent Marine Vessel Optimization Framework for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emission (IMOG) Project was born out of a practical need and a shared vision from Elomatic, and it is engaged with Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) through its involvement in the Polar Icebreaker program. As part of the Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) policy, which ensures investment back into the Canadian economy, driven by the Polar Icebreaker program, Elomatic has developed a way to make a meaningful contribution to Canadian maritime innovation.

Following discussions during a marine industry event, representatives from Elomatic and InnovMarine – a Quebec-based marine technology firm – discovered strong alignment in their business goals. Both were committed to boosting Canadian shipbuilding capabilities and saw an opportunity to collaborate as part of a dedicated R&D project. Together, they brought in The University of British Columbia (UBC), a well-regarded academic institution and university with strong credentials in maritime research; from there, the IMOG Project was launched.

The GHG reduction toolbox: The importance of early-stage ship design

The key to the IMOG Project lies in the GHG Reduction Toolbox, a research effort aimed at improving early-stage ship design, to reduce total fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

UBC’s team, which has been working on the project since Autumn 2024, and is currently in the first stage of the three phases, is focused on developing a universal parametric representation of hull forms, as well as using generative AI models to produce new hull concepts that reduce total hydrodynamic resistance.

The second stage centres on utilizing UBC’s ship emissions database and its emission collection methodology to estimate a vessel’s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.

In the third and final stage, the team will integrate the outcomes of the first two stages to develop a multi-objective design and operational optimization approach, bringing together form, performance, and environmental impact into a unified framework.

This work addresses a critical but often underutilized opportunity in ship design. At Elomatic, we believe that the concept design phase, though it may account for only 10% of the overall ship design timeline, can influence over 90% of a vessel’s long-term efficiency and performance. Traditionally, naval architects have worked within a “design spiral”, iteratively working on the same topics in different design phases. However, the IMOG Project aims to shift toward a more holistic approach, where the impact of early decisions is evaluated more thoroughly at the very start of the design process, enabling smarter tradeoffs and potentially transformative improvements in ship performance.

The collaborative nature of the IMOG project

Each IMOG partner brings distinct strengths to the table. Elomatic’s expertise in ship design, especially in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) – which is utilized in the concept design phase, mostly to validate hull form designs – allows us to provide significant support by running CFD simulations to help validate UBC’s generative models and ensure feasibility. In this project, CFD plays a two-way role: Elomatic supports UBC by validating generative model outputs and sharing practical insights from real-world ship design applications, while the collaboration also offers Elomatic the opportunity to refine its own methodologies and explore innovative new uses for CFD modeling.

InnovMarine brings strong digital shipbuilding experience and a complementary skillset to Elomatic, reinforcing the project’s practical orientation.
UBC provides the latest in academic research, applying advanced modeling techniques and publishing the research results to support the broader maritime community. UBC’s focus on machine learning and novel mathematical approaches brings a forward-thinking lens to commercial ship design.


Currently, the IMOG partners are in the initial stages of exploring how to guide and adapt generative models for practical use in ship design. Initial efforts are focused on constraining outputs in targeted areas, for instance, allowing the AI to influence certain design elements while others remain subject to more traditional parameters. Over time, this methodology may support a range of applications, from developing entirely new hull forms to analyzing the implications of smaller-scale retrofits.

A national strategy presents a global opportunity for the shipping industry

While the IMOG project is deeply rooted in Canada’s strategic priorities, its implications are global. As climate targets and decarbonization regulations tighten, innovations that lead to better, cleaner, and more efficient ships will help to define the future of the maritime operations.