6 minute read
Joining forces for a zero-emission CTV
Safety, performance, improved comfort and staf security, reduction in GHG emissions and atmospheric pollutants... these are the main objectives that Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, Mauric, Barillec Marine, SEAir, and ADV Propulse aim for with their ZEST industrial consortium.
Photo courtesy of Ørsted.
The fve partners are working on the development of a CTV which is safer when transferring personnel and tends towards zero emissions. Thanks to this Zero Emission & Safe Transfer (ZEST) project, a new type of innovative and more energy-efcient CTV will emerge in 2025. The CTV will provide a safer and more efcient transfer of wind turbine maintenance personnel thanks to its excellent sea navigation characteristics and the integration of sea state monitoring systems. In comparison to the current market for wind turbine maintenance personnel transfer vessels, it will ofer a more suitable and secure solution for transfer operations at sea, it will be more manageable, and it will be better suited for maintenance operations.
Innovative and optimised
ZEST will operate with low energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions thanks to the combination of innovative technological bricks and an optimised architecture. The use of recyclable composite materials will improve the environmental impact from the construction of the ship until its dismantling. All these impacts will be assessed through a Life Cycle Analysis. By getting closer to zero GHG emission while gaining operational and safety capacities, the CTV ZEST will therefore have a privileged spot in a growing market. By becoming the new standard for CTVs, with very high operational and environmental performance and relying on the skills of the French maritime industry, ZEST will generate tens of millions of euros in turnover and create nearly a hundred jobs by 2030 for the French maritime industry (equipment manufacturers, architects, shipyards, shipowners).
In comparison to the current market for wind turbine maintenance personnel transfer vessels, the CTV will offer a more suitable and secure solution for transfer operations at sea, it will be more manageable, and it will be better suited for maintenance operations. Louis Dreyfus Armateurs has worked with Mauric on CTVs before.
Image courtesy of Mauric.
Innovative solutions
The initiators of the project are Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, who acts as project leader, and ship designer Mauric. “We have already worked with Mauric on CTVs currently under construction at the OCEA shipyard in Les Sables d’Olonne (Vendée, France)”, explains Arthur Barret, Head of Engineering, Project & Innovation at Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. “We appreciate working with them and expect high performance of them for the construction of these ships. It was, therefore, completely natural for us to team up with Mauric and we convinced the other three companies to join in on the project as well. Each of them brings with them very innovative solutions and skills. With regard to ADV Propulse, we have faith in their trochoidal propulsor for quite some time now. Thus it was obvious that we want to integrate such a solution in this ZEST CTV design.” According to Mr Barret, forming a consortium for the project had various reasons. He elaborates, “First of all, we do not have all the inhouse resources to manage such a development ourselves, so joining forces is the best solution for us and for the success of this project. Second of all, our partners in the consortium who are developing the technological bricks, are small to medium size companies, and this collaboration will give them the necessary visibility. Finally, the partnership enables us to receive the necessary fnancial support from public agencies such as the French agency for Sustainable Development and Energy Transition (ADEME) that is partly funding the project.”
First priority
After establishing the consortium, the design studies of the ship and the associated technological bricks set of, in parallel with a technical and economic study. “Each of the companies has a very specifc role to play”, Mr Barret states. “We have a particularly good relationship with each other, and we believe we constitute a very adequate ft to run such an ambitious project.” He continues, “The frst priority in the design loop is to reduce the overall energy need which is necessary to perform the same work as today’s CTVs. To achieve this, we want to fnd ways to: • Reduce hull weight, for example by using composite materials • Reduce hull drag, for example by adopting semi-swath hull lines and using foils providing dynamic lift • Improve seakeeping by using the trochoidal propulsor with well adapted, control law, semi swath hull lines and foils >>
Arthur Barret, Head of Engineering, Project & Innovation at Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.
• Improve propulsion efciency by using trochoidal propulsors. All in all, we expect a substantial saving of energy demand from the combination of the above implementations. Using less energy allows to think about alternative fuels and possibly low or zero carbon fuels, even if we may have to consider bunkering more frequently due to space, weight and volume limitation on board.”
Building blocks
Mr Barret continues, “The technological bricks that we are bringing together will provide a lower need for energy together with better seakeeping capabilities. Apart from fuel saving, this will also improve safety, in particular during the critical personnel transfer phase. The ship will also be ftted with an innovative way of detecting foating objects (for prevention of collision) and a sea-states predicting model to anticipate the possible abortion of a transfer operation rather than taking the risk of bow sliding on the boat landing. Also under study is the use of an adapted dynamic positioning system for positioning the CTV underneath a GUS hoisting system for personnel transfer instead of using boat landing and vertical ladders.”
The technological bricks or building blocks of the project are as follows: • An innovative CTV architecture with foils • Innovative trochoidal thrusters • The integration of zero-emission
GHG energy system solutions • An innovative energy consumption management system • A wave monitoring and foating object detection system • An adapted dynamic positioning system (depending on market needs) The technological bricks developed within the framework of this project will be suitable for CTVs and for other types of as well. “Indeed, ZEST is only one possible application for these technological bricks and will thus be a showcase demonstrating their efciency in a context of pressing constraints to reduce the carbon footprint of maritime activities”, Mr Barret confrms.
Photo courtesy of ADV Propulse.
ADV Propulse’s trochoidal propulsor solution will be used for the ZEST CTV design.
Demonstrator
At the end of the current study phase, the consortium will aim for a frst commercial order which will allow the construction of a demonstrator. This demonstrator will be tested in real conditions to validate its level of operational safety and its technical, economic, and environmental performances. Mr Barrets explains, “When looking at the timeline, we have just started the design & engineering phase which is planned to last about eighteen months. A little before the end of this phase, we should have a rather good idea of the feasibility and pricing of the vessel and by this time we will be ready to bid on tenders that will be in the market at that moment. The market is already showing interest in our concept, however, we must frst face the competing environment of tenders to actually evaluate such interest. Hopefully, we will be able to convince an operator to go forward with us. Construction will be able to start immediately after a contract award and will last up to eighteen months. After that period, six months will be dedicated to a test campaign on the feld, with commercial operation starting progressively during this campaign or just after.”
