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Feature 1 | GREEN SHIP TECHNOLOGY The long and the short of green shipping


Essentially the future development of shipping can be split into two parts, the short-term fixes to meet new regulations on existing ships and in the long term designs that will reduce emissions even as shipping demand escalates.


A


ll producers of components and systems are grappling with the problem of making ships more


fuel efficient. Maersk itself is engaging with its partners to solve the same problem said the VP of Maersk Marine Technology Bo Cerup-Simonsen. Maersk’s short-to-medium term aim


is to reduce emissions from all its vessels by 25% by 2020 and it is building the next generation of ships that are equipped to meet that target and is looking at systems that will curb emissions from its existing fleet. New vessels will benefit from an


optimisation programme that is currently under way to look at every single aspect of ship operation and design and to find a way to reduce the emissions from each system and component. Some 25 projects are currently being evaluated on Maersk vessels. “We are a ship operating company primarily, but we like to find partners that innovate and help them to develop systems,” explains Mr Cerup-Simonsen. In addition in the latest order of


sixteen 7500TEU ships from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) have been designed using the operational profile of the ships rather than using the “contractual convenience” of a single point in the operational profile of the ship, said Mr Cerup-Simonsen. “No-one has done this before,” he said. “By changing the hull shape we gained


8% on annual fuel consumption, it’s been an incredible learning curve for us, it’s a huge gain, we all [owners and designers] have to do this in the future,” he added. The 16 ships being built at DSME are


destined for the South America/Europe trade and will be known as Sammax vessels. They will be fitted with large propellers and a slow running, long stroke, tanker engine that will have an additional cylinder and then be de-rated


The Naval Architect January 2011


by around 10%. This saves 6-8% on fuel costs and with a waste heat recovery system saving a further 10% on the fuel bill the total reduction would be 23% reduction on the fuel bill. Though there is some additional capital costs. These savings are significant and the reductions in CO2


will be a benefit


to the climate as a whole. However, Mr Cerup-Simonsen admits that most of Maersk’s programmes are only a short-term fixes and the Sammax ships themselves, if all ships were designed in a similar way, would not reduce emissions enough to meet the demands being made on the maritime industry when the expected growth in shipping will be 50% within the next 40-50 years. In the long run “if you want an absolute reduction in CO2


emissions


from shipping then fuel efficiency will not be enough. Slow steaming can go a long way, but over the next 50 years the increase in shipping demand will mean that an absolute reduction of emissions will require more radical solutions.” As a result Maersk is testing new fuels


that could meet the conditions necessary to see a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The company is considering the use of liquefied


“If you want an absolute reduction in CO2


emissions from shipping then fuel efficiency will not be enough” said Maersks VP of marine technology, Bo Cerup-Simonsen.


natural gas (LNG) and is testing a ship operating on bio-fuel, FAME, fatty acid methyl esters. This bio-fuel is developed from


vegetable mat ter, though Mr Cerup-Simonsen says “we will use only sustainable crops, not corn”. However, he admits that FAME “will not solve every problem, it is not necessarily carbon neutral, but it must be grown in a sustainable way and it must be stable”. LNG power i s al so under


consideration, “sulphur is the driver” for this evaluation and the company is looking at its use on vessels operating on trans-continental routes. “The price of LNG compared to low sulphur fuel is the joker in the pack” explains Mr Cerup-Simonsen. He also admits that the fuel tanks


would take up three times more space than a conventionally powered vessel, “but that would have to be factored into the business case” he explains. Another consideration would be whether the ship would be able to take on fuel while it undergoing cargo operations. “If a ship must spend hours on


dedicated bunkering operations then that’s a problem” he said. Much of the marine industry’s


attention has been understandably turned towards the immediate responses needed to ensure that vessels comply with stringent new regulations. Maersk and others are also continuing to keep one eye on the longer term developments that will be needed to meet future restrictions that are expected to be just as, if not more, challenging. NA


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