JANUARY 2019
Vol. 100 Issue 1166
Testing times:
Dual-fuels:
Motorship Award:
Two-strokes:
Fuel quality in 2020
Engine designs advance
Innovative workboat winner
Engines for new fuels
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Marine fuel cells | Columbia optimisation | Hurtigruten cruiseships | LNG ship descriptions
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CONTENTS
JANUARY 2019
10 NEWS 16 New Allura-class ships
6
12 REGULARS
Fincantieri has received a $1bn+ order from Norwegian Cruise for two new Allura-Class cruise ships
16 Baltic LNG RoPax Swedish ferry operator accepts first of two Chinese-built dual-fuel RoPax vessels to serve domestic Gotland route
10 Leader briefing Making plans for Zaitoun: Containership industry veteran Mohamed Zaitoun has plans for the industry
12 Shipyard report
17 First JP-EGR order Oshima Shipyard orders a two-stroke marine diesel engine using J-Eng's Low Pressure EGR System for NYK Line
17 Navios orders VLCC Ship operator Navios orders a VLCC from Imabari featuring improved design and lower emissions
18 Advantage retro-fit Advantage Tankers has ordered Alfa Laval's PureBallast 3 BWMS to be retro-fitted on 16 vessels of its vessels
Online motorship.com 5 Latest news 5 Comment & analysis 5 Industry database 5 Events
Social Media Linkedin Facebook Twitter Google+ YouTube
From the King Salaman International Complex mega-project at Ras Al-Khair to smaller regional shipyards, yards in the Gulf are set for growth
FEATURES
14 Wonderful Ryvingen
The Ryvingen’s innovative permanent magnet azimuth thruster, dual generator system, and single integrated drive switchboard helped it win our inaugural Motorship award
16 Hurtigruten Hybrids A pair of cruiseships being built for Norwegian owner Hurtigruten are the first to combine batteries with diesel generators
18 Dual-fuel advances Engine designers of two-stroke, dual-fuel engines are already introducing features to improve reliability, efficiency and environmental performance
20 Whither fuel cells With marine fuel cells emerging as a reality, Jan-Erik Räsänen, head of new technologies and Olli Somerkallio, head of machinery, Foreship, assess available technologies
28 Ship descriptions
23 Testing times
This month we cover an LNG bunkering vessel, a Japanese LNG carrier featuring the uncommon IHI-SPB containment technology, an Arctic condensate tanker and an innovative South Australian shallow-draught transhipment carrier
24 New worlds
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16
Fuel testing will be a vital marine service after 2020, not merely a commodity, writes Chris Dyson, director of engineering and scientific consultancy Exponent
Engine designers are monitoring how the ever-increasing range of fuel alternatives is likely to impact slow-speed engine control
The Motorship’s Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference will take place on 19-21 November 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. Stay in touch at propulsionconference.com
JANUARY 2019 | 3
NEWS REVIEW
nedstrom@motorship.com
New Year, New Editor Welcome to our January 2019 issue of The Motorship. Amid the flurry of changes arriving in the shipping market, ranging from long awaited regulatory changes (the introduction of coastal Emissions Control Areas in China on 1 January or the MARPOL Annex IV special area on passenger sewage discharge in the Baltic from 1 June 2019), reporting changes (mandatory fuel oil consumption data reporting from 1 January) and policy shifts in globally important markets (China and scrapping or VIDA in the US), it would be easy to miss a change of editor. My name is Nick Edstrom and I am the new editor of The Motorship. As a newcomer to the shipping industry, I bring a fresh eye to The Motorship, as well as an interest in technological innovation and sustainability. However, I followed the shipping industry closely during my previous career covering dry bulk and breakbulk commodities in Europe and East Asia. Our modern globalised world depends upon shipping. It is an exciting time to be taking the helm of The Motorship. From autonomous vessels to the establishment of drone technology, technological changes are changing the way the shipping industry operates. DNV GL published a Class guideline on Autonomous and remotely operated ships in September 2018. Just the day we went to press, Danfoss Editron revealed it was trialling electric-powered winches on a pelagic trawler that could be operated remotely. And looming over all of these developments lies the prospect of digitalization and the emergence of new ways of working. The emergence of these technologies is likely to transform the industry: the International Chamber of Shipping commissioned a study on the effects of autonomous shipping and digitalization on seafarers in October 2018. One of my goals for 2019 is to understand how these changes will impact ship engineering operations, which remain dependent upon skilled and experienced operators. The long-awaited introduction of the MARPOL Annex VI 0.50% sulphur cap from 1 January 2020 is just one highly topical example. Ship owners who opt to substitute HFO with LSFO or ULSFO fuels will need skilled crews to manage the transition to LSFO fuels, which have different viscosity, density, and lubrication characteristics. Other challenges include changes to flashpoint, as well as fuel stability. Expect to hear a lot more about this issue as the year progresses. And finally, no overview of shipping would be complete without a nod towards sustainability. The IMO’s MEPC agreement during its 72nd session set an ambition to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) by at least 50% by 2050, based on a 2008 baseline. Some academic observers and sustainability lobbyists argue that this will require the introduction of zero emission vessels by 2030, followed by a wholesale transition away from hydrocarbon fuels. Others maintain that LNG can act as a transitionary step towards a carbon-neutral future, relying on biogas (a future modification specified by the buyers of a EUR120m dual fuel RoPax in our news section). The alternatives to LNG are not yet commercially viable, although we include reports on two separate hydrogen fuel cell projects in this issue, as well as the construction of hybrid battery-powered cruise ship in Hurtigruten. Technology, drones, autonomous ships and the Internet of Things, alternative fuels and LNG, and a shift from HFO. It promises to be a fascinating year.
4 | JANUARY 2019
Credit: MAN Energy Solutions
NICK EDSTRÖM ❘ Editor
Hamburg-based company, United Wind Logistics (UWL) has ordered a modern deck carrier from Chinese shipyard Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard. The 148.5m long carrier and 28m beam carrier is scheduled for delivery by the end of November 2019. The order includes options for two further vessels. The carrier will be powered by two MAN 9L 21/31 engines and two MAN 6L16/24 GenSets. The vessel will also be fitted with a Selective Catalytic Reduction system. The MAN engines will be built by MAN Energy Solutions' licensee, CMP, in China. The vessel will also be delivered DP2 ready. The four medium-speed GenSets will be assembled and fully tested by CMP. Lex Nijsen, Vice President, Head of Four-Stroke Marine at MAN Energy Solutions, said: “This new order confirms our solid foothold within the segment for smallbore, medium-speed engines powering specialised vessels. I welcome this new reference and feel that it highlights the diversity of our product portfolio.” The vessel will operate primarily
8 An example of the MAN 21/31 GenSet that will power Jiangsu Zhenjiang's newbuild
in European waters and will meet the strict requirements for efficiently transporting offshore wind-farm components such as blades, nacelles and towers. Meanwhile, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) ordered two Wind Service Operation Vessels (WSOV) for operations and maintenance work at offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The vessels are under construction at Cemre Marin shipyard in Turkey, and will be powered by four MAN ES 8L21/31 variable-speed GenSets (DC grid system). These allow the customer to increase the efficiency of the vessel and significantly reduce the vessel's CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
HYBRID ELECTRIC FERRY TRIMS CO2 Stockholm shipping company Waxholmsbolaget has launched its first hybrid ice-going passenger ferry equipped with a hybrid electric Danfoss Editron marine system to cut fuel usage and emissions. The 27.5m vessel, designed and built by Baltic Workboats to serve the Stockholm archipelago, operates with two diesel engines and a battery pack. With good weather conditions, the ferry can operate with one diesel engine and the battery pack system, further minimising emissions. The Danfoss Editron marine system consists of two hybrid drivetrains with permanent magnet electrical motors and generators and is half the size of a conventional, diesel-electric propulsion system. The hybrid propulsion system is integrated into a single common unit controlled by Baltic
Credit: Manon Thomas
VIEWPOINT
UWL NEWBUILD DECK CARRIER TO USE MAN GENSETS
8 Waxholmsbolaget's hybrid icegoing passenger ferry operates with two diesel engines and a battery pack
Workboats' monitoring and alarm system. The vessel is also equipped with an exhaust cleaning elective catalyst reduction system to further reduce emissions.
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
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NEWS REVIEW
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has announced an order for two new Allura-Class ships for Oceania Cruises. The order is worth €1,150m and marks the next phase of the line's OceaniaNEXT initiative. The 67,000 gross tonne ships will accommodate around 1,200 guests and will be designed and built by Italian-based shipyard, Fincantieri. Delivery is scheduled for 2022 and 2025. “We are excited to expand the Oceania Cruises fleet with our new Allura-Class ships to meet the strong demand for upscale culinary- and destination-focused cruise vacations around the globe,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. “This new class of ships will further elevate the already best-in-class guest experience at Oceania Cruises and meaningfully strengthen demand from both new and loyal returning guests, which will ultimately drive
Credit: Fincantieri
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE EXPANDS OCEANIA FLEET
further returns for shareholders.” Giuseppe Bono, chief executive of Fincantieri believes the deal demonstrates the shipyard's dominance saying that “the order further strengthens an unprecedented leadership in the cruise sector, with a backlog of 55
8 Castellammare di Stabia, Fincantieri Shipyard
vessels to be built for most of the brands operating on this market, and deliveries extending all the way to 2027.” Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings now has ten ships on order for delivery through to 2027 including seven on order for Norwegian
Cruise Line, two for Oceania Cruises and one for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The company will take delivery of its newest ship, Norwegian Encore, in the autumn of 2019.
LNG ROPAX DELIVERED TO BALTIC OPERATOR Baltic island of Gotland and the Swedish mainland. The vessel was designed by Denmark's OSK. The ship designers have established a joint venture with Chinese partners to commercialise the RoPax designs. The vessel is powered by four Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines capable of LNG-only operation. The vessel has been designed to meet future environmental standards for operating in the
Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea's designation as a MARPOL Annex IV special area for passenger ship
sewage will take effect from 1 June 2019 for new vessels and from 1 June 2021 for existing vessels. Passenger vessels will be require to remove nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorous - from wastewater before discharge. The Baltic's NOx Emission Control Area (NECA) will take effect from 1 January 2021. The shipyard is contracted to deliver a second ROPAX, MS Thjelvar, with sea trials expected in early 2019 and delivery in mid-2019.
VGP replaced
No China Scrubber Ban
Sovcomflot carriers
HFO biofuel
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to develop new regulations governing vessel incidental discharges following President Trump’s approval of the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) on 4 December 2018. The existing 2013 VGP requirements will remain in effect until the new regulations have taken effect. The new regulations are not expected to be introduced before 2020, and may take up to four years to be phased in.
Chinese regulators have updated part of its domestic emission control area (DECA) regulations with effect from 1 January 2019. Wastewater discharge from scrubbers remain banned within inland emission control areas (ECAs), port waters under coastal DECA and the Bohai Bay waters only. A full ban on open-loop scrubbers could however be adopted soon, sources familiar with the matter also told BIMCO.
Sovcomflot, part of the SCF Group, has placed an order at the Zvezda shipyard in eastern Russia for the construction of three new generation product carriers that use LNG as their primary fuel. The MR-class vessels will have a deadweight of 51,000 tonnes, an ice class of B1 and will transport petroleum products and gas condensate. All three will be chartered to Novatek under long term contracts.
Low carbon marine fuel supplier, GoodFuels Marine, has joined forces with tanker operator Norden to complete trials for a zeroemission heavy fuel oil (HFO) equivalent marine biofuel. The near-zero carbon and SOx emission biofuel oil is the culmination of three years’ research and development with partners including Royal Dutch Boskalis and engine manufacturer, Wärtsilä. No engine modifications are required to run the new fuel.
6 | JANUARY 2019
Credit: Destination Gotland
Swedish ship operator Rederiaktiebolaget Gotland has taken delivery of MS Visborg, the first of two LNG fuelled ROPAX vessels. Chinese shipbuilder Guangzhou International Shipyard, located in southern China, delivered the 200-meter long, 25.20m beam vessel on 14 December 2018. The 4,800 dwt vessel will have the capacity for about 1650 passengers and 1750 trailer lane meters and a service speed of 28.5 knots. The vessel will operate between Visby on the
8 MS Visborg is expected to enter commercial service by Q2 2019
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
NEWS REVIEW
OSHIMA BUYS FIRST LOWPRESSURE EGR FROM J-ENG
8 J-Eng has received an order for its new EGR from Oshima
both fuel oil consumption and reduce NOx emissions. The technology can be used by
other engine manufacturers helping them to meet the standard for Tier III technology.
NAVIOS ORDERS NEW VLCC FROM IMABARI Major ship operator Navios has recently ordered a 311,000 dwt newbuild very large crude carrier (VLCC) from Imabari Shipyard in Japan. The vessel is scheduled for completion in autumn 2020. The new VLCC is the first being built to a new more efficient design, including Hybrid Fin and WAD (Weather Adapted Duct) features. Imabari expects the improved ship design and efficient technologies will reduce fuel consumption by up to 18% compared with vessels currently in service. The new ship will also have in-built scrubbers, which is expected to remove up to 97% of sulphur oxide emissions from the exhaust gas. As a result, the new design is expected to be comply with IMO Tier III NOx emission requirements. The vessel also incorporates a section of ductile steel, known as NSafe-Hull. The ductile steel sections are applied to side plates of cargo holds and fuel tanks. The steel is designed to absorb side impact to the hull three times more
BRIEFS ClassNK drone test
Photo: J-Eng
Japan Engine Corporation (J-Eng) has received the first order for its new engine from Oshima Shipbuilding for a 99,000dwt bulk carrier to be operated by Nippon Yusen Kaisha. The 7UEC60LSE-Eco-A2-EGR is said to be the first two stroke marine diesel engine to use J-Eng's Low Pressure EGR System (LP-EGR) developed to comply with International Maritime Organisation NOx Tier III regulations. Completing onboard verification in April 2017, LP-EGR uses low pressure exhaust gas from the turbocharger outlet and is claimed to significantly reduce NOx from the present Tier II regulation levels while minimising the increase in fuel oil consumption. The new system also has no waste water drainage from the water treatment system, which may be of benefit if restricted water drainage areas in North America and Europe are expanded. During Tier II operation, the LP-EGR can reduce the exhaust gas recirculation ratio improving
ClassNK conducted a demonstration test of a ship class survey using drone technology on a Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL)-operated coal carrier. Using cameraequipped drones, drone pilots successfully conducted a simulated ship inspection inside the vessel’s cargo hold and ballast tank. The test was also intended to address concerns about the interaction of magnetic material on drone sensors (such as GPS and magnetic compass) which are closely related to flight stability. ClassNK noted rapid advances in drone technology are creating opportunities for new commercial applications in the ocean shipping industry.
Fuel Data From 1 January 2019, ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above need to start collecting data on their fuel-oil consumption, under the MARPOL Annex VI mandatory data collection reporting requirements. The aggregated data will be reported to the flag State for each calendar year. Once the flag State has determined the data was reported following requirements, a Statement of Compliance will be issued to the ship.
HHI’s HiBallast TA
8 Imabari extended its capacity in early 2018 when it opened drydock No. 3
effectively than conventional steel plate, which is claimed to reduce the risk of cracks in the hull and significantly increase vessel safety. These are areas where hull strength is especially critical, improved puncture resistance helping to prevent flooding, and reduce risk of environmental
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
damage from cargo oil or fuel oil leakage. The Motorship previously reported that Imabari commissioned a new drydock, No3, at Marugame in early 2018. The drydock extended the company's scope to ultra-large containerships of 20,000TEU, and other major tonnage such as VLCCs, very large ore carriers (VLOCs), and LNG tankers.
Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HHI) Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS), HiBallast, has received type approval from DNV GL. HHI announced it was the fourth BWTS manufacturer to receive a TA that meets the higher D2 ballast water discharge standard that will come into force for BWTS installations after 20 October 2020. HiBallast successfully received the US Coastguard (USCG) Type Approval (TA) on 26 October 2018.
JANUARY 2019 | 7
NEWS REVIEW
BRIEFS
ADVANTAGE FLEET AGREEMENT FOR ALFA LAVAL BWMS
10 Hapag Lloyd EGCs
Credit: Alfa Laval
Hapag-Lloyd has announced that it is to install hybrid ready exhaust gas cleaning systems on ten 13,000 TEU vessels in 2019 and 2020 and convert one of its 15,000 TEU ships to LNG operation as part of its preparation for the IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap. It previously assessed the cost at US$7-10m per vessel for scrubber installation and US$20-25m for converting a large LNG-ready ship to LNG.
KOMERI eyes SOFC
Daehan LNG AIP Korean shipbuilder, Daehan Shipbuilding (DHSC), has been given approval in principle from DNV GL for a new LNGfuelled 115k dwt Aframax tanker. Daehan now has an approved design and source technology that can satisfy the IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap.
Rolls-Royce Ro-Ro Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine has won a contract to deliver the propulsion system to nine vessels for the Italian Grimaldi Group. The Grimaldi Green 5th Generation ro-ro vessels are 238 metres long and designed to transport over 7,800 linear metres of rolling units. They will be hybrid powered by combining fossil fuels during operation and battery power when in port. The vessels are being designed by Knud E Hansen in Denmark and are being built by Nanjing Jinling Shipyard in China.
8 | JANUARY 2019
Turkey-based product tanker operator Advantage Tankers & Advantage Products is to install Alfa Laval's PureBallast 3 ballast water management system (BWMS) on 16 vessels between March 2019 and March 2021. Advantage will retrofit 33 systems within its existing fleet including both skid-mounted PureBallast 3 Compact and PureBallast 3 Ex systems with a flow-rate capacity of 2,000m3/h.
The fleet management agreement also covered deckhouses solutions for the five PureBallast 3 Ex systems to be installed on product tankers and a service agreement covering testing, calibration, system optimization and crew guidance for the first year after commissioning. “After an in-depth evaluation of the solutions on the market, we concluded that Alfa Laval and PureBallast 3 are the ideal solution
8 Advantage Tankers & Advantage Products will retrofit 33 systems to its existing fleet including PureBallast 3 Compact and PureBallast 3 Ex systems
for our fleet,” says Aydin Aydin, Energy Manager at Advantage Tankers & Advantage Products. “PureBallast 3 offers reliable compliance with an excellent fit for the very large flows aboard our Aframax, Suezmax and product tankers.”
KEPPEL WINS SCRUBBER AND LNG CONTRACTS Singapore-based Keppel Offshore & Marine has won contracts worth S$300m to construct an ice-class LNG bunker vessel and refurbish a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) together with 65 scrubber retrofit projects. The contracts have been awarded to the subsidiaries, Keppel Singmarine and Keppel Shipyard. Chris Ong, chief executive of Keppel O&M, said that the contracts are testament to the company's expertise in the building, upgrading and conversion of a wide range of vessels. “Keppel O&M also stands ready with a suite of advanced and costeffective solutions such as scrubber retrofits and LNG-fuelled vessels, as the International Maritime Organisation implements the 0.5 per cent global sulphur cap on marine fuel from January 2020,” he added. The ice-class LNG bunker vessel, due to be completed in late
Photo: wikipedia
The Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute (KOMERI) signed an MoU with two local partners to develop solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fuel cell technology suitable for marine applications. SOFC cells’ high operating temperature permits them to use a variety of hydrocarbon fuels, aside from hydrogen. SOFCs also compare well with other fuel cell technologies in terms of “load follow-up”.
2020 and built to the MTD 5800V LNG design, will be chartered to Gazpromneft for operations in the Baltic Sea. The vessel will have an Ice Class Arc 4 notation and a cargo capacity of 5800m3. The second contract is for the design of an aft hull for an FPSO as well as procurement of equipment, fabrication, outfitting, integration and commissioning work on board the existing vessel. The installation includes a new accommodation block with room
8 Keppel O&M has won a range of contracts to retrofit scrubbers, construct an LNG bunker vessel and refurbish an FPSO
for up to 140 people and delivery is expected by the end of 2020. Separately, Keppel Shipyard has also secured a total of 65 contracts for exhaust gas scrubber retrofit projects involving project management, integration design engineering, installation and retrofitting, as well as testing and commissioning works.
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
NEWS REVIEW
GEFO ORDERS LNG-ENABLED TANKERS
BRIEFS
Credit: FKAB
Transas Director
GEFO has signed a contract for up to four 7000 DWT LNG-enabled chemical tankers with Avic Dingheng Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. The company has ordered two FKAB-designed stainless steel chemical tanker type II and product tankers from Avic Dingheng, which are equipped with 14 cargo tanks. The contract allows for another two tankers.
The propulsion system consists of a four-stroke main engine with CPP that is able to handle LNG and is dual fuel ready for gas and methanol, FKAB said. The vessel is designed for very low fuel consumption at eco speed of 12.5 knots at design draught and includes output from its shaft generator. The FKAB design is based on
Bothnia RoPax
8 FKAB-designed Avic Dingheng tanker for GEFO
Finnish shipyard Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) received an order for a 1A Super ice class rated ROPAX ferry from a municipal consortium to link Sweden’s Umea and Finland’s Vaasa across 80km of the Baltic’s Gulf of Bothnia. The €120m carrier is scheduled for delivery by the end of April 2021. The drive-through RoPax will have a total capacity of 1500 lanemeters and for 800 passengers. The hybrid propulsion system will be a combination of dual fuel engines (LNG/Biogas and diesel/SCR) and batteries, connected to azimuth thrusters/pods.
GEFO's requirements of long-term operation, high flexibility and very low fuel consumption. The design also specifically accounts for the harsh weather conditions in NW-European waters and is certified for Finnish/ Swedish ice class, ICE 1A.
EMP AND MASTERBULK INSTALL NEW BATTERY
Donsotank carriers
Photo: EMP
Japanese technology group, Eco Marine Power (EMP) has joined forces with Singapore shipping company, Masterbulk, to install a new battery pack on a large general cargo ship. The UltraBattery, manufactured by the Furukawa Battery Company, has been installed on the MV Panamana and will later form part of an Aquarius Marine Solar Power solution developed by EMP. The pack incorporates classapproved UB-50-12 Valve Regulated Lead Acid batteries and can be installed by the ship's own technical team. The frame kit for the batteries, which have a capacity of UB-1000, was manufactured by Teramoto Iron Works and is specially designed to be used with the UB-50-12 batteries. Yasuhiro Kodaka, general manager of international sales at Furukawa Battery said: “We are very pleased to see our high quality UltraBattery series being used on ships. These long-life and very reliable batteries offer a cost effective alternative to lithium-ion type batteries and
Wärtsilä has appointed an experienced maritime digital leader as Director of its Transas business. Torsten Buessow joins from DNV GL where he held senior management roles in Fleet Performance Management, its Maritime Digital Business Unit. Wärtsilä expects his expertise in maritime software, fleet operations, and post-merger integrations to help it achieve its Smart Marine vision.
are also relatively easier to install and maintain.” Lars Modin, chief executive officer at Masterbulk, said: “At the core of Masterbulk's corporate sustainability policy is a focus on protecting the planet and
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
8 EMP and Masterbulk have installed a new battery on the MV Panamana
exploring the use of renewable energy on our ships, as part of our strategy to further reduce emissions and fuel consumption.”
Chinese shipbuilder Wuhu Shipyard has signed a contract with Swedish ship owner Donsotank to build two 167.7m long, 26.5m beam chemical tankers, to be delivered in 2021. The vessel’s LNG-fuelled propulsion system will consist of a single Wärtsilä 10V31 DF LNG-fuelled engine, and two auxiliary Wärtsilä 8L20 engines. The vessels will be equipped with a GESAB SCR-Catamiser. The vessels will also have in-built shore connections for port operations and are designed to accommodate a 1000 kWh battery-pack.
JANUARY 2019 | 9
LEADER BRIEFING
RETHINKING THE BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY OF CONTAINERSHIPS A Dubai-based container shipping consultant is the force behind an innovative approach to container ship design, technology and ownership, writes Gavin Lipsith Is the container shipping industry broken? Perhaps, according to one of the sector's most influential executives. Mohamed Zaitoun, a veteran of the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) before its acquisition by Hapag-Lloyd and one of the driving forces behind its ground-breaking LNG-ready ultralarge containerships, believes the container shipping business model - from ship design upwards - is due a root and branch rethink. Zaitoun has form when it comes to shaking up ship design. UASC's 18,000teu series were hailed as among the most ecologically efficient, as well as some of the first to grapple with designs that could later accommodate conversions to run on more environmentally-friendly LNG fuel, once it became viable. That may have been ahead of its time: five years after the first ship was put into service, Hapag-Lloyd is only now preparing to convert one of the series for LNG operation this year, pushed into exploring options by the looming global sulphur cap. LNG may figure in Zaitoun's latest plan if anything can be read into his choice of partner. Liberated from his old employer, Zaitoun has formed first a consultancy, Zaitoun Green Shipping, and - more recently - a consortium that hopes to re-imagine containership design, propulsion and even ownership. Those partners include two-stroke engine developer WinGD; cargo systems specialist MacGregor; equipment and systems provider Wärtsilä; containment systems company GTT; environmental solutions provider Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery & Marine Engineering; and project management and supply chain specialist Carina Solutions. There is no mistaking the connection between GTT, Wärtsilä and WinGD, or their shared interest in fuel choices. But Zaitoun insists that the consortium hopes to address far broader issues than simply that. The very model of modern container ship ownership is at stake. There are clear industry challenges in container shipping, Zaitoun says. Low freight rates, overcapacity and consolidation are part of this, but so too are more technical challenges that start with the ship. “We have to find new business model that allows for better operational analysis, connectivity, fuel efficiency and optimisation. These are industry challenges and this is what we are defining from day one. We are starting from the business case and going on to the whole ship that we believe can deliver more profit. The consortium will work on establishing the business case to deliver profitable and efficient operations for any ship owner.” As an example, Zaitoun notes the wide difference in ship performance and it impact on profit. “Two ships leave and arrive part at the same time, but if you look at the fuel consumptions they are very different. That's cost, that's profit left on the ship. And it's the same issue with loading - the profit difference between a 98% full ship and an 80% one.” For Zaitoun, business and technical matters cannot and should not be easily separated. “I have told my partners that we have to find a new business model,” he says. “We cannot work on the existing model, which has been used for the last fifty years. We cannot wait until
10 | JANUARY 2019
someone knocks on our door, we have to be proactive and adopt a different culture and mindset to ensure that we can improve profits.” Zaitoun tells The Motorship that the fuelling of the future concept will not necessarily involve natural gas. “It is more about the mindset of reducing risk in the industry than any one technical solution,” he says, adding that the consortium was open to working with either existing ship owners or investors to bring the eventual design to fruition.
8 Zaitoun’s experience working on the first LNGready ships for UASC has informed his view on the technical and commercial challenges of container shipping
WHAT THE PARTNERS SAY Stein Thorsager, sales director for merchant & gas carriers, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, said “There is a pressing need to address inefficiencies and to improve business practices in the shipping industry. A major challenge is that the suboptimal choice and utilisation of onboard systems are hindering performance and hence, therefore, also profitability.” "The industry has a lot of potential particularly stemming from underperforming systems and processes," added Tommi Keskilohko, director, customer innovations, cargo handling, MacGregor. "For this project we can offer a great deal of experience stemming from our own commitment to increase the efficiency of cargo handling.” 8 A consortium of technology providers and industry experts will explore new containership designs
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SHIPYARD REPORT
DIVERSE PROJECTS BROADEN GULF MARITIME MARKET In cash-constrained times, few regions can compete with the sheer volume of shipyard investments currently emerging in the Arabian Gulf. We highlight some of the latest projects
8 Investors believe the King Salaman International Complex in Saudi Arabia os set to become one of the world’s major shipbuilding and repair yards
On 26 November last year, one of the most ambitious shipyard projects in the world came a step closer to fruition, when Saudi Aramco signed a contract with China Power Construction Group (Power China) to build the nearly 12 million square metre King Salaman International Complex at Ras Al-Khair on Saudi Arabia's east coast. Saudi Aramco, along with joint venture partners Hyundai Heavy Industries, Saudi shipping company Bahri and UAEbased offshore construction specialist Lamprell, envisions the shipyard becoming the biggest in the world, capable of building four offshore rigs and more than 40 ships a year (including three very large crude carriers), as well as servicing 260 vessels or offshore units. It is part of the kingdom's 'Vision 2030', under which Saudi Arabia hopes to repatriate some of the US$12 billion it is currently spending on shipbuilding overseas and create a US$17 billion windfall of its own, including 80,000 jobs. The new yard is a sign of Saudi Arabia's ambition to evolve from an oil-producing country to one that also supplies the services and infrastructure around oil. And the US$3 billion construction contract with Power China has strategic importance for that country too, under the Belt and Road initiative that has seen China invest in transport, logistics and infrastructure projects across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Power China has appointed its subsidiary, Shandong Electric Power Construction Co (SEPCO), as the general contractor for engineering, procurement and contracting for the King Salaman project - one of the largest in the Chinese group's history. SEPCO has already established a project department and has begun preliminary planning and design, procurement and pre-construction preparation work. Initial production and service operations at King Salaman International Complex are expected to open this year, with the facility gearing up to full capacity by 2022. And with orders for 20 rigs and 52 ships already on the books over the next decade, the venture - trading as International Maritime Industries - will need that capacity soon.
12 | JANUARY 2019
To the south of Saudi Arabia's eastern coast lies the United Arab Emirates, with the emirates' promontory into the Persian Gulf making it a natural hub for maritime activities. With so many projects underway in a country that includes some of the biggest shipyards in the region, it is hard to pinpoint the most newsworthy. One seemingly small recently announced project highlights interest in the region from more established European players and the continued investment that the UAE is drawing to its shores Albwardy Damen, the ship repair business established in the UAE by Dutch group Damen and joint venture partner Albwardy Marine Engineering, celebrated its tenth anniversary on 15 November 2019 by opening its new ship repair facility at Dubai Maritime. Since 2008, Albwardy Damen has grown in size and capability to become a significant newbuild and ship repair yard. In the first half of 2018 alone, it repaired and built over 100 vessels. The new site at Dubai Maritime City enhances this capability by giving the joint venture a state-of-the-art facility in a strategic location at the heart of Dubai. This benefits not only the customers of Albwardy Damen, but also contributes to the local economy and the UAE's own strategy for the maritime market, the 'Maritime Vision 2030' programme. Lars Seistrup, managing director, Albwardy Damen, says: “Our new Dubai facility allows us to deliver the same exceptional levels of safety and quality as our yard at Sharjah. In addition, Dubai Maritime City is strategically located at the heart of Dubai, making it a highly convenient destination for our customers and one from where we can deliver a second-to-none service.” Albwardy Damen has 1,100 employees of 26 nationalities and offers a range of ship building and ship repair skills, supported by an extensive engineering division. Over the past ten years tugs, workboats, dredgers, fast crew suppliers and other vessels from Damen's design portfolio have been delivered to local ship owners. Ali Albwardy, chairman and director, Albwardy Investment, says: “The primary aim of the company has always been to offer
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
SHIPYARD REPORT
its current and potential customers the ultimate in service excellence. Albwardy Damen's tremendous growth over the past ten years is a strong testament to its never-ending pursuit of technical innovation and its dedication to providing services according to the satisfaction of consumers.” Bounce back north to Qatar, and a Dutch influence is evident again in a new project expanding Milaha shipyard. Located in the South of Qatar in Mesaieed Industrial City and in proximity to the new Hamad Port, Milaha Shipyard operates across for sectors: offshore vessels; navy and coast guard units; yachts; and commercial ships. It also carries out afloat repairs either at anchorage or at quayside. Since its foundation in 1978, Milaha has repaired approximately 8,000 vessels belonging to regional and international shipowners. The yard also serves the industrial markets by providing maintenance, shutdown, fabrication and workshops services. The yard currently occupies an area of 150,000 sqm and operates 2 floating docks, one synchrolift and extensive workshops facilities needed to perform dry-docking, maintenance and repair services for vessels up to 150m loa. Recently Milaha launched a new repair shed to accommodate vessels up to 50m loa. Now the company has selected Royal HaskoningDHV to develop plans to upgrade its Shipyard facilities in preparation for further growth in current markets and expansion into new areas of operations. Commenting on the upgrade plans, Abdulrahman Essa AlMannai , president and CEO, Milaha, says: “The phased upgrade for our shipyard is being done to support our business strategy and to increase the shipyard's market share in four diversified target market sectors, all with minimal disruption to the ongoing operations at the facility.” When completed, the shipyard will have an increased capacity and efficiency in handling ship repair works of larger and more complex size. The planned upgrades include a new larger floating dock, larger and enhanced workshops and an overall revamping of the facilities. Erik Oostwegel, CEO, Royal HaskoningDHV, adds: “We are honoured to be appointed by Milaha Shipyard for this major upgrade investment planning for the whole shipyard production facilities to meet the challenges of the next 40 years” The upgrade is expected to commence in early 2019 and to be completed by the third quarter of 2020. Elsewhere, shipyards are looking not necessarily to boost capacity, but instead to find more opportunities for the capacity they already have. One example is Arab Shipbuilding & Repair
Yard (ASRY) in Bahrain, which in August 2018 announced that it would be launching a new fabrication and engineering division. The new arm - which will provide modular fabrication, steel structures, piping solutions, offshore structures and vessel construction - is the fourth pillar in the company's newly defined core services, which also include repair and conversion for commercial ships, naval vessels and offshore units. “Fabrication and engineering are already part of ASRY's DNA as they are key elements in our ship and rig repair business,” says Andy Shaw, CEO, ASRY. “There is significant growth potential in the regional fabrication sector, starting with Bahrain, where our ownership structure as a Bahrain governmentowned entity will provide stability and longevity to meet clients' long-term needs.” The move is a response to regional demand for fabrication facilities. ASRY believes that new developments in the petrochemical, desalination, and energy sector have pushed demand beyond current supply. ASRY can offer more than 40 years' experience in steel, piping and mechanical workmanship, more than 5,000 employees on site, and almost 1.5 million square metres of work space with instant access to water transport links. “There is currently approximately US$490 billion worth of projects in pre-execution phase across the Gulf Cooperation Council in our target sectors of power, gas, oil, chemical, water and industrial,” explains Sauvir Sarkar, new construction and engineering senior manager, ASRY. “Already there are insufficient fabrication facilities in the region, and even fewer in Bahrain. Much of the fabrication and engineering work is being contracted outside of the region. ASRY can now be considered a preferred option for fabrication work in the region.”
8 Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai (centre), president and CEO, Milaha, believes the yard’s investments will bring more complex work
8 A new ship repair facility in Dubai Maritime City moves Albwardy Damen closer to operators using the new hub
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
JANUARY 2019 | 13
THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS
AWARD-WINNING DESIGN FOR NORWEGIAN COASTAL WORKSHIP A unique collaboration between the Norwegian Coastal Administration and Rolls-Royce highlights the potential for improving energy efficiency through hybrid propulsion
8 Advanced coastal multipurpose vessel OV Ryvingen won the inaugural Motorship Award
For The Motorship's 40th annual conference in November last year, an award was created to give delegates a chance to recognise a project that has resulted in emissions reductions and has potential to be scaled across the shipping industry. The shortlisted projects included a fuel treatment, a permanent magnet shaft generator installation, LNNG as a marine fuel - the ultra-large containerships ordered by CMA CGM in 2017 - and a little-known hybrid propulsion project that is revolutionising the workhorse vessels that help manage the world's longest coastline. Perhaps surprisingly given the focus on large vessels (and the higher profile of other nominees) the latter initiative, a collaboration between the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) and Rolls-Royce, won the award. That it did so is a tribute both to the wide acceptance of battery technology, and the clever way in which the partners developed NCA's latest generation of multipurpose work vessels. As this magazine goes to press NCA's latest vessel, OV Ryvingen, is set to have completed sea trials after delivery from Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted. Through a series of design changes over four vessels, a six-cylinder medium speed-engine running a newly developed dual generator system has replaced four high-speed engines, resulting in a massive improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and maintenance. The 46m loa vessel also features the largest battery installation in the world relative to its size (3MWh), enabling several hours of continuous, all-electric operation. The propulsion system is optimised through an integrated DC-
14 | JANUARY 2019
distribution system (Rolls=Royce's SAVe CUBE) and the first commercial permanent magnet azimuth thrusters. The impact of this advanced technology on the ship's performance are dramatic. Ryvingen will boast an overall fuel reduction of 35% and an emissions reduction of 50% compared to NCAs six- and seven-year-old vessels performing the same duties. In a major boon for the maintenance of the new ship, engine running hours based on a similar operating profile will be slashed by 86%. SHORE POWER Given the rapid spread of shore power availability along the Norwegian coastline, Ryvingen has a versatile shore connection installed that can utilise a range of voltage and frequency levels depending on the connections available locally. In areas where this power is available it will enable a further overall fuel and CO2 reduction to around 72%. According to Kristian Eikeland Holmefjord, electrical and automation technical specialist, Rolls-Royce, this level of electrification turns Ryvingen into an almost completely electric multipurpose work vessel - the first of its kind. The Norwegian Coastal Administration's Shipping Company oversees maintenance and upkeep of the Norwegian coast, including more than 22, 000 objects. The company has several vessels to help perform its duties, but many are old and in need of replacement. In 2007, NCA set out a replacement plan for its 30-40 year-old vessels. But instead of just switching an old ship with a new one, NCA looked at how it could reduce operational
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS
cost, minimise its footprint, increase the safety of crew and increase productivity. In 2012 and 2013 the first two vessels were delivered from Fitjar, designed by Wärtsilä Ship Design. The diesel-electric solution included shafted propellers supplied from multi-drives with other outputs for the tunnel thrusters. The multi-drives were a novel design for Rolls-Royce and the vessels were NCA's first diesel-electric vessels. In 2016, the next vessel was delivered from Hvide Sande Skibs- & Baadebyggeri in Denmark. This vessel was designed by the shipyard. Holmefjord recalls: “Through collaboration with the yard, Rolls-Royce used its experiences with the first two vessels to improve the power and propulsion system. NCA challenged Rolls-Royce to develop a battery package for this vessel, and within three months the solution was ready for integration onboard Bøkfjord.” Rolls-Royce implemented one of the first energy storage systems of more than 800kWh on the new ship, as well as installing azimuthing thrusters to optimise the system towards NCA's operations. The energy storage allowed the designers to remove one of the high-speed engines, while the azimuthing thrusters removed the need for an aft tunnel thruster. This third vessel completed its first year of service in 2017, covering more than 10 000nm to date and recording significant reductions in fuel consumption and emission. This first hybrid solution also sparked the development of a completely new vessel. “The Norwegian Coastal Administration and Rolls-Royce wanted to take this to the next level and create an even more environmentally friendly vessel,” says Holmefjord, “while at the same time keeping the same flexibility over the wide range of different operations. To face this challenge, we had to look into new technologies.” Rolls-Royce had created the world's first commercial permanent magnet azimuth thruster, combining a ring-type permanent magnet electric motor, propeller and nozzle in a tightly integrated propulsion unit. Among the benefits compared to a conventional thruster, says Holmefjord, is the efficiency lent by a permanent magnet motor. Combined with the absence of gear losses, this gave a direct 7% fuel-saving on our prototype that was installed on the NTNU/Marintek research vessel Gunnerus. The vessel also achieved a 20% increase in bollard pull. The permanent magnet thruster offers a simple construction and brushless design with a permanent magnetic field. It has few rotating parts and its robust construction makes it suitable for high reliability applications. The simple design also enables less maintenance and keeps the noise level to a minimum, with no rotating components inside the vessel. The submerged motor means that no cooling equipment is required, saving space and reducing installation cost. Another novel technology is the dual generator system. This solution, never seen in the marine market before, involves a medium-speed engine with one generator connected on the shaft and another generator connected to the flywheel. This allows the use of smaller generators compared to using a single unit, with higher efficiencies at lower loads and (uniquely) a redundant electric system with only one engine. After making necessary provisions and adaptions to increase operability of main engine, the technology secured an approval in principle from DNV GL. The system allows owners to reduce the number of engines installed, saving space and reducing required engine maintenance. The third technology advance needed for the Ryvingen configuration is the SAVe CUBE, a single integrated drive switchboard for the whole vessel using a common DC-bus. Engines will be able to operate at variable speeds to maximise
efficiency, while output is automatically adjusted to the demanded power. All frequency converters, drives and switchboards are housed in a single cabinet for increased efficiency and a space saving footprint. The SAVe CUBE also simplifies installation and commissioning, as many connection terminations are connected and tested at the factory before being installed. The cooling system is less distributed, as all cooling for drives will be centralized in one cabinet. Ship service power for hotel and other loads is powered from the same cabinet. Additional battery power can be efficiently integrated on the DC-bus with minimal conversion losses. In this case, the 3MWh battery installation on Ryvingen is split in two and connected with 1500kWh of capacity on each of the two main DC-busses for increased safety and redundancy.
8 The vessel is expected to achieve CO2 emissions reductions of over 35% compared with the original vessels, with engine running hours cut by 86%”
ENERGY OPTIMISATION The sophisticated arrangement also called for Rolls-Royce's new Energy Management System, an on-board optimising tool that enables the captain and the ship owner to clearly see the operational conditions of the vessel and identify steps to reduce the fuel consumption of the vessel. In the design process of the NCA's fourth vessel the energy management system installed on the earlier vessel provided the owner and designer with valuable information on how the third vessel was being operated. Combined, these technologies have resulted in a unique vessel solution, says Holmefjord. The integrated DC distribution switchboard (SAVe CUBE) is the heart of the system, allowing the engine to run at variable speed - always running in the most fuel-efficient manner by adapting to the required load. The permanent magnet azimuths are supplied from converters integrated in the SAVe CUBE, therefore eliminating the need for locally installed converters, and freeing up valuable space in the propulsion room. The SAVe CUBE also allowed RollsRoyce to connect the energy storage system directly to the DC bus, removing the extra conversion required in traditional systems. The results over a series of four vessels are clear. The design has evolved from 42 high-speed cylinders to just six mediumspeed cylinders; four fixed-speed engines have been replaced with one variable-speed engine; traditional AC switchboards have been replaced by an integrated DC distribution system; and shafted propellers have been replaced by permanent magnet azimuth thrusters. For this level of innovation, and the dramatic impact that similar thinking could have on emissions and fuel consumption in other shipping segments, Ryvingen is a worthy winner of the inaugural Motorship Award.
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
JANUARY 2019 | 15
HYBRID PROPULSION
CLEAN START FOR NEW ERA OF EXPEDITION CRUISING Even on a dark, mid-December morning, the fjord-side road from Ulsteinvik town centre to Kleven shipyard offers tantalising glimpses of two of the Norwegian shipbuilder's most intriguing projects - the polar expedition cruiseship Roald Amundsen, due to begin operations in May 2019, and sister ship Fridtjof Nansen, which will enter service later in the year. The pair, which will carry up to 530 passengers on luxury expedition cruises to both the Arctic - sailing the Northwest Passage - and Antarctic, are striking not just for their sleek red, black and white lines. These are the first cruise ships to feature battery propulsion; an arrangement that Hurtigruten hopes will help to preserve the pristine waters in which the ships will sail. When The Motorship visited Kleven - owned by Hurtigruten since the cruise and ferry operator rescued the yard from financial trouble last year - members of the mainstream press were taking their first tour of Roald Amundsen, even while contractors raced to finish cabins and communal areas. Cruise critics, whose endorsement can make or break a ship's reputation in the competitive luxury segment, focused on those areas as well as the destinations and on-ship services. Seemingly of less interest was the claim that Hurtigruten's hybrid ships will enable zero-emission sailing. For now, that claim is some way from reality. The 1.35MW/h of battery power installed on the Roald Amundsen will be used to improve fuel efficiency, by around 20% compared to the same design without batteries. In the present configuration the company aims to use the batteries for peak shaving - running the engines at a constant load that charges the batteries when energy demand is low and, when energy demand exceeds engine output, discharges the batteries for a power boost. The Corvus battery systems currently look lonely in a battery room designed to hold up to six times the number of modules. When the dual battery rooms are eventually filled - by which time batteries weighing a total of 80 tonnes will offer a capacity of 6.5MW/h - Hurtigruten will be able to sail into and out of ports and sensitive areas using battery power alone. But this will not happen for the first year or two of operation at least. The Bergen B33:45 engines are installed on a cruiseship for the first time, and are governed by Rolls-Royce automation and an energy management system that manages the vessel's battery systems as well as the four generators. The propulsion arrangement is designed to comply with safe return to port requirements introduced in 2016 which mean that passenger ships must offer enough redundancy in propulsion and navigation to offer safe return should an emergency occur. The rules mean that the ship houses an emergency bridge and segregated battery and engine rooms. This has added complexity to the power arrangement too - according to chief engineer Frank Hermansen, the ship is divided vertically into four zones, meaning that loss of power in one will not affect the other zones. NOT PRESENT One unusual system that will not, in the end, be onboard either vessel is the hybrid water system that was due to be delivered
16 | JANUARY 2019
Credit: Oclin
A pair of cruiseships being built for Norwegian owner Hurtigruten are the first to combine batteries with diesel generators. The Motorship visited Kleven shipyard to learn more
by Presentwater. The system offered a potentially cost-effective solution both to the challenge of ballast water treatment and the provision of drinking water onboard, which is either costly if water is bunkered or highly energy intensive if water is cleaned onboard. The Presentwater solution involved ballasting water that would then be treated to drinking standard, with the waste discharged as grey water - thus neatly avoiding the need to install a ballast water management system. Unfortunately, the Presentwater system failed to gain approval from DNV GL and Hurtigruten was unwilling to be the prototype user of an unapproved system - quite understandably given the exposure of a cruise line to safeguarding passenger health and safety. Instead, just one system from Presentwater the company's waste heat recovery concept - is installed, rather than the whole hybrid ballast/drinking water system. The company has decided that its ships serving the Norwegian coastal route will burn LNG as a fuel, via RollsRoyce's lean-burn, pure gas B33:46 engines (and assisted by batteries). Six ships will be retrofitted from the first quarter of 2019 at a yard that has yet to be contracted, but is likely to include at least some work at F0sen - the yard in southern Norway that Hurtigruten rescued, having already contracted significant work to the yard when it ran into financial difficulty. The Norwegian operator has thus, perhaps unwillingly, become a proponent of the operator-owned shipyard model, with its current orders keeping both Kleven and Fosen in work. For how long the company will be able to sustain its yards without outside business is an important question. Even one
8 The next step of Hurtigruten’s emissions reduction will come from developing a biogas supply network, says Skjeldam
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
HYBRID PROPULSION
BIOGAS BEGINNINGS The work to reduce emissions does not stop with LNG and batteries. Hurtigruten has also announced that it will use biogas created from fishery waste provided by its LNG supplier. The company says that this biogas is the carbon-neutral fuel it can place on its ships and believes that LBG has the ability reduce emissions from LNG by up to 60%. It will be introduced slowly, initially representing 10% of bunkered gas when the company's six LNG-battery cruise ferries come into service on Norway's coastal route in 2021. Skjeldam says: “There is no biogas network currently and we want to help build it. We cannot do it alone but we are a big buyer and we can encourage the development of biogas supply.” Regardless of the move to biogas along the Norwegian coast, Hurtigruten's first three hybrid expedition vessels will run on Marine Gas Oil, mainly due to the lack of LNG bunkering infrastructure at its destinations. Ships four and beyond, though, could be fitted out for dual-fuel flexibility. Such a move would entail a major design change because of the different engines, safety requirements and tank spaces that LNG fuel would require. There is little doubt that Hurtigruten's first vessels are, like their namesakes, exploring uncharted territories. Battery packs will eventually enable them to sail emission-free for longer than ever before on ships of this size. The future for powering in the
Credit: Oclin/Hurtigruten
cruiseship a year is not enough to keep Kleven busy, and Hurtigruten has given no firm commitments beyond its letter of intent for a third vessel. Despite the insistence of Daniel Skjeldam, Hurtigruten's effusive and energetic CEO, that the company needs to build more ships, many observers suspect that Kleven will be under Hurtigruten ownership only until orders from other quarters (including an anticipated rebound in offshore building) make the yard an attractive investment opportunity again.
expedition cruising sector could well lie in other fuels - in LNG or even fuel cells (see panel). But as all pioneers know, the first steps are the hardest to make, and Hurtigruten deserves recognition for pushing the boundaries of cruiseship capabilities.
8 The battery hybrid cruiseship Roald Amundsen nearing completion at Kleven shipyard
Funding for Havyard hydrogen fuel cell project Ship designer Havyard and operator Havila Kystruten are to develop and test a 'high capacity hydrogen energy system' after receiving a NOK104.3 million (US$12.1 million) grant. The investment was secured from Pilot-E, an emissions-focused funding initiative jointly coordinated by the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and Enova. It will be used to develop Havyard's FreeCO2ast concept, combining batteries and hydrogen fuel cells to deliver zero-emission sailing capacity that the designer says will be 'up to five times longer than other existing or planned vessels'. The system will be trialed on one of four ships Havila Kystruten is building to serve the Norwegian coastal route. “We want to create a technology involving hydrogen and batteries that enables large vessels to sail with zero emissions over long stretches and at high speed,” said Kristian Steinsvik, head of R&D, Havyard. “Never before have so many big vessels crossed such long distances with zero emissions as projected in our current plans.”
The partners believe that a ship using hydrogen will be able to sail half the coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes - including the UNESCO World Heritage fjords - without emissions. The system will be in operation by the end of 2022. Havila Kystruten's ships will host the world's biggest marine battery packs when they enter service in 2021. The vessels - alongside the
For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101
8 Left to right: Kristian Osnes, Kristian Steinsvik, Jorgen Kopperstad and Kjellbjørn Kopperstad of Havyard Group
soon-to-be retrofitted LNG and battery powered vessels of fellow coastal license holder Hurtigruten - meet strict environmental requirements laid down by the Norwegian government before awarding the concessions.
JANUARY 2019 | 17
EMISSIONS ABATEMENT
DELIVERING BETTER PERFORMANCE FOR DUAL-FUEL ENGINES After two to three years of service, developers of the first two-stroke, dual-fuel engines are already introducing features to improve reliability, efficiency and environmental performance
8 The MAN B&W ME-GI
Although the two major two-stroke engine designers are offering very different dual-fuel technologies, both are in the process of updating their engine configurations based on feedback from the field. The result will be even more reliable and efficient engine deliveries as interest in LNG as a marine fuel ramps up over the coming years. Peter Quaade, dual-fuel group manager, operations department, MAN Energy Solutions, describes the operations department as the link between engine designers and users. Its main function is to support the design department by feeding back operational experience and requirements from both engine users and ship operators. Not surprisingly, the department's dualfuel group is growing - it is three years since the first dual-fuel engines entered service, and MAN is ramping up both the number of engines it is set to deliver and the fuels it is working with. “We have 58 engines in service now,” says Quaade. “The whole order book is roughly 250 dual-fuel engines either delivered or on order and in two years we will have around 100 in service. “We receive availability and reliability hours on a monthly basis from some owners and we have seen recently from some of the very first engines in service are showing availability of up to 100% and completely dual-fuel running.” Those reliability statistics cannot be taken for granted. Although engines (especially those burning new fuels) are tested rigorously - both at MAN's research centre in Copenhagen and
18 | JANUARY 2019
with with our licensee's - it is only when they enter service that the impact of real running hours becomes apparent. “When you go to the market and start to count thousands of running hours, then you'll see how the engine construction is doing,” notes Quaade. “Over the years we have improved a lot on the hydraulic side. We had some sealing issues which are now resolved. And recently we saw that our pilot profile injection has been a little bit rough on our hydraulic system. We have changed the design of our pilot profile, which has improved accuracy and stability.” Work on the pilot profile has helped improve reliability, while work on reducing the amount of pilot fuel used remains an ongoing task. Quaade explains that the first series of ME-GI engines - first put into service on two Tote Inc containerships in 2015 - boasted a pilot fuel consumption of 5%. In new deliveries, that has been cut down to 3% and in the future MAN hopes to reduce diesel consumption further down to 1%. But there are significant design challenges. SHRINKING PILOT “We use the same fuel injectors for pilot fuel as we do for full load on liquid fuel, so there is a very wide range in which they can work,” says Quaade. “Injecting at 100%, we can control that easily, but going down quickly to a very small amount has required some adjustment. The concept has been proven but
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we needed to make those adjustments to get down below 5% and soon below 3%.” Future gains will be driven by adjusting the hydraulics and controls further, as well as looking at the fuel hardware itself. Quaade reveals that MAN has already performed the first tests on some new hardware designs with one of its engine builder counterparts. He adds that, while the designs are by no means completed, the engine designer is undoubtedly heading towards lower pilot fuel consumption. “Our new target is 1%,” he says. “We will go to near zero pilot injection, but not to zero. It's possible to ignite gas without it, but you need to control the start and finish of the combustion. We have seen that gas will ignite without the pilot fuel, but it is delayed, and that gives some other headaches.” Winterthur Gas & Diesel has received orders for a total of 128 of its X-DF dual-fuel engines, with a combined power output of around 2,400MW. Of those, 89 were ordered for 45 LNG carriers, with 29 engines delivered and 13 are already in operation. A further 39 engines are on order or already delivered to other gasfuelled vessels, with the first engine on such a vessel in operation on Terntank's chemical tanker Ternsund from August 2016. The company's dual-fuel technology received a significant boost in late 2017 when CMA CGM ordered X92-DF engines - the largest to date - for nine 22,000 teu ultra-large containerships. WinGD's technology differs in that it uses the Otto principle of combustion, requiring only low-pressure injection (from a mid-stroke location) and therefore a cheaper, low-pressure fuel gas supply system installation. After two years in service, the company is already introducing improvements to its technology. Early in the X-DF's service career, it was found that the set-up used to measure engine power was causing gas trips - the result of poor signal quality from the shaft power meter used on the engines. As a result the company developed an 'internal power estimation' to feed to the control system, using the external signal from the shaft meter for verification only. The new power estimation function resulted in a big improvement in the reliability of the engine in gas mode and is now being applied to all engines. Another sensor problem was found with the flush mounted cylinder pressure monitors, which showed a build-up of deposits on their surfaces, resulting in signal drift in a few cases. As a result, the recommended interval for cleaning the sensor is at present once every 3-4 months (around 1,500 operating hours). An alternative design has been introduced for X52DF engines installed on newbuilds and will be validated shortly. One important factor has been to minimise the delay switching from high to low base number (BN) cylinder lubricant (or vice versa) when changing fuels. While dual-fuel engines require low BN oil when operating in gas mode, for higher sulphur fuel oils a higher BN is required. Previously a single lube oil piping system meant that engineers had to wait until the previous cylinder oil had cleared before introducing the next oil. But the new iCAT (integrated cylinder lubricant auto transfer) system, standard on all X-DF engines, features separate piping systems for high and low BN oils, enabling instant and automatic change-over. Deposits have also shown to be an issue in the nozzle tips of the main fuel injectors, which are inactive for long periods during gas mode operation. As a result, in some installations the atomiser nozzle holes became clogged up. Investigations revealed that the deposits come from the mixture of fuel oil and cylinder oil. The nozzle tip design is currently under review, but in the meantime WinGD is preparing a service letter that advises regular cleaning shots to free the nozzle bores. MAKING A MATCH The company has also been able to make performance
Credit: Winterthur Gas & Diesel
EMISSIONS ABATEMENT
improvements win the existing engine design. One example is an updated turbocharger matching strategy - developed in conjunction with turbocharger suppliers ABB and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries - that is focused on improving turbocharger efficiency at high loads. Dual-fuel engines are less sensitive than diesel engines to scavenging air pressure and so a greater variation is allowed (from -100 to 250 bar). WinGD has taken advantage of this to shift the peak efficiency of turbochargers to higher engine loads, by applying the smallest possible nozzle ring. More description will be provided to engine users in a forthcoming guideline, the company has said. WinGD has also been able to reduce brake specific gas consumption through an engine derating strategy, lowering fuel consumption. It has lowered gas pressure requirements for fuel gas supply systems, meaning that less powerful compressors can be installed. And it has done a great deal of development work to tackle the challenge of methane slip - a menace that rival, high-pressure Diesel-cycle engines do not suffer from. Methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide when measured across multiple years, is released unburnt from lean-burn gas engines, but not from the more complete, pressurised combustion in Diesel-cycle engines. Methane slip from WinGD engines are well below that of fourstroke dual-fuel engines, remain very low during part-load operation and are smaller for larger bore engines. The expected IMO weighted average for NOx emissions from the forthcoming X92DF, for example, is below 1.5g/kWh. Methane slip can be minimised with design tweaks and tunings, and WinGD has made many efforts in this direction, such as reducing dead volume and crevices in combustion chambers as well as optimising valve timings and patterns. Further significant changes are on the way. One such development that promises to dramatically reduce cost and simplify the LNG fuel system is integrated gas pressure regulation (iGPR). The concept is to bring the functions of the gas valve unit (GVU) - that is, the regulation of gas pressure before injection into the combustion chamber, including venting if required - into the engine design and the engine control system. The iGPR will feature a doublewalled safety design and will reduce complexity for engine builders, shipyards and ship operators. It will be applied first on X52DF and X92DF engines (those being supplied to CMA CGM) before being rolled out across the X-DF portfolio.
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8 Winterthur Gas & Diesel has received orders for a total of 128 of its X-DF dual-fuel engines, such as the 5RTflex50DF pictured
8 Peter Quaade, dual-fuel group manager, operations department, MAN Energy Solutions
JANUARY 2019 | 19
EMISSIONS ABATEMENT
WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR MARINE FUEL CELLS? With marine fuel cells emerging as a reality, Jan-Erik Räsänen, head of new technologies and Olli Somerkallio, head of machinery, Foreship, assess available technologies
8 In September 2018 Italian yacht maker VSY, Siemens and Lloyd’s Register announced a partnership to install a PEM hydrogen fuel cell in a 65m yacht
The 2020 cap on sulphur content is now close enough to be of concern to marine fuel purchasers as well as engineers, with compliance a matter of choosing exhaust gas scrubbing in combination with HFO, or switching to lower sulphur fuel oils including MGO, LNG, methanol, or another alternative. Meanwhile, IMO's broader commitment to halve shipping's CO2 emissions by 2050 looks beyond the reach of even the most energy-efficient combustion engine, whether or not supplemented by carbon capture. Assuming that there are also limits to carbon offsetting, meeting such a target will rely on supplementary or even replacement ship propulsion technologies. With multiple projects involving battery power underway, the potential and limitations of energy storage systems (ESS) are already clear. ESS are beneficial on short sea routes, or for 'peak' power needs. Cruise ship owners crossing sensitive waters have also been early adopters of ESS technology. But
despite rapid increases in energy density and falls in the price per kilowatt hour, using batteries alone to propel a large ship over long distances is not feasible. The same is not true of less mature fuel cell technology, which converts hydrogen-rich fuel into electrical and thermal energy by electrochemical oxidation. The direct nature of this conversion achieves high electrical efficiency and offers broad potential as a ship propulsion technology and the promise of meeting IMO's CO2-busting target, although owners should not be considering investment on the basis of short-term returns. Research work that looks towards marine fuel cell systems with an output of up to 3MW (4,000hp) is already underway, while several sea-going installations are planned in the hundreds of kilowatts range. covering commuter ferries and research vessels. If not
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If not commonplace, it is expected that fuel cells generating stable loads will be part of accepted marine propulsion technology within a decade JAN-ERIK RÄSÄNEN, HEAD OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES, FORESHIP
20 | JANUARY 2019
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EMISSIONS ABATEMENT
commonplace, it is expected that fuel cells generating stable loads will be part of accepted marine propulsion technology within a decade, perhaps supported by ESS for peak loads. ACCELERATING INTEREST Foreship has seen fast-accelerating interest from owners seeking guidance on the way fuel cells can work in parallel with combustion engines to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. In light of our investment in expertise and consultancy services in this area, we have also had direct involvement with some far-reaching feasibility studies into the use of fuel-cell technology onboard ships on behalf of different owners. Two fuel cell technologies are maturing in the marine context: to date, the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technology used in the automotive industry has led the way, where its relative maturity has brought lower pricing and higher power density than its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) counterpart. PEM fuel cells use platinum-based electrodes and a humidified polymer membrane as the electrolyte. The SOFC electrolyte is a porous ceramic material, while the anode is a nickel alloy and the cathode is normally made of lanthanum strontium manganite. Some of the advantages claimed for PEM fuel cells may not prove telling in the marine context. For example, where hydrogen is the primary fuel, the PEM is highly sensitive to impurities. Hydrogen has a boiling point of -253°C at 1 bar and would need to be stored on a ship as a cryogenic liquid, compressed gas or chemically bound. Using LH2 as fuel for a PEM fuel cell to drive a ship would need fuel space roughly equivalent to four times that need for MGO. As it stands, even setting aside the space needed to carry the quantity of hydrogen needed to drive a deep-sea ship across oceans using PEM technology, no supporting infrastructure exists to bunker hydrogen. Today, almost all commercially-produced hydrogen is derived from natural gas or coal gas, with DNV GL recently commenting that the level of carbon dioxide created in the refining process means that its well-to-propeller CO2 emissions are actually higher than those from heavy fuel oil. Hydrogen produced using renewable electricity for water electrolysis, by comparison, is almost emissions-free - but very expensive. One solution is to use fuel reformers to convert an original fuel, such as natural gas, methanol or even low-flashpoint diesel, into hydrogen rich fuel. After a painful birth, for example, an LNG bunkering network has been developed and, unlike the internal combustion engine, a fuel cell using LNG would not experience methane slip and would therefore achieve significantly smaller GHG emissions compared to internal combustion engines. However, while LNG can be reformed in the case of the SOFC, an external reformer is needed in the case of the PEM solution, taking up space but also requiring complex and potentially short-lived water management systems.
the reforming process generates carbon monoxide and hydrogen, SOFC plants can utilize both as fuel. In addition, the higher operating temperature of the SOFC (750˚C vs. 160˚C) creates the potential to increase efficiency further by exploiting Waste Heat Recovery. It is nonetheless fair to point out that SOFC's relatively high operating temperature, together with its smaller power density and higher cost in the short to medium term, may restrict the use of this technology onboard ships. Furthermore, Foreship believes that PEM technology will make a valuable contribution to ship propulsion in the years ahead. However, over time, we believe the relative advantages of PEM technology will be eroded and that, like ESS before it, potential will be most fully realised in shorter transits where fuel storage on board is not an issue.
8 ABB selected an FCvelocity® proton exchange membrane (PEM) pure hydrogen fuel cell engine from Ballard Power Systems for its pilot system
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A fuel cell using LNG would not experience methane slip and would therefore achieve significantly smaller GHG emissions compared to internal combustion engines OLLI SOMERKALLIO, HEAD OF MACHINERY, FORESHIP
ALTERNATIVE FUELS In fact, in the case of PEM the best alternative primary fuel to hydrogen itself is methanol. Not only is methanol less mature as a marine fuel than LNG, it is toxic: furthermore, it is primarily produced today from natural gas. Converting natural gas to methanol is therefore less efficient in involving an extra step, while a a sizeable reformer external to the fuel cell is also needed. If these are practical obstacles that some believe will be overcome by determination, it is a simple fact that the energy conversion efficiency from hydrogen to electricity in a 'conventional' PEM cell is 40-45%; the SOFC process has potential for 65-70% electrical efficiency. Furthermore, the combination of zero methane slip and high efficiency achieves the required 50% reduction in GHG emissions. If it is so true that
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JANUARY 2019 | 21
Hilton Hotel, Stamford, CT, USA Tuesday-Thursday, 2-4 April 2019
The largest shipping event in North America www.cmashipping2019.com
FUELS & LUBRICATION
SHIPPING MUST UP ITS FUEL TESTING GAME Fuel testing will be a vital marine service after 2020, not merely a commodity, writes Chris Dyson, director of engineering and scientific consultancy Exponent From problems with compatibility to struggles surrounding stability and contamination, the shipping industry is no stranger to issues related to its bunker fuel. The topic gained stark prominence last year when bunker contamination was reported on more than 150 vessels operating in major ports including bunkering hubs like Houston and Singapore. These incidents, and the knock-on effect they had on operations for affected vessels, have led some to speculate that contamination issues seen in 2018 were just a precursor to more wide-ranging challenges that may arise after 1 January 2020, when the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) global sulphur limit comes into force. While Exponent considers that the cases happening now may not occur again in a year's time, we believe that the increased need for bunker blending post-2020 will heighten the likelihood of fuel compatibility, stability and contamination issues. Critically, we also believe that fuel testing laboratories can play a key role in mitigating the impact. This point is supported by recent comments from BIMCO's Deputy Secretary General Lars Robert Pedersen, who advises that “doing a full analysis and screening for known contaminates of the product is a way to try and prevent operational problems from contaminated fuel”. When carried out in the right way, fuel testing can provide better pathways to mitigate the risk of fuel problems - and thereby reduce the financial and operational impact of issues. Currently, laboratories are well versed in delivering standard fuel tests against ISO 8217 standards. This includes ISO 8217:2005, the most commonly used standard in supply contracts, as well as the newer ISO 8217:2010, 2012 and 2017 directives. While newer iterations have tightened fuel quality standards to some extent, purchasers should be aware that none of the present versions of ISO 8217 identify all forms of contamination. Nor do they guard against compatibility issues which could arise, for example, when two ISO compliant fuels are loaded on board and subsequently cause problems when mixed. It is also not fully assured that present stability testing, as prescribed by ISO, will be adequate to identify problems with all post-2020 blends. HOLES EMERGING These are just some examples of factors that have led to concerns that holes are beginning to appear in the ISO 8217 standard. It was developed on the basis of pre-2020 fuels and may no longer cover the industry's needs post-2020. The potential ramifications of this could include engine stoppages and failure - and associated navigational risks and loss of earnings - as well as increased issues during fuel switching when vessels enter and depart emission control areas. As 2020 approaches, all stakeholders involved in vessel bunkering should consider a more analytical approach to fuel testing that involves a differentiation between commoditised, standard testing, and a more focused approach centred around the myriad of possibilities of complex fuel contamination, compatibility and stability issues.
8 Chris Dyson, director, London office, Exponent
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Stakeholders should consider a more focused fuel testing approach centred around complex fuel contamination, compatibility and stability issues
For example, over and above ISO 8217 testing, most fuel laboratories can be contracted to do certain tests such as gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). However, when widespread problems arise, delays in testing at standard laboratories can be significant. This problem is more acute when the experts needed to interpret GC-MS results may be lacking or in short supply. In addition, as such testing is not standardised, there may be significant variations in the results obtained by different laboratories. All this is of little comfort to ship owners and charterers when they encounter an issue with their vessel's fuel; while they wait for more advanced fuel testing results, they are unable to make an informed decision on whether to consume, remove, or segregate the suspected problem bunkers. At the onset of problems, all involved may benefit from partnering with the right independent experts early to help safeguard business continuity and manage risk. Working in tandem with laboratory scientists should be marine industry experts with the technical ability to provide practical on-site assistance and thorough incident investigation at the earliest possible opportunity. If these scientific and technical elements work together seamlessly, Exponent believes the industry will be prepared to identify the root cause of post-2020 fuel issues and implement resolutions in the most efficient manner.
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JANUARY 2019 | 23
TWO-STROKE ENGINES
STAYING IN CONTROL: NEW ENGINES AND FUTURE FUELS
Graphic: WinGD (WinGD X-Engine Series)
The ever-increasing range of fuel alternatives has begun to pull at slow-speed engine control. But there are two, rather different evolutionary paths to consider, writes Stevie Knight
Instead of flipping over to an Otto cycle, MAN’s ME-GI engine applies a diesel process to both fuel oil and gas such as LNG: “We eject the gas stream directly into compressed hot air and ignite it with pilot oil,” explains Kjeld Aabo of MAN-ES. Although the gas delivery runs at a higher pressure, there are benefits to this approach. Low methane numbers don’t influence engine performance says Aabo; therefore the diesel cycle promises broad fuel flexibility while yielding consistent efficiency. Even when rough weather adds dynamic loads, these engines retain their ability to step from fuel oil to gas. MAN’s order book makes for absorbing reading: “Right now we have around 250 dual-fuel two-strokes on order, including options,” he says. Just over 200 of them are for ME-GI gas engines but he points out that while LNG tankers still dominate, there are more bulk carriers and container ships, LPG tankers and PCTC vessels in the mix now. Even more interesting, nearly 20% of the total orders aren’t for the standard GI engines but cater for other fuels: so far these include ethane, methane and methanol running on MAN’s MEC-GIE, ME-B-LGIM engine variants and lately LPG which runs on the ME-C-LGIP model. Of course, the different fuel types demand a wide range of pressures. While MAN’s LGI (liquid gas injection) methanol version has a 50 bar delivery, the gas models ramp it up higher: the methane GI engine runs at 300 bar whereas the ethane version needs 400 bar. However, when you come to the new LGIP engine it jumps
24 | JANUARY 2019
8 Digital control of the WinGD X-Engine Series means that recent sea trials have seen the engine handling loads as low as 2%
again as liquid gas injection propane demands something between 500 and 600 bar. None of this could have happened without valve control development. The big G90 and G95 HFO models have fuel booster injection valves (FBIVs) on the cylinder cover as standard, which brings the necessary pressure hike close to the delivery point: interestingly this has helped MAN to ditch many of the older, high-pressure components on the large HFO engines including the HCU, pressure booster and so on. These FBIVs have now crossed over to MAN’s methanol and LGP engines for good reason. While MAN’s GI gas models have an external compressor or evaporator feed and pump combination which brings the supply to 300 bar, the liquids – especially the 500 to 600 bar LGIP model – need extra help. Here, the FBIV-P plunger chamber is initially supplied with liquid LPG at 50 bar: it then uses hydraulic oil to raise the pressure before the usual ignition sequence takes over. To make sure that the fuel doesn’t penetrate the hydraulic oil, non-recirculating sealing oil separates two lines. However, there’s another innovation sitting on top of the G90 and G95s which may well move into the dual fuel models. Alongside the FBIVs, these models also have an interesting Top Controlled Exhaust Valve (TCEV), which sits on the exhaust valve spindle. Rather than having an ‘open/shut’ action, the TCEV uses spindle speed to govern the oil flow to the actuator piston, smoothing its movement in proportion with demand and
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TWO-STROKE ENGINES
8 MAN's LGIP engine has been a fairly recent development, needing fuel injection at between 500 and 600 bar
intervals, but also at millisecond frequencies, and as sending swathes of raw data back to the landside base is an expensive and virtually impossible task; it entails some pre-processing on the vessel itself. “It’s just not a healthy way to go, especially as relevant information is required even when a sensor fails, so mechanisms for ensuring availability of plausible information must be in place,” says Goranov. At a certain point, he says “it’s better to derive appropriate information from calculations, using different, but related measurements as an input, rather than relying only on direct feedback from sensors”.
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8 Gas combustion with the TCEV-FBIV combination
Graphic: MAN.ES (GasCombustionTCEVFBIV)
LOW’N’LEAN When it comes to fuel flexibility, high-pressure systems aren’t the only story. Low-Pressure lean-burn Otto cycle engines often do a more efficient job of combustion “since there’s a more homogenous ignition which naturally produces less NOx”, says Wolfgang Östreicher, Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD). He points out the company’s X-DF engines are already Tier III compliant, with no need to clean up NOx emissions using after treatment; further, GHG (total hydrocarbon or THC) emissions are 15 to 20% lower than for traditional diesel engines. It helps that there’s low consumption of fuel oil for pilot injection in gas mode, accomplished by the use of a separate mechanism. A much smaller device than the main injectors, it has the advantage of a precisely adjustable, low minimum quantity – a refinement that is not achievable by a controlled timing window alone, explains Östreicher. He adds that the flames from the small but rich-mix pre-chamber “intrude deeply into the main chamber and ensure a good and fast burn-through of the lean mixture”. As with MAN, the real backbone is the digital control and all it engenders: “For example, we can maintain very low load and idle conditions, 10% loads are typical and it’s even stable at 5%. Recent sea trials have seen loads as low as 2% although it does depend on the vessel and shaft inertia,” he says. However, there’s far more to play with, primarily as the two or three main injectors sitting on each cylinder can be regulated individually: “In principle, digital control could set every injection shot at a new level”, says WinGD’s Stefan Goranov. Although much of this capability is just not in demand – as yet – the potential is there to reshape combustion. “In contrast to mechanical camshafts, we are very flexible,” he adds. So, where is this leading? “The big headlines are around remote diagnostics and remote control. But this means everyone wants to know what’s going on within and around the engine, all the time,” says Goranov. Here, concerns are not limited to injection timing, ignition and pressures as there are different ambient conditions, interaction with other onboard technologies and so on, each exerting a pull on performance and giving rise to an almost endless number of parameters. The effects need evaluation “but you can’t keep trying to add an ever-increasing number of sensors onto the engine”, says Östreicher. “Beyond the cabling and bus challenge, how do you treat the resulting information?” He predicts that reporting won’t be only at hourly or minute
Graphic: MAN.ES (ME LGIP)
avoiding the tendency to create pressure pulses. Overall, the stability of MAN’s system also means there’s a better chance of coping with what’s around the corner. It’s not very far around the corner either, says Aabo: the global sulphur cap at the start of next year will mean the industry will see new fuel oils which, typically, will be a mixture of HFO and distillates. So, “even though the fuels will still be within the ISO 8217 limits, there are still questions about the fuel stability, compatibility and ignition properties”, he says, although he adds the final guidelines and standards currently under review at ISO and CIMAC working groups will go some way to resolving the potential issues. Finally, it’s worth noting that conversion is now part of the programme. This doesn’t just mean refitting older installations says Aabo. It’s also about future proofing: some of the first orders for liquefied ethane carriers - the 36,000 m3 LEG carriers ‘Gaschem Beluga’ and ‘Gaschem Orca’ - were configured so they can be switched to run on methane as an alternative.
JANUARY 2019 | 25
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The big headlines are around remote diagnostics and remote control. But this means everyone wants to know what’s going on within and around the engine, all the time
Graphic: MAN.ES
Moreover, the outcome can then be benchmarked with a model representing the target engine behaviour. This approach is less costly in the long run as functionality, unlike installing multiple sensors, “is an investment that can be scaled at no additional cost for the hardware components” he says. Upcoming fuel changes will also throw in a few wild cards. As it stands, the slower two-stroke dual-fuel engines generally experience fewer difficulties from a range of ignition or combustion properties than high or medium speed engines. “We can already run a broad bandwidth of different gasses,” says Östreicher. However, different blends and novel sources – from lignin to seaweed – promise to make bunkering choices much more complex and there may well be challenges ahead for those models. Despite this, WinGD’s engines have been tried out on a usually-discarded waste stream. Recent tests running Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) combined in a 20/80 ratio with natural gas showed that even without specific control or tuning tweaks, combustion remained stable through a range of loading scenarios and diesel-gas transitions - despite the low methane number of the mix. Importantly, the low-pressure gas admission avoids condensing out the VOC’s heavy hydrocarbons – and most significantly, NOx emissions remained significantly below IMO Tier III levels despite the VOC element.
(FBIV-P)
TWO-STROKE ENGINES
There are further, perhaps more peripheral issues to address: NH3 has a relatively low energy density for volume which means MAN’s ammonia engine would require double the tank size; it's also toxic, so special care has to be taken with inerting and purging. Further, the NOx needs dealing with by an SCR system (although it could draw on shipboard ammonia to function). However, NH3 has a range of potential uses that could see further development in future. For example, it can be reformed to H2 and N2, the H2 being used to feed a fuel cell: this could give the ship two energy sources with different characteristics, all from the same onboard tank. Finally, the development period for this new engine is relatively short: MAN pegs it somewhere between two and three years. Given the rapid alternative fuel evolution, it might not be long before the NH3 engine finds a place in the market.
8 The FBIV-P plunger chamber is initially supplied with liquid LPG at 50 bar: it then uses hydraulic oil to raise the pressure
8 The MAN B&W ME-LGIP engine can be modified to burn ammonia
MORE FROM AMMONIA There is another intriguing possibility on the horizon: Aabo of MAN closes by saying the “next fuel for the engines might be NH3”. In fact, the new MAN B&W ME-LGIP engine can be modified to burn ammonia as well. The cylinder cover with LPG injection valve and gas block would essentially be the same system for NH3. Ammonia has a good handful of attractive characteristics. Firstly, it has an even higher octane rating than petrol (120 compared with 86 to 93), and it can be stored as a liquid at 20 bar or chilled to -30C. There’s only a low risk of fire as combustion needs a specific ratio, between 15% and 25% NH3 to air and autoignition temperature is 651ºC, (as opposed to petrol’s 440 ºC and diesel’s 225 ºC). But while it displays a high level of pre-ignition resistance, it also has a low flame speed which can lead to instability – and NOx formation – under certain conditions. Despite some research going into fine-tuning injection delivery to mitigate this, the tweaks remain tricky. Therefore, the most robust answer appears to be running with a pilot/propagation fuel to speed up combustion: this could be a standard fuel or – in the future – something more novel like hydrogen, but there’s a range of options: for example, work by Iowa State University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering used dimethyl ether (DME) as an ignition source.
26 | JANUARY 2019
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IT & AUTOMATION
COLUMBIA OPENS OPTIMISATION CONTROL ROOM Columbia Shipmanagement has opened a performance optimisation control room that aims to improve operations by connecting technical, commercial and crew management When the facility in Cyprus is fully functional it will be manned by qualified personnel optimising vessel safety, crew rotation and training, performance (speed, consumption, delay, weather routing), disaster avoidance, maintenance (including preventative maintenance through sensor and camera technology), and contractual compliance. The room will be run through a web-based system that can be easily uploaded to other Columbia locations and clients' offices to allow remote monitoring. Captain Pankaj Sharma, control room manager, Columbia Shipmanagement, said: “Centralising our operations will give us the ability to better deal with fast-changing scenarios and developments as they happen. Our goal is to have even faster decision-making and greater visibility by using modern technology to achieve cost-efficient vessel operations.”
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The leaps in communications and connectivity technology have been tremendous and we expect to see more changes in the coming years
Mark O'Neil, president, Columbia Shipmanagement, added: “This project is a tangible example of how digitalisation and technology can be harnessed for optimisation of vessel operation and management. Not only will it make us more attractive to our clients and potential clients, it will also make our clients more attractive to the market through optimised operation. The performance optimisation control room demonstrates Columbia's commitment to its clients and to the provision of a thoroughly modern, digitalised and optimised service.” Radio, satellite and communications specialist Tototheo Maritime assisted Columbia in setting up the control room.
Socrates Theodosiou, co-CEO of Tototheo, noted that the facility was only possible thanks to recent advances in technology. “"The leaps in communications and connectivity technology have been tremendous and we expect to see more changes in the coming years," he said. "Data has become a valuable asset for any organisation and we have all come to realise how important information is to daily operations and to strategic decision making; but it has to be the right information, delivered to the right people at the right time.” Natasa Pilides, Cyprus' deputy minister of shipping, cut the ribbon at the new facility on 14 December. She said: “The launch of the control room is a vivid example of the Columbia Shipmanagement's dedication to safety and optimisation of performance. This new addition to the company's advanced technological systems will enable efficient monitoring of the company's fleet and prompt rectification in case performance issues arise.”
8 Socrates Theodosiou (left), co-CEO of Tototheo Maritime and Mark O'Neil, President of Columbia Shipmanagement
Cargotec launches start-up initiative Finland-based Cargotec has established a start-up collaboration programme aimed at addressing the biggest challenges in the maritime, cargo transport and logistics sectors. The Trade & Transport Impact, in partnership with British venture development firm, Rainmaking, will connect world leading corporations with innovative start-up firms. "Maritime logistics is full of inefficiencies throughout the value chain, and we at Cargotec want to change that,” said Cargotec's director of emerging digital business, Tero Hottinen.
“However, we cannot do it by ourselves to change the world you need collaboration. I am excited that we can now launch the concrete part of the programme to find potential partners." To solve the inefficiencies in cargo flow, focus will be on intelligent onboard cargo and load handling, optimised terminal operations and efficient and sustainable cargo flow. Start-up solutions can come from a range of areas such as artificial intelligence, IoT, big data or drone applications. The programme is the first of its kind
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in terms of scale and scope to be launched within the maritime, cargo transport and logistics sectors. The programme was initiated by Rainmaking and is scheduled to last three years, of which this is the first wave. Nicklas Viby Fursund, managing director of Rainmaking Transport, commented: "Rainmaking will leverage the experience built from having run over 60 similar programmes across industries. "We're excited about the impact we can create with the industry leading partner Cargotec on real industry challenges.”
JANUARY 2019 | 27
SHIP DESCRIPTION
BUNKER TANKER BOOSTS BALTIC LNG CHAIN
Courtesy of Nauticor
An innovative and versatile design of South Korean-built LNG bunkering and regional supply tanker has been timechartered for Baltic duties, writes David Tinsley
A major new stage in the creation of a viable and incentivising LNG fuel supply infrastructure in littoral northern Europe is signalled by the completion of a 7,500m3-capacity LNG bunkering tanker built to the exacting requirements of a UK/German shipowning joint venture, Babcock Schulte Energy (BSE). The 117-metre Kairos is the first issue of the BSE 50:50 partnership between the Babcock International Group and Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, and embodies a novel integration of proven technologies to create an as yet unique vessel imbued with a high degree of operating flexibility and new thinking in cargo emissions control. As well as ushering-in a substantial advance in LNG bunker supply volume, the ice-class Kairos features a number of innovative developments, including a seawater ballast-free design, and an LNG fuel cargo system characterised by rapid transfer speeds and freedom from atmospheric release of vapour emissions. Kairos has been assigned to operations in the Baltic region under charter to the joint undertaking known as Blue LNG, in which Hamburg-based Nauticor has a 90% holding, partnered by Lithuanian energy infrastructure provider Klaipedos Nafta with a 10% stake. Nauticor is the Linde Group's dedicated supplier of LNG fuel for maritime applications.
28 | JANUARY 2019
8 Unique gas supply vessel Kairos has strengthened the Baltic LNG fuelling infrastructure
Sailing from the Ulsan premises of builder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea on October 17, the vessel started regular duty after handover to the charterer on December 11 in the port of Klaipeda. Besides assignments centred on the Klaipeda LNG fuelling station, where a 170,000m3 LNG-FSRU (floating storage and regasification unit) is berthed, she will serve various other customers and outlets, including the Linde/AGA terminal at Nynashamn in Sweden. Capable of performing ship-to-ship bunkering, transhipment and shore discharge, the new supply tanker offers flexibility through direct and sustenance of the range of LNG-fuelled vessels such as ferries, cruise ships and container vessels, and also as a coastal distributor of LNG to industrial consumers ashore. The capacity vested in the newbuild, outstripping that of LNG bunker tankers to date, is of major consequence. Nauticor's CEO Mahinde Abeynaike viewed the vessel's arrival as a milestone event: “With the handover of Kairos, we are securing the supply of LNG as a marine fuel in the Baltic Sea on a largescale basis. Thanks to the large LNG storage tanks with a pump rate equivalent to more than 30 LNG trucks per hour and our innovative manoeuvring technology, marine customers will be able to benefit from an extremely fast and safe LNG ship-toship supply. From now on, also, large vessels can bunker LNG in the Baltic Sea.�
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SHIP DESCRIPTION
ADVANTAGE AND AMBITION Klaipedos Nafta's CEO Mindaugas Jusius observed that “The main advantage and ambition with the new vessel is to ensure more competitive pricing for the LNG reloading station users. It will not only reduce the cost of the LNG supply chain but will also ensure smooth and reliable service to distribution station users.” The conceptual design was developed by BMT Titron, a joint undertaking of the BMT Group of the UK and the Alvin Yipheaded companies Titron and API of Hong Kong. BMT Titron proposed a forward bridge, superstructure and machinery configuration, and a gas/diesel-electric power and propulsion system with stern azimuthing thrusters. The improved longitudinal balance offered by the arrangements, bringing the centre of gravity much closer to the centre of buoyancy, obviated the need for seawater ballast and the process of ballast exchange and treatment. Only a limited amount of permanent, passivated fresh water is required for trim purposes. BMT Titron's concept was taken forward to the detail design stage by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, which made dimensional changes and hull form refinements, including the development of a better-performing dead-rise hull shape. Two independent IMO type C tanks contain the LNG at a minimum temperature of -163°C and maximum vapour pressure of 3.75bar. Ship-to-ship (STS) transfers can be made at rates up to 1,250m3 per hour, through cryogenic, flexible hoses. The vessel is a showcase for the Fuel Gas Supply Vessel Zero (FGSV0) trademark technology developed in the UK by Babcock as a scalable, emission-free LNG cargo handling and bunkering solution, with cargo boil-off stored as compressed natural gas (CNG) and used as fuel. The environmental benefit and regulatory compliances achieved by eliminating the release of boil-off and flash gas to the atmosphere during normal operations are complemented by the economic gain in capturing and utilising the evaporated gas in the vessel's Wartsila dual-fuel main machinery for the propulsion and other onboard consumers. When not loading or offloading cargo, natural boil-off from the tanks is compressed up to CNG pressure (approximately 220 bar) by means of a reciprocating compressor, and then piped to the vessel's CNG storage tanks. During STS operations, all vaporised LNG generated during fuel transfer and returned from the receiving vessel is retained onboard the Kairos, compressed into the CNG storage, and used as and when required in the power and propulsion plant. The two CNG cylinders that are an integral part of the FGSV0 system are high-pressure Titan tanks supplied by the Hexagon Composites subsidiary Hexagon Lincoln. “By compressing the boil-off and flash gas and supplying it as fuel to the ship's engines, our clients will save distillate fuel costs and at the same time reduce the vessel's emissions of SOx and particulate matter (PM),” confirmed Andrew Scott, general manager at Babcock LGE Process. “In addition, we eliminate fugitive
PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS: Kairos Length overall 117.0m Breadth 20.0m Draught, laden 5.2m Gross tonnage c.8,000t Deadweight c.4,400t Cargo capacity 7,500m3 Propulsion Gas/diesel-electric Complement 14 Class LR Ice class 1A Flag Cyprus
emissions of LNG from the cargo systems, providing a true zero emissions solution.” The combination of twin azimuthing thrusters aft, two bow thrusters and a RangeGuard targetless proximity system developed by Bernhard Schulte and UK-based Guidance Marine provides the Kairos with a high degree of manoeuvrability, facilitating positioning alongside large ships and ensuring compliance with the DP2 standard. It is claimed that the vessel can rotate 360 degrees within her own length in approximately two minutes. The twin main thruster units employ relatively small diameter propellers, suited to the vessel's modest laden draught and achieving full immersion in all operational conditions. The merits of the 'power station' concept applied to the Kairos include the possibility of immediate delivery of propulsive power during LNG transfer operations. In emergency scenarios, this confers a rapid sail-away capability in conjunction with the quick release systems adopted for moorings and hoses, using cryogenic PERC high-pressure nitrogen-activated dry break couplings.
‘‘
By compressing the boil-off and flash gas and supplying it as fuel to the ship’s engines, our clients will save distillate fuel costs and at the same time reduce the vessel's emissions of SOx and particulate matter (PM) The vessel has been designed to bunker LNG to as many different types of ship as possible, not least new-generation ferries and cruiseships powered by dual-fuel plant. This criterion has shaped not only manoeuvring qualities and cargo transfer arrangements and transfer rates, but also fendering provisions. Mooring arrangements feature fully retractable Yokohamatype fenders and parallel vectoring for maximum safety and minimum hull contact. The operational compass of the hose handling crane on the centre manifold of the Kairos ranges from dockside level to 28 metres above the waterline to the transfer bridal on a large or high-sided receiving vessel. Babcock International 's technical know-how as expressed in the LNG bunker supply tanker arises from its acquisition of LGE Process from the Weir Group in January 2013. The transaction augmented the UK company's engineering services scope with a division specialised in the design, supply and project management of gas processing, handling and storage systems for newbuild gas carriers. Drawing on the longstanding expertise of Bernhard Schulte Management in the husbandry of gas tankers, reinforced in 2018 through the purchase of Hamburg-based PRONAV, Babcock Schulte Energy anticipates that Kairos will be the first of several such specialised vessels ordered for the small-scale LNG sector. The newly-completed project received funding support under the terms of the EU's Connecting Europe Facility, as part of the Blue Baltics LNG infrastructure development initiative. Blue Baltics is focused on industrial solutions for STS and shore-to-ship LNG bunkering as well as reloading in various ports. It is helping to stimulate investments in Lithuania, Sweden and Estonia, towards the establishment of a comprehensive LNG supply chain in the Baltic Sea.
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JANUARY 2019 | 29
SHIP DESCRIPTION
NEW INCARNATION OF JAPANESE LNG SYSTEM
Credit: NYK Line
Used in only a few vessels hitherto, a home-grown tank system has been revived for a series of LNG carriers now starting to enter service following long delays. David Tinsley reports
After a gap of 25 years, Japanese-developed IHI-SPB cargo containment technology has made a comeback in the LNG carrier sector by way of the recently-completed, 166,500m3capacity Energy Liberty. As the first in a series of four sister vessels ordered from Japan Marine United(JMU) to lift cargoes on behalf of utility Tokyo Gas, Energy Liberty was constructed at the builder's Tsu shipyard on Ise Bay in central Japan and completed during October. She will be mainly engaged transporting LNG to Japan from the Cove Point project in the USA. The IHI-SPB system made its debut in 1988 in the 1,500m3 prototype LNG/ethylene carrier Kayo Maru, and was nominated for a pair of 89,900m3 LNGCs delivered in 1993 as the Arctic Sun and Polar Eagle for the Alaska/Japan traffic. Built at the IHI shipyard in Aichi yard to serve a long-term contract delivering Alaskan LNG to Tokyo Gas, Arctic Sun and Polar Eagle gave consistent performance over nearly 20 years' nonstop service on the North Pacific. Subsequent references were confined to two LPG offshore 'floaters' and a floating LNG storage and regasification barge, until the orders for the new series of LNGCs were confirmed in 2014. Operational experience with the Arctic Sun and Polar Eagle had a signal bearing on the choice of containment solution for the current newbuild programme. Severe conditions characteristic
30 | JANUARY 2019
8 Energy Glory, second in the SPB tank-equipped newbuilds from Japan Marine United
of the North Pacific during the winter storm season confirmed the robustness of the IHI-SPB system. Moreover, numerous voyages undertaken by the ships with less than full cargoes during the latter years of the trade attested to the anti-sloshing properties of the SPB concept. Following sale to the Teekay Group in 2007, the ships were renamed Arctic Spirit and Polar Spirit, respectively, and are now deployed worldwide. Energy Liberty has been built to dimensions suited to the new, larger locks of the Panama Canal, and embodies a newgeneration IHI-SPB solution. Among the differentiating features relative to the initial deepsea vessel installations, the cargo tanks in the latest ship have an octagonal, transverse section profile in contrast to the rectangular shape in the Arctic Sun type. The changed tank configuration provides a trunk deck. TANK ALTERNATIVE The containment solution provides an alternative, albeit at a price premium, to the market-leading, GTT membrane systems and Moss spherical technology and derivatives. The latest installation is claimed to offer a cargo boil-off rate(BOR) of only 0.08% of the cargo volume per day, which would rank among the lowest ever achieved on an LNG carrier. The self-supporting, prismatic-shape IMO Type B(SPB) design for LPG and LNG containment was devised by IHI Marine
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more than 30 years ago. Large SPB tanks are subdivided into four spaces by a centreline, liquid-tight bulkhead and a transverse swash bulkhead. The compartmentalisation, in conjunction with the stiffened plate structure of both the shell and internal supporting elements, obviates the risk of cargo sloshing damage at any filling level. The immunity to sloshing, allowing partial loading even in harsh weather, is especially salient to the changing nature of the LNG trading and transportation market. As with all IMO Type B tanks, the IHI-SPB units necessitate only a partial secondary barrier and can be constructed of either aluminium, as chosen for all LNG applications to date, stainless steel or 9% nickel steel. Cargo tank insulation consists of rigid polyurethane foam(PUF) panels. Cushion joints between panels absorb the relative movements of tank and insulation, and eliminate thermal stresses in the insulation. The fact that the insulation is not load bearing affords the manufacturer greater scope for materials that can better achieve very low BOR. The prismatic form of the IHI-SPB tanks is reckoned to render the system the most space-efficient containment solution available, enabling 'diamond-cut' optimisation to the given hull envelope and dimensional parameters. The series was ordered in three phases over the course of 2014, on the back of Tokyo Gas purchases of cargoes from the Cove Point export facility in Maryland, although the new class is also expected to be used for shipments from the Ichthys project in Western Australia. Each of the four newbuilds has four IHI-SPB tanks of unprecedented size, creating manufacturing challenges. Deliveries of the first three vessels were originally scheduled for 2017, to be followed by the fourth in 2018. However, the programme has been beset by construction and installation delays, pushing back completions to an autumn 2018-mid 2019 timeframe. While the ownership and management arrangements vary for all four vessels, the constant factor throughout is a 20-year charter commitment by Tokyo LNG Tanker, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokyo Gas. In the case of Energy Liberty, the charterer retains a 10% stake in the ship alongside majority owner Mitsui OSK Lines(MOL), which is responsible for all shipmanagement functions. The second newbuild, Energy Glory, is be owned on a 70%/30% basis by Tokyo LNG Tanker and NYK Line, respectively, with the latter also designated as ship manager. Energy Glory was named at the Tsu yard in October, and her entry into service is imminent. As with the lead vessel, ownership of the third-of-class will be split 90%/10% between MOL and Tokyo LNG Tanker, respectively, while the final newbuild will be wholly-owned by MOL. The Japanese series provides a new showcase for LNGcapable, tri-fuel diesel-electric propulsion, affording operational flexibility and ensuring compliance with the strictest emission controls in US waters. The installation in each ship is based on six generators of an aggregate 44,800kVA, and two ABB 12,400kW electrical propulsion motors. Japan Marine United is also promoting the weight and space-saving advantages of the SPB system compared to IMO Type C tanks when used as bunker tanks in ships engineered to run on LNG fuel. A major endorsement of the Japanese technology for such applications was signified by United Arab Shipping Company's(UASC) nomination of the IHI-SPB concept for the bunker tanks that will eventually be installed on its A14 and A18 series of 14,000TEU and 18,000TEU containerships built by Hyundai Heavy Industries. UASC will adapt the main machinery and retrofit the tanks once its criteria as regards global availability, in terms of the LNG
Credits: Total/Shaana McNAUGHT/Inpex
SHIP DESCRIPTION
bunkering infrastructure, have been met. Tanks will be fitted in the cargo hold immediately forward of the engine room.
8 Bladin Point Gas Treatment Plant
COVE POINT Operated by Dominion Energy, the Cove Point natural gas liquefaction and export facilities came on-stream this year, with the Shell Group's 136,600m3 Gemmata sailing on March 1 with the inaugural shipment. Located on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, Cove Point started life 40 years ago as an LNG import terminal. Against the backcloth of US exploitation of shale gas reserves, Dominion has invested US$4bn to create a bidirectional complex, featuring a single liquefaction train with a nameplate LNG production capacity of 5.25m tonnes per annum and associated export terminal conduits. Cove Point was the second new US LNG export project to go on-stream, following the start-up of the Sabine Pass facilities in Louisiana during February 2016. The bulk of Cove Point's production has been booked by the GAIL Group of India and ST Cove Point, the joint venture of Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Gas, under 20-year, take-orpay contracts. As the world's biggest buyer of LNG on the world market, Japan received its first consignment from Cove Point in May this year, signalling the start of the major ramp-up in US imports. The shipment to the Negishi terminal of Tokyo Gas was effected by the 177,000m3 LNG Sakura. Of the 2.3m tonnes per annum purchased by Japan through ST Cove Point, 1.4m tpa is destined for Tokyo Gas and 0.8m tpa will be shipped for Kansai Electric, with the balance going to the spot market.
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PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS: Energy Liberty Length overall 299.9m Breadth, moulded 48.9m Depth, moulded 26.4m Draught, summer 12.3m Gross tonnage 121,982t Deadweight 88,676t Cargo capacity 166,571m3 Propulsion system Tri-fuel diesel-electric Propulsion power 2 x 12,400kW Diesel generators 6 Diesel generator power 44,800kVA Service speed 19.5kts Class ClassNK Flag Japan
JANUARY 2019 | 31
SHIP DESCRIPTION
CONDENSATE TANKER FOR YAMAL POLAR TRADE
Credit: Aker Arctic Technology
Condensate arising from the Yamal LNG project in the Russian Arctic is to be shipped to export markets by an Arc 7-class icebreaking tanker newly-built in China, writes David Tinsley
The 214m-long Boris Sokolov has been designed and engineered for year-round service from the loading terminal at Sabetta in western Siberia, carrying Yamal condensate and potentially also oil cargoes to European and Asian destinations. The vessel embodies a capacity of 59,800m3 for gas condensate, crude oil and products in up to five segregations. Boris Sokolov is the world's first polar tanker built for a mainstream role in condensate transportation, offering a maximum intake corresponding to a deadweight of 43,400t. The deadweight as a product carrier is 49,700t. The Yamal LNG project partners have signed a long-term charter agreement on the ship with Greek owner Dynagas, which awarded construction to Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI). Operation is vested with Dynacom Tankers Management. On behalf of GSI, Aker Arctic Technology of Finland provided the full design package and undertook ice model and open water tests at its Vuosaari facilities, and also assumed responsibility for post-completion, full-scale ice trials. Employing the ARC 212 design, the tanker features a rounded twin skeg aft hull form and moderate ice bow, to more efficiently meet the disparate demands of navigation in heavy ice and open water. The vessel is based on Aker Arctic's double acting ship (DAS) principle, enabling the vessel to sail stern-first in icebreaking mode and bow ahead in open water or light ice PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS: Boris Sokolov Length overall 214.0m Breadth, moulded 34.0m Depth, moulded 18.3m Draught, design 11.7m Cargo capacity 59,800m3 Deadweight, condensate 43,400t Deadweight, products 49,700t Propulsion 2 x 11MW Class RS/BV Flag Cyprus
32 | JANUARY 2019
8 Arctic condensate tanker Boris Sokolov
conditions. She is expected to operate with impunity in 1.8mthick ice, and penetrate ice ridges without backing and ramming, and to maintain an icebreaking speed of two knots when running astern. The specified speed in open waters is 13 knots. Providing an update on the contract in 'Arctic Passion News', Aker Arctic project manager Riku Kiili confirmed that she “will be able to sail independently year-round in the Russian Arctic where temperatures may drop down to -50°C”. The diesel-electric powering system comprises four main diesel generators with a combined output of some 31,000kW. Employing Wartsila's ubiquitous, 320mm-bore medium-speed engine technology, two of the prime movers are 12-cylinder V32 units, and two are 16-cylinder models. Two ABB Azipod azimuthing thrusters with integral 11MW motors translate the electrical energy into propulsive effect. The reference vessels for the condensate carrier newbuild design were two 70,000dwt Arctic tankers developed some 12 years ago for use by Sovcomflot in the Prirazlomnoye project. The new ship, though, has a higher ice class and a smaller cargo capacity. The rationale was that two smaller tankers, rather than a single, larger vessel, would be preferable for the Yamal condensate export traffic in the long-term, on the grounds of operational versatility and redundancy, such that a second tanker was subsequently ordered. This second, similar newbuild is at an advanced stage of construction in Finland at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. In the future, when the eventual fleet of Yamal-max LNG carriers will ensure a departure from Sabetta port every second day, year-round, the condensate tankers will be able to utilise the broken channel the LNGCs create. Condensate is a mixture of light hydrocarbon oils present in the raw natural gas field and is separated off before the gas liquefaction process. It is used to produce fuels and as a feedstock in the petrochemical industry. Condensate production from a gas resource diminishes over time, and this was a factor which led to the development of a newbuild with the flexibility to also transport oil cargoes.
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SHIP DESCRIPTION
NEW TRANSHIPMENT VESSEL FOR GRAIN EXPORTS The 3,600dwt, 87m-long Lucky Eyre will shuttle grain grown on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula to deep-sea bulk carriers anchored some five nautical miles offshore. The investment in the bespoke transfer vessel, offering high standards of productivity and seakeeping, is the complement to the creation of a shallow-water, common-user export facility in Lucky Bay. Following launching from Bonny Fair Development Company's Nansha yard in Guangzhou, Lucky Eyre was moved to China Communications & Construction Co at Shanghai for the installation of a materials handling system, with a rated discharge capacity of 1,800 tonnes per hour. The vessel was conceived by Sea Transport Solutions (STS) of Southport, Queensland, which has a track record in developing transhipping technology for minerals transportation in Australia's northern regions. Fundamentally different to conventional transhipment vessels, Lucky Eyre has a stern ramp and totally enclosed cargo handling system, with a forward arrangement of bridge and superstructure. The design's flexibility is expressed in a laden draught of just 3.5m and the capability to make a beach landing, while the cargo space lends itself to a payload of containers. In fair weather, it is estimated that the vessel will be able to deliver some 10,800-13,250 tonnes of cargo to waiting bulkers offshore. This will allow Panamax ships to be fully loaded within the five-day industry norm. Powering versatility and redundancy is vested in a propulsion system based on four 450kW engines, and the vessel is understood to have achieved 13 knots on speed trials. In the interests of operational continuity, the design has been developed and tested for conditions up to 2.5m wave height and 25-knot winds.
Courtesy of Sea Transport Solutions
Central to a scheme to provide Australian grain producers with a more cost-effective export channel, an innovative class of shallow-draught transhipment vessel is approaching completion in China
routings. In addition, the ship and the port provide a potential means of importing fertilisers at a cost saving of A$25-40 (US$18.5-29.5) per tonne relative to present delivery arrangements through Port Lincoln or Adelaide. The system also offers scope to service mineral export flows. The export and storage facilities expected to be ready to receive and export grain for the 2019/2020 harvest season, with the vessel due to arrive in Australian waters by the second quarter of next year.
LOCAL ALTERNATIVE The project as a whole brings competition into the sector, offering farmers in the upper Eyre Peninsula a new and local grain export handling and storage option, as an alternative to existing routings via deepsea bulk ports in South Australia. By requiring a harbour depth of only 3.9m, the transhipment vessel has obviated the need to establish a new deepwater facility. The Lucky Bay port development entails relatively low capital expenditure and no major dredging, obviating the much higher costs of building a deepwater terminal and associated infrastructure. The A$115m (US$85m) infrastructure and supply chain project has been initiated by a joint venture of STS, South Australian fund manager Inheritance Capital Asset Management and Duxton Asset Management. From the three partners, a new operating entity has been formed under the name T-Ports. Besides the Lucky Eyre and the new port facilities featuring 430,000t of grain storage, it includes a further 150,000t of up-country storage capacity. Farmer customers are also participating in the equity of T-Ports. STS and T-Ports claim that grain producers will save between A$5 (US$3.7) and A$20 (A$14.8) per tonne by using the new, low capital cost supply chain, compared to existing
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8 Lucky Eyre prior to launching at Nansha, Guangzhou
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The vessel was conceived by Sea Transport Solutions (STS) of Southport, Queensland, which has a track record in developing transhipping technology for minerals transportation in Australia's northern regions. Fundamentally different to conventional transhipment vessels, Lucky Eyre has a stern ramp and totally enclosed cargo handling system, with a forward arrangement of bridge and superstructure JANUARY 2019 | 33
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COMING UP
FEBRUARY 2018
Vol. 99 Issue 1156
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IN THE NEXT THREE ISSUES
MARCH News review, Leader Briefing, Ship Description, Design for Performance, Regional Focus – Asia Pacific, Four-stroke Engines, LNG & Alternative Fuels, Fuels & Lubrication, 50 Years Ago
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IN THIS ISSUE: Scotlin k short-sea trader
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IBIA CEO Justin Murpher: y
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36 | JANUARY 2019
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50 YEARS AGO
BATTERIES, FUEL CELLS AND GAS IN 1969 The international magazine for senior marine engineers EDITORIAL & CONTENT Editor: Nick Edström editor@motorship.com News Reporter: Rebecca Jeffrey rjeffrey@mercatormedia.com Correspondents Please contact our correspondents at editor@motorship.com Bill Thomson, David Tinsley, Tom Todd, Stevie Knight
The January 1969 issue of The Motor Ship opened, not with the customary look back over the year, but a look at technical prospects for 1969 and beyond. Some of the ideas even now seem rather farfetched. But our predecessors reminded the readers that not many years before a 'super-tanker' was 30,000dwt, 10,000bhp was considered a very large engine, and unmanned engine rooms were a flight of fancy - even the idea of a diesel engine burning heavy fuel was controversial. So, what did we have to look forward in the 1970s? Container ships would be expected to travel at 24 knots-plus. Fuel cost was considered less important than reliability, which, combined with the high power requirement, indicated twin-screw power plants, likely to be medium-speed. Speed was seen to be of the essence, and surface effect ships capable of 100-150 knots were envisaged for Transatlantic freight. Such a ship would be powered by eight gas turbines of 25,000hp each. It seemed that the two-stroke engine had reached the peak of development but marginal improvements in efficiency and reliability may be possible. The future, instead, lay with medium speed and gas turbine propulsion. The latter offered advantages of high power from light weight, and low requirement for onboard supervision and maintenance. Moreover, the gap between the cost of residual fuel and distillates was expected to decrease, and fuel costs would be less important than transit speed. The events of the last few years have shown that quite the opposite actually happened. One rather more accurate prediction was that hydrocarbon power plants would become obsolete in 100 years as no more fossil fuel would be available. Nuclear power plants looked attractive, but interestingly, it was considered that shore-generated power could be used by ships, with batteries or fuel cells providing the storage media. A final alternative would be gas engines powered by liquid hydrogen. Coming back down to earth, it was seen that 1968 had been the
38 | JANUARY 2019
8 The newly-completed Queen Elizabeth 2, described as the flagship of the British merchant fleet
year when containerisation really caught on with cellular container vessels representing a growing proportion of the global orderbook. Among the surveys of the past year, two new ships were described in detail. One was Sea Star, a 120,300dwt tanker for Korean owners. Not only would this be the largest ship in the Korean fleet, coming from the Arendal yard of Götaverken it was the largest vessel built in Sweden. It was powered by one of Götaverken's own-design two-stroke diesel engines, an 11-cylinder 850mm bore unit developing 26,400bhp at 119rpm. The other full ship description concerned a rather better-known vessel, the Queen Elizabeth 2 passenger liner which was about to enter service. Constructed on the Clyde for Cunard, at a build cost of £30 million, she was considered the most expensive merchant ship ever built for commercial service, as well as the most powerful twin-screw merchant vessel anywhere. Featuring innovations such as a bulbous bow, thought to save some 10,000bhp, twin sets of Denny-Brown folding fin stabilisers, twin six-bladed propellers and extensive use of aluminium for the superstructure. Some 10% of the cost was spent on providing an “elegant and simple background for the enjoyment of an international clientele.” Despite these advances in design, she still relied on steam for propulsion, with twin Brown-Pametrada geared turbines, each capable of 55,000hp. Three Foster-Wheeler superheated boilers, with a new design burner, supplied the steam. The machinery installation was both lighter in weight and more fuel efficient than the quad-screw multi-boiler plants found in Queen Elizabeth 2's predecessors. A notable innovation was the “most powerful computer system ever installed in a merchant ship”. The Ferranti Argus 400 computer was employed on technical, commercial and operational functions at sea.
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8 Sea Star - Korea's largest ship, built in Sweden
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