New ideas in ship propulsion

STEAM CLEAN

PROPULSION • THE GLOBAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY IS SEARCHING FOR THE BEST WAY TO MEET FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION, WITH SEVERAL OPTIONS BEING EXPLORED

A YEAR AGO the global maritime industry was in a panic, desperately trying to figure out how it was going to meet the new restrictions on sulphur oxide emissions from its ships being imposed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and due to come into effect on 1 January 2020. Despite the ‘IMO 2020’ rule being flagged up some years beforehand, it seemed that many in the industry did not believe that the deadline would be met and were slow to figure out how they were going to meet it.

In the end, it came down to three options for ship operators: burn low-sulphur fuel oil, which was expected to be in short supply and more expensive than standard intermediate fuel oil; install exhaust scrubbers to meet the emissions limits, with the attendant cost of installation and having to take vessels out of operation; or to switch to alternative fuels.

LNG has been the focus of much of the attention on alternative fuels, despite the technical issues concerning its use in engines and the need to retrofit the specific fuel tanks needed to handle a cryogenic liquid. The comparative lack of a bunkering network is also being gradually addressed, particularly in regions of the world where environmental considerations are high on the agenda (particularly in Scandinavia) or for regular, shortsea operations where a scheduled bunkering operation is easy to arrange. Some cruise operators, keen to promote their ‘green’ credentials, have also taken to LNG.

LNG has long been used in LNG carriers as a supplementary fuel – the methane that boils off the cargo can be diverted to the main engine – and LPG tanker operators have also been looking to take a similar approach, with BW LPG in particular investing heavily in retrofitting some of its very large gas carriers (VLGCs) to be able to burn LPG in their engines.

However, the IMO 2020 rule is only a step on the road to decarbonisation in the maritime industry as IMO seeks to implement the UN’s global sustainability goals. And it is becoming apparent that all carbon-based fuels, including LNG and LPG, are only a temporary stage on that road.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER The maritime industry as a whole has seen how IMO 2020 worked and is looking to be better prepared when the ‘IMO 2030’ and ‘IMO 2050’ restrictions arrive. These will focus on reducing the carbon intensity of marine fuels, with the ultimate aim of achieving a carbonneutral position. The industry has already taken steps to address decarbonisation, as a recent report from Shell and Deloitte reveals.

The report, Decarbonising Shipping: All Hands on Deck, sets out the views of senior shipping executives from across the sector and presents a roadmap of solutions. “We know that shipping is one of the harder sectors to decarbonise, which is why we are working with our customers and the wider industry to identify possible solutions,’’ says Huibert Vigeveno, downstream director of Shell.

“In conducting this unique study involving detailed interviews with more than 80 of shipping’s top executives, we have been able to better understand the views of our customers and the broader shipping sector,” adds Grahaeme Henderson, vice-president of Shell Shipping & Maritime. “The research identified the barriers the industry faces, solutions that will drive progress, and how we can work to help accelerate change. We want to catalyse progress towards a net-zero emissions shipping industry and working together will be crucial to implementing these solutions.”

The report certainly identifies a pressing need for cross-industry collaboration and a commitment on the part of charterers (such as Shell itself) that will involve long-term charters of ‘green’ vessels. It urges company partnering to develop zero- or low-emission fuel solutions through joint R&D efforts,

leaning on the experience of onshore sectors, and accelerated implementation of operational measures, including fuel and lubricant quality, digitisation, and the use of data and smart navigation strategies.

A number of current projects illustrate how that collaborative approach is being used to make progress towards cleaning up the environmental impact of maritime activities.

FORK IN THE ROAD There are two routes to reach the decarboniation target: either to use noncarbon fuels, which indicates hydrogen, ammonia or directly supplied electricity from renewable sources; or the use of carbonbased fuels from renewable sources.

Biofuels clearly offer an easier route: they can be burned in the same engines and use the same supply chain to reach consumers as do current, traditional fuels. But they will also have to meet the existing IMO 2020 restrictions on sulphur emissions, so the two leading contenders in this sector are bio-methane in the form of liquefied biogas (LBG) and methanol.

Again, methanol has an advantage in that it is widely available and has historically been used as a fuel in dedicated methanol tankers. Methanol itself is a tricky cargo to carry, as it is easily contaminated, not least by water and salt (both very common during sea transport); it is also toxic to humans, as an endless history of poisonings of those assuming it has similar properties to ethanol testifies. But it is a simple molecule and easy to manufacture. Its carbon footprint can also be reduced through the application of sustainable processing.

The Methanol Institute (MI) has been promoting and supporting the wider use of methanol as a marine fuel for some years now; a report published in 2015 noted the potential for methanol to be produced from recovered carbon dioxide as well as its increasing use as a fuel for heavy trucks.

More recently, and partly in anticipation of wider use of methanol in the marine sector, MI has published an updated version of its technical bulletin on the safe handling and berthing of methanol-powered ships, along with an accompanying video. It has also joined in on a study being led by the China Waterborne Transportation Research Institute, part of the Ministry of Transport, on the technical and operations issues involved. The study is supported by Methanex, the world’s largest methanol producer, and Shanghai Huayi Energy Chemical.

METHANOL FOR EUROPE This past June, a consortium of European maritime and technology companies launched the Fastwater project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a fuel for ships – both on newbuildings and as a retrofit to existing vessels – as a way to achieving a carbon-neutral shipping sector. The project, which has financial support from the European Commission, aims to commercialise medium and high-speed methanol-fuelled engines for shipping. Consortium members, including original engine manufacturers, shipyards, naval architects, ship owners/ operators, port and maritime authorities, classification societies, fuel producers and research institutes, will demonstrate feasibility on three vessels running on methanol fuel: a harbour tug, a pilot boat, and a coast guard vessel.

In addition, Fastwater promises to provide training programmes for vessel crew and portside staff, develop rules and regulations for methanol marine fuel use, demonstrate the complete value chain for bunkering methanol – including net carbon-neutral renewable methanol – elaborate a business plan, and identify CO² and conventional pollutant reductions facilitated by the next generation methanol propulsion systems.

“The Fastwater consortium members bring a strong track record with methanol projects to this effort, which will address current bottlenecks that are hindering the use of methanol as a fuel for waterborne transport,” says project manager Prof Sebastian Verhelst of Lund University and Gent University. “Fastwater will put more methanol-fuelled vessels on the water and showcase retrofit technologies that will serve as lighthouse projects supporting wider commercial introduction.”

A BIT OF BOTH The LBG route to clean marine power is being examined by Denmark-based tanker operator Terntank, which has recently ordered two 15,000-dwt product/chemical tankers from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (formerly AVIC Dingheng). The new ships are designed primarily to transport biofuels and will be

JUST LIKE IN THE PRIVATE CAR SECTOR, BOTH FULLY ELECTRIC (OPPOSITE) AND HYBRID SOLUTIONS ARE

BEING PROPOSED AS A WAY TO REMOVE CARBON

able to run either on liquefied biogas (LBG) or ‘conventional’ LNG, or on hybrid electric power. They will also be equipped with shore power connections in order to eliminate emissions generated by auxiliary motors while the ships are in port.

The design concept is the result of a collaboration between Terntank, the shipyard, designer Kongsberg and the Port of Gothenburg. Terntank had already built four dual-fuel tankers at the yard and, as senior adviser Tryggve Möller explains, it saw “a will and a potential” in the yard and “our customers, crew and the owners” have been very satisfied with those ships.

“Our goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent through reduced fuel consumption and LNG operation was achieved through the first series,” Möller continues. “Now we continue our journey towards fossil-free operations with hybrid technology and over time also by biofuels.”

The idea of providing a connection to draw power from ashore while in port seems simple enough but, Möller says, there were technical challenges, not least since the connection is in a potentially explosive atmosphere. It was here that the collaboration with the Port of Gothenburg came in: the ships will work in the Baltic and North Seas and Gothenburg will be an important port in their operation.

“We hope and believe that Port of Gothenburg will make an investment decision later this fall and plug green electricity at the quays in Skarvikshamnen,” Möller adds. The ships are equipped with a battery pack that can be charged at the quay and can drive both the main engine and the bow thruster. In addition, energy consumption will be optimised at all times through the use of new digital solutions.

Steel-cutting for the two new ships took place in late June, with delivery scheduled for November 2021 and February 2022. Terntank already has one tanker under charter to Preem that runs on an LBG/LNG blend.

Making LBG more widely available will be a key element in its wider use in the marine sector. Netherlands-based Titan LNG, which already supplies LNG to the marine and industrial sectors, announced in July that it had received EU support for its Bio2Bunker project, which aims to make BLG available in the ports of Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Lübeck. Titan LNG is also looking at synthetic liquefied gas (SLG), produced from green hydrogen and captured CO².

“Our customers in the shipping sector are facing a choice for the future: run on marine gasoil, heavy fuel oil with scrubbers, or go for (bio)LNG, the only proven alternative fuel that is scalable right now,” Titan says.

ALL-ELECTRIC ALTERNATIVE In Japan, seven companies have recently established the ‘e5 Consortium’, with the aim of establishing a new ocean shipping infrastructure and developing, realising and commercialising zero-emission electric vessels. It currently plans to launch the world’s first zero-emission electric tanker, powered by large-capacity lithium ion batteries, as early as March 2022.

The project addresses some particular local issues, as the Consortium explains: “Coastal shipping in Japan faces structural issues such as a shortage of mariners due to the ageing of the seagoing workforce, not to mention the ageing of the vessels. In addition, the ocean shipping industry has urged the coastal shipping industry to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as one of Japan’s measures to address climate change.

“The seven e5 Consortium corporate members are focusing their attention on fulfilling the potential of electric vessels to solve these urgent issues. The consortium aims to establish a platform that offers innovative ocean shipping infrastructure services based on electric vessels bringing to bear the strength, technological knowhow, networks, and other advantages of each member company.”

The e5 Consortium involves Asahi Tankers, which itself has committed to building two electric-powered tankers, Idemitsu Kosan, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Mitsubishi Corporation, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance and Exeno Yamamizu Corp, which is running the e5 project office. terntank.com titan-lng.com www.asahi-tanker.com www.methanol.org www.shell.com/DecarbonisingShipping