Across British Columbia’s 25,000 kilometres of rugged coastline, the push for maritime modernization often hits a familiar limit: the moment you leave the traditional dock and power grid behind. As the marine sector accelerates toward lower-emission operations and smarter coastal monitoring, the challenge isn’t only building new boats—it’s enabling reliable infrastructure in remote waters where permanent installations aren’t feasible, cost-effective, or flexible enough
This is where Mostar Labs comes in. The Victoria-based startup is building modular, floating infrastructure that can deliver power and capability where it’s needed without being tethered to a traditional shoreline setup. Their flagship platform, LilyPad, is designed to adapt across multiple missions—supporting commercial, recreational, and defence/security needs with the same core system.
Power Where You Need It, When You Need It
At its core, Mostar Labs is a bridge between vision and on-the-water reality. LilyPad can be thought of as a modern “floating utility platform” for the electric age: a mobile, modular system equipped with advanced energy storage and intelligent control—built to perform in real marine conditions.
But LilyPad is more than a charging station. Its value is in adaptability, a platform architecture designed to evolve as mission requirements evolve.
One Platform, Triple-Use: Commercial, Recreational, and Defence
What sets Mostar Labs apart is not only what LilyPad can do today, but how it can be configured to serve very different users without requiring entirely different infrastructure.
Commercial operations
For commercial fleets and coastal operators, LilyPad helps address the electrification and logistics gap that appears beyond the dock. It can support energy needs for workboats, service vessels, remote sites, and seasonal operations—reducing reliance on costly, fixed shore-power builds and enabling scalable deployment where demand shifts over time.
Recreational access and seasonal marinas
For the recreational sector, the same “power where you need it” principle can unlock new possibilities. Seasonal deployments can extend access to charging and basic services in marinas, anchorages, and remote coastal destinations—supporting cleaner boating and improving the experience of operating in places that have historically lacked infrastructure.
Defence and coastal security support
Coastal waters are also corridors for sovereignty, safety, and situational awareness. In these contexts, the value of a modular floating platform is its ability to support remote operations and monitoring—helping enable persistent presence, flexible deployment, and infrastructure-light capability in areas where shore-based systems are limited or unavailable.
Momentum in B.C.’s Blue Economy
Mostar Labs’ progress reflects a wider shift: the “Blue Economy” isn’t only about cleaner propulsion—it’s also about new enabling infrastructure that makes sustainability, safety, and productivity possible along coastlines. Their technology is already making waves.
In late 2025, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced a $3 million project led by Mostar Labs to accelerate the deployment of these electric charge barges. This investment signals a major step forward in building the "Blue Economy"—an economy centered on the sustainable use of ocean resources.
Organizations like the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) are vital to this growth, providing the connectivity and advocacy needed to turn local innovations into global exports.
"British Columbia is rapidly becoming a global powerhouse in the ocean innovation economy," says Jason Goldworthy, Executive Director of COAST. "Companies like Mostar Labs are perfect examples of how we can combine our deep maritime heritage with cutting-edge clean technology. By solving the infrastructure challenges of electrification, they aren't just helping boats move—they’re ensuring our coastal communities and ecosystems thrive for generations to come."
Mostar Labs’ growing portfolio of public and industry-backed programs signals strong institutional confidence in LilyPad’s potential across commercial, recreational, and safety-focused applications. Two Innovate BC initiatives are currently underway: a LilyPad deployment at the BC Marine Energy & Decarbonization Hub to demonstrate the platform in a real-world setting, alongside a second stream focused on accelerating commercialization. Mostar is also participating in an Ocean Supercluster project that advances underwater monitoring capabilities on the coast, and in January 2026 the company signed an NRC-IRAP contribution agreement supporting development of dual-use platform capabilities—reinforcing that the underlying technology can serve both civilian and public-sector needs.
Shipshape Engineering
The team behind Mostar Labs brings a unique blend of expertise to the table, from Royal Canadian Navy service to PhDs in mechatronics. This deep understanding of the 'marine-hardened' reality ensures their systems maintain 95% power conversion efficiency in even the harshest conditions. It’s this rare combination of academic precision and sea-tested experience that allows Mostar to bridge the gap between ambitious climate goals and practical, on-the-water reality.
Meet Mostar Labs at the B.C. Pavilion
Mostar Labs will be showcasing their Lilypad technology at the B.C. Pavilion during Web Summit Vancouver.
Explore programming at the BC Pavilion at Web Summit Vancouver.