The Motorship January 2022

JANUARY 2022

Vol. 102 Issue 1199

Methanol retrofit:

New Stena service

Håkan Agnevall:

Focusing on inputs:

Grand challenges:

Wärtsilä ceo interview

The other side of efficiency

DNV’s Ørbeck-Nilssen

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: NH3-ready feeder | Japanese autonomy first | ABB’s Eero Lehtovaara | Donsötank’s Prospero

ExxonMobil: Helping operators map the route ahead for marine industry sustainability Supporting operation during a period of change ExxonMobil continues to provide the services, low-sulphur fuels and related lubricating oils vessel operators need to help achieve the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ambitions of reducing international shipping’s carbon intensity and greenhouse gas emissions.

Talk to the experts ExxonMobil, in partnership with The Motorship, recently hosted a virtual roundtable, ‘The role of fuels and lubricants in helping meet future marine industry sustainability ambitions’.

The discussion explored the role of cross-sector collaboration, future fuel options and a stable regulatory framework in supporting the maritime sector meet the upcoming IMO ambitions.

Read the full write-up of this discussion, which includes input from industry experts from IBIA, WinGD, Bureau Veritas, Danaos Shipping and SeaRiver Maritime.

To find out more about ExxonMobil’s marine industry products and services, visit exxonmobil.com/en/marine

22 NOV Hamburg 24 2022 Germany

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2022

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CALL FOR PAPERS – SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT NOW! Submissions are now open for the 2022 Propulsion & Future Fuels, the leading international conference on powering shipping’s emissions-cutting ambitions.

Abstracts are being accepted in the following categories: • Batteries and Hybrid energy for big ships.

• Digitalization – Cyber security risks / Route Optimization / Digital tool Efficiency / Legality / Digital Twin.

• Multifuel engines.

• Ammonia – Implications on other machinery and technologies / Safety rules.

• Methanol – Implications on other machinery and technologies / Safety rules.

• eFuels - Synthetic bunkering / Incoming taxes & levy’s.

• Fuel Cells as a solution for generator sets or auxiliaries.

• Regulatory changes to the 2030/40 IMO targets.

• Regulatory drivers – What to do with the old vessel / How are new vessels funded?

• Carbon Levy • Retrofit solution

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words and should be sent, with a biography of the speaker, headshot photo and logo, to conferences@propulsionconference.com The deadline to submit a paper for the 2022 Motorship Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference will be 15 February 2022.

For more information please visit: propulsionconference.com Contact: +44 1329 825 335 Or email: conferences@propulsionconference.com

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CONTENTS

JANUARY 2022

8

6

NEWS

14 H HI eyes digital expansion

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Palantir Technologies on 4 January to establish a big data platform and a joint venture

16 British buyer for Bergen

Rolls-Royce concluded the sale of its Bergen Engines business to diversified, privately-owned UK engineering group Langley Holdings for EUR63 million (US$71.1m) on 31 December 2021.

20 D igital turbo emissions tool

ABB Turbocharging has added a new analysis feature as a standard feature for to its A100-L and A200-L turbochargers.

Online motorship.com 5 Latest news 5 Comment & analysis 5 Industry database 5 Events

Social Media Linkedin Facebook Twitter YouTube

10 REGULARS 8 Regional Report Nordic companies continue to exert influence over developments in ship design and vessel production through a wealth of technical consultancies and research bodies.

10 Leader Briefing

Knut ØrbeckNilssen, ceo of DNV Maritime, sees greater collaboration as part of the solution to the grand challenge of decarbonising the industry

30 Ship Description

Donsötank’s new hybrid LNG-fuelled tanker, Prospero, is raising the standard for vessels handling distribution in the European market.

Propulsion & Future Fuels Conference will 19 November 2020 in Hamburg, Germany. ropulsionconference.com Weekly E-News Sign up for FREE at: www.motorship.com/enews

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

FEATURES

26

12 Methanol retrofit solution

A joint venture between Stena and methanol producer Proman will offer a turnkey solution for retrofitting existing engines for dual-fuel methanol operation.

14 Smart tech thinking T he president and ceo of Wärtsilä, Håkan Agnevall, discusses how the new Smart Technology Hub in Vaasa will contribute to the company’s wider strategy in an exclusive interview with The Motorship.

18 RCCI on my mind

A Netherlands research project is examining alternative combustion technologies, including the potential of reactively controlled compression ignition (RCCI) for methanol-fuelled engines.

26 Balancing the books

ExxonMobil’s Eddie Fish ponders how frequently documented and physical delivery volumes vary, and the implications of inaccurate bunkering data on vessel efficiency calculations.

27 T hinking systematically

Eero Lehtovaara, Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs at ABB Marine & Ports sees a need for collaboration to ensure regulatory alignment as the pace of technological development accelerates.

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The Future Fuels Conference TheMotorship’s Motorship’sPropulsion Propulsion and & Future Fuels Conference will will take place this year in Hamburg, take place on 17-19 November 2020 inGermany.

Hamburg, Germany.

Stay Stayinintouch touchat atpropulsionconference.com propulsionconference.com

JANUARY 2022| 3

NEWS REVIEW

VIEWPOINT NICK EDSTROM | Editor Credit: Palantir Technologies

nedstrom@motorship.com

The other industry transformation Away from the heat and the fury of the energy transition, and the vexed questions about fuels and efficiency solutions for the industry, it would be easy to overlook the steady development of autonomy related and AI solutions for the maritime sector.

In this month’s issue we feature interviews with a number of Industry leaders who are shaping developments in the space. DNV’s Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen who is interviewed in this month’s issue, has long identified the digitalisation of shipping as a transformation that will change many aspects of the industry over the coming decade.

ABB’s Eero Lehtovaara offers a thought-provoking overview of some of challenges confronting regulators, and industry participants in an interview in this month’s issue of the magazine.

Serious investments into digital solutions are beginning to reach the market, Wärtsilä’s president and ceo Håkan Agnevall, who is interviewed in this month’s issue, discusses the impending opening of a Smart Technology Hub at Wärtsilä’s campus in Vaasa by the end of 2022, which he describes as the largest investment in the firm’s history, as part of an exclusive interview.

Sometimes the transformative effects of ongoing changes are harder to understand. The introduction of chatbot technology onto ABS’ My Digital Fleet platform is described by Smarty Mathew John, vice president of Digital Solutions at ABS. The Motorship notes that increased personalisation in the maritime sector will eventually result in the hyperautomation of services.

Even comparatively limited operational changes will have wider implications. ExxonMobil’s Eddie Fish and Armelle Breneol touch on the wider implications of the widespread introduction of mass flow metering systems, which would eventually remove barriers towards near real time aggregation of bunkering records for port authorities.

At the other extreme, the coastal container vessel Yara Birkeland made its first voyage in Oslo Fjord in JANUARY 2022, which the vessel’s owners hope will lead to its certification as an autonomous vessel by the end of 2023.

Similar progress has been made in the naval field, where the US Navy has taken delivery of its third and fourth unmanned service vehicles. Despite a decision to wind up the Ghost Fleet Overlord autonomous vessel programme in January 2022, the US Navy appears to be seeking to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies more broadly, according to a briefing on 7 January 2022.

The Motorship notes that research into extending the scope of autonomous technologies in the merchant sector is accelerating. The agreement of a number of high-profile partnership announcements in recent months, including Palantir and Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Microsoft and Wärtsilä, suggests that technology developers believe the maritime sector is approaching a threshold for the wider deployment of such technologies. The LR AI Register, the first of its kind for the sector, demonstrated the extent to which East Asian companies, and South Korean firms in particular, have advanced in commercialising solutions.

However, The Motorship firmly expects the current scope of commercial AI solutions will evolve significantly. From a combustion perspective, some of the new combustion technologies being studies, such as the RCCI technology that is being assessed in the Netherlands’ MENENS project, will require significantly greater control over a range of engine parameters.

4 | JANUARY 2022

8 Palantir Technologies will build a big data platform for Hyundai Heavy Industries Group’s core businesses

HHI INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Palantir Technologies on 4 January to establish a big data platform. and a joint venture. The two companies will also consider collaborating over the longer term to promote the big data platform business.

The signature ceremony was held in Las Vegas the day before a tech focused trade show opens on 5 January. The ceremony was attended by Kisun Chung, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings as well as chief executives from Palantir Technologies and HHI’s energy and industrial machinery units.

Under the agreement, HHI Group and Palantir Technologies will jointly build a big data platform for the Group’s key affiliates related to shipbuilding & offshore engineering, energy, and industrial machinery. The two parties plan to subsequently create a joint venture that specialises in developing and selling big data platform services once the big data platform for each vertical is built.

These big data solutions could range from platform construction to operation to the generation of sales targeting domestic and foreign companies.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, a shipbuilding and offshore engineering affiliate of HHI Group, is working on the “Future of Shipyard (FOS)” project to transform itself into a smart shipyard, the first of its kind in the

world, by 2030. All processes from design to production are connected in real time to build a shipyard that enables smart work management where Palantir Technologies’ big data platform is applied.

The big data platform will also be adopted by energy affiliates, such as Hyundai Oilbank. The energy company plans to build a platform at its plant in Daesan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, for five years from this year with a strategy to maximise process efficiency by integrating more than 100 production management systems into one.

Data collaboration platform Hyundai Doosan Infracore, an affiliate of industrial machinery, already developed “DI 360,” a big data collaboration platform, with Palantir Technologies in 2019, and is currently using it to manage its parts supply chain, handle on-site quality claim issues, and seize sales opportunities. HHI Group and Palantir Technologies are also planning to consider building a platform for other affiliates, such as Hyundai Construction Equipment.

Kisun Chung, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, said, “We expect that this partnership with Palantir Technologies will substantially improve the competitiveness of core businesses of the Group. It will be an important turning point in innovation of organisational culture that changes the way we work using data.”

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NEWS REVIEW

A 3D-printed fuel injection nozzle developed by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and MAN Energy Solutions could reduce NOx emissions A post-doctoral researcher from DTU Mechanical Engineering, Thomas Dahmen, has developed a methodology for how 3D-printed nozzles could be designed to increase engine performance and product lifetime. The resulting 3D-printed injection nozzle showed such promising results in the DTU laboratory that it was subsequently tested on MAN Energy Solutions’ full-scale test engine at the Research Centre Copenhagen.

The design achieved better fuel flow with a more curved design, and initial trials suggest that the nozzle could help reduce NOx emissions from the engine.

Further studies will be required to demonstrate this.

In addition to looking at the nozzle design, Dahmen compared the benefits of two different 3D printing techniques - Laser Powder Bed Fusion and Binder Jetting - in combination with using different types of materials for the nozzles. “This part of the analyses highlighted the suitability of Binder Jetting for intricate flow-related nozzle features and special high-temperature materials which would be impossible to realise with other manufacturing processes,” he said.

BRIEFS KR awards AiP for LH2 tanks

The Korean Register has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) for two types of the liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for ships.

The award, the first for a Korean enterprises, included a version incorporating a novel stainless steel developed by POSCO that exhibits improved hydrogen embrittlement resistance. A special structure was installed in the tank to prevent performance degradation due to sloshing.

6 | JANUARY 2022

“At MAN Energy Solutions, we’ve long been aware that 3D-printed metal can provide us with some opportunities to design important parts of our ship engines that were not previously possible. This made a collaboration with DTU on exploring the potential an obvious choice,” says Peter Hagen, mechanical engineer at MAN Energy Solutions.

“Thomas’s thorough investigation has given us a fantastic basis for moving forward with 3D printing of metal components for marine engines.

Credit: MAN ES

3D-PRINTED FUEL INJECTION NOZZLE COULD REDUCE NOX EMISSIONS

I’m quite sure we’ll see them in real engines soon.”

The Motorship notes MAN has already successfully trialled the use of turbocharger components

8 The 3D printed fuel injection nozzle has been tested at MAN’s Research Centre Copenhagen

produced via additive manufacturing techniques.

Rolls-Royce concludes sale of Bergen Engines Rolls-Royce concluded the sale of its Bergen Engines business to diversified, privately-owned UK engineering group Langley Holdings for EUR63 million (US$71.1m) on 31 December 2021.

The sale, which was initially announced on 3 August, concludes Rolls-Royce’s efforts to find a buyer for the Bergen-based engine manufacturer. The sale proceeds and the EUR16m (US$18.1m) in cash reserves retained by Rolls-Royce will contribute EUR79m towards rebuilding the company’s balance sheet.

The sale includes Bergen Engines’ engine factory, service workshop and foundry in Norway as well as its engine and power plant design capability. The divestment also included Bergen’s global service network and

subsidiaries in nine countries. The sale includes the transfer of Bergen Engines employees. More than 600 of the group’s near 950 headcount are based at its headquarters and production facilities in Norway.

Langley Holdings has previously announced that it plans to operate Bergen Engines as a stand-alone business unit within the group’s Power Solutions Division, alongside existing subsidiaries. The division will collectively generate around EUR600m of Langley’s anticipated EUR1.3bn revenues in 2022, and employs around 2,400 of the group’s 5,600 total global workforce.

Langley Holdings’ chairman and CEO Tony Langley commented “The acquisition of Bergen Engines is a major step towards

our net zero objectives. The company has a superb reputation and is proving to be highly innovative in adapting its engines to low-carbon and non-fossil fuels. Coupled with that, the emerging microgrid sector fits perfectly to our long-term sustainability goals.”

The company plans to extend Bergen Engines’ focus into the microgrid power generation sector, which forms a central plank of its net zero strategy.

In addition to the stationary and traditional vessel propulsion markets, Langley is continuing to support R&D investments into the combustion of alternative fuels. In October 2021, Langley approved the launch of an EUR4m research project, which will receive joint funding from the Norwegian government.

Neutral OCX format

LCO2 focus for Knutsen

Ship damage tool

NAPA and Bureau Veritas (BV) have announced a partnership to encourage the use of 3D models in the class approval process. This included the creation of a new process that enables BV to perform its rule checks without needing to re-create 3D models from 2D drawings. This research, which uses a neutral Open Class eXchange (OCX) format, opens up 3D modelbased approval to a variety of potential users and applications.

NYK and Norway’s Knutsen Group have established a joint venture company for the commercial development of a liquefied CO2 marine transportation and storage business worldwide.

The jointly held new company, Knutsen NYK Carbon Carriers AS (KNCC), plans to operate small, medium and large LCO2 vessels, employing proprietary PCO2® technology.

The Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean engineering (KRISO) has developed a damage control system which assesses and predicts ship accident impact in real time. The system quickly obtains accident information, locates crew members, and assesses the operability of key equipment when an accident occurs. The system uses data from sensors in the ship to rapidly obtain accident information.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

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REGIONAL FOCUS

INDUSTRY CLUSTERS SUSTAIN HIGH-END BUSINESS

With a few exceptions, mainly in Finland, large-scale shipbuilding has withered away, although larger and smaller yards alike continue to secure business in highend market sectors, through a combination of contractual performance, design added-value and preparedness to innovate.

After two difficult, loss-making years, Meyer Turku reported “promising signs of recovery” in 2021 as concerns both the cruise ship market and the company’s financial results. With the onset of the pandemic, agreements were secured with customers for the postponement of cruiseship deliveries, leading to payroll reductions. The orderbook has accordingly been stretched to 2026, entailing a production run which includes three LNG-fuelled, 200,000gt Icon-class vessels for Royal Caribbean.

Furthermore, the workload is set to gain a naval dimension as a consequence of a letter of intent signed in August 2021 by the Finnish Border Guard for two multi-purpose patrol vessels.

Finland’s naval programme has led to investment by the country’s second largest shipbuilder, Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), in a new assembly hall. Work was implemented during JANUARY 2022 on the facility, in which four multi-role corvettes will be built from 2023 onwards under the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 initiative. The hall will be 180m long, 40m wide and 30m high, and is costing about EUR 26m ($29.5m).

Providing a new reference for Finnish expertise in shortsea ferry design and construction, and at a time when Chinese shipbuilders have come to dominate the European ro-pax market, the Rauma yard delivered the innovative, 150m Aurora Botnia in August. Built for the Wasaline transBaltic service, the world’s northernmost year-round ferry crossing between Vaasa in Finland and the Swedish port of Umea, the 1A Super ice-class ship features a hybrid electric power and propulsion solution. While Finland is a small country in terms of population and economy, it has an extensive and globally influential maritime cluster. Vaasa alone is the production point for Wartsila, ABB, Danfoss, WeTech and other companies, and this resource is amply utilised in the Aurora Botnia.

Production continuity in the ro-pax segment has been assured by an order from Tallink of Estonia for a 212m nearsister of the Meyer Turku-built Megastar, plus two large, fast newbuilds for Australian operator TT Line.

One of the immediate targets of RMC is the joint SwedishFinnish project for a series of five new-generation icebreakers, a highly capital-intensive scheme which would yield multiple orders throughout the Nordic supply chain. Aker Arctic Technology is expected to deliver the final tender design by the end of February 2022. The 40-year plus service life that typifies icebreakers poses significant challenges to

8 | JANUARY 2022

Credit: Meyer Turku

Nordic companies hold a solid position in the global market for specialised and advanced marine equipment, machinery and operating systems, and remain highly influential in shaping developments in both ship design and vessel production, by means of a wealth of technical consultancies and research bodies.

designers, given the developments in driving power, fuels, and emission criteria that might be anticipated over such a timeframe. Bio-based fuels and batteries must come into the reckoning from a medium-term perspective, at least.

Algador Holdings took over the Hietalahti downtown premises of Arctech Helsinki Shipyard from its sanctionsbeset Russian parent in 2019, renaming the enterprise Helsinki Shipyard and restoring production with the series of diesel-electric, Vega-class cruise vessels intended to reestablish the Swan Hellenic identity under Andrea Zito.

Completed in JANUARY 2022 some 26 months after contract signing, the 115m expedition cruise ship SH Minerva signalled both the re-emergence of shipbuilding in Helsinki and the revival of the Swan Hellenic brand, albeit under new ownership in each case.

As the first of three newbuilds for the top end of the market, designed to operate in extreme conditions, including Antarctica and tropical regions, SH Minerva offers an endurance factor of 40 days or 8,000 miles and has been prepared for quiet, low emission sailing using battery power.

8 Cruiseship production at Turku, jewel in the crown of Finnish shipbuilding.

Norwegian would Although Norway is one of the few European countries with a comprehensive maritime cluster, full-range shipbuilding activity and employment has contracted significantly in recent years. However, today’s leaner industry remains characteristically innovative and continues to hone traditional skills in high-end design, construction and technology. As with its astute Dutch counterparts, the sector has placed some emphasis on prudent collaboration and subcontracting involving yards in lower-cost countries, a move which has better ensured continuity in shipbuilding and related activities in Norwegian coastal communities.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

The collapse in demand for support vessels to serve offshore oil and gas exploration and production dealt a body blow to Norwegian yards, but know-how gained in that sector over decades has been harnessed to tap into new opportunities arising from surging investment in renewable energy.

The Fincantieri-owned, but Norwegian-headquartered VARD Group, for instance, has secured a succession of newbuild projects for windfarm service vessels and cablelayers. An order for a fourth 78m service operation vessel (SOV) to be used on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea was confirmed from UK operator North Star during December.

Furthermore, VARD has positioned itself in the frontier of autonomous vessel development. Steel cutting began in mid 2021 for the first of eight 78m robotic vessels ordered by US/ UK marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity for offshore survey and field support work. While the primary ship construction has been assigned to the group’s Vung Tau yard in Vietnam, the advanced technology input is from Norway, where all associated installation work and testing will be undertaken.

The ultra-luxury, small cruise ship segment figures prominently in Norwegian shipbuilders’ business strategy, and such is the case with VARD. Following the milestone completion in July 2021 of the 150m, ice-classed Le Commandant Charcot for Ponant Cruises of France, VARD saw the year out with the handover of Viking Octantis, first of two 205m, PC6 ice-class expedition-type vessels ordered by Swiss-headquartered, Norwegian-originating Viking Ocean Cruises.

Construction was effected by VARD Tulcea in Romania, with further outfitting, testing and finalisation carried out at the group’s Soviknes premises in western Norway’s More & Romsdal county. Maximising use of the wider organisation’s resources, several of Fincantieri’s specialised subsidiaries, besides those of VARD, were heavily involved throughout the shipbuilding process.

VARD had won the Ponant deal with the assistance of a state-backed loan risk guarantee afforded by the Norwegian export credit agency EKSFIN. As well as backing Norwegian shipbuilding and promoting Norwegian exports, EKSFIN is playing an important role in accelerating the move to ‘green’ shipping. Over the four years to 2021, the agency has provided loan guarantees totalling approximately EUR 1bn ($1.15bn) towards 35 vessels incorporating environmentally considerate features and technologies.

Continuity at Soviknes, in a prime contractor and final outfitting role, is denoted by an order for two 11,000gt expedition-type vessels tailored to Ponant’s Paul Gauguin Cruises’ brand. Each EUR 150m newbuild will have a maximum passenger complement of 230.

On behalf of the Siem Group, Fosen Yard at Rissa has taken on the completion of the LNG dual-fuel ro-pax ferry Honfleur, originally ordered from Flensburger SchiffbauGesellschaft by Brittany Ferries and subsequently cancelled.

Fosen also has a letter of intent from a newly-established company on the Cote d’Azur at Nice for two hybrid electric ro-pax ferries to serve west Mediterranean routes. The Norwegian group’s German yard affiliate, meanwhile, is set to revive shipbuilding at Emden via a recent contract for dieselelectric river/sea coasters.

The fact that the family-controlled Ulstein Group retains a dynamic, in-house shipbuilding capability gives added authority to its international business endeavours in ship design, design licensing, engineering, project management and shipboard systems. The organisation’s combined knowhow leads to production-efficient ship construction, whether in-house at Ulsteinvik, or at yards worldwide.

Credit: Meyer Turku

REGIONAL FOCUS

The 2021 output from Ulstein Verft at Ulsteinvik included the 124m National Geographic Resolution, second of two polar expedition cruise ships adopting the proprietary X-Bow form. Forthcoming deliveries of Ulstein-conceived tonnage this year feature the final two vessels in the six-ship programme of 104m expedition-type cruisers commissioned

by SunStone from China Merchants Heavy Industry and incorporating the Ulstein CX103 template.

With one of the longest track records in offshore support vessel design and production, Ulstein expertise has been directed towards new areas of opportunity. A case in point is the S211 design of dedicated rock installation ship developed by the company’s Dutch affiliate. The host newbuild has been ordered by Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co from Philly Shipyard and will serve the US offshore wind market.

8 National Geographic Resolution emerging from the building dock at Ulsteinvik

A proud industrial heritage Regional regeneration in affluent economies is often identified with housing, retail and leisure developments on areas formerly occupied by productive heavy industry, but Denmark can lay claim to a major adaptation project whereby a former shipbuilding yard has provided the basis for vibrant industrial renewal.

One of the jewels in the crown of Danish industrialisation and a technological leader in ship construction, Odense Staalskibsvaerft closed in 2012, a casualty of fierce Asian price competition. However, the site was quickly transformed into an industrial park housing multiple companies engaged in the production, storage and shipment of large components for the offshore wind energy and steel fabrication sectors. It has also accommodated the transfer of a shiprepair specialist from another area of Denmark, which re-established itself as Fayard.

The company has gone on to become a force in retrofit and conversion work, including ballast water systems, SCR plant, scrubbers, and engine changeovers to LNG fuel, as well as undertaking the gamut of drydocking repairs and maintenance, plus offshore plant and vessel decommissioning. Some 10% of the Fayard workforce are apprentices, denoting the level of commitment to skills retention and growth.

The country’s new defence strategy aims to realise future Danish military vessel requirements through a concentration on design and construction in Denmark, beginning with a series of patrol ships.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

JANUARY 2022| 9

LEADER BRIEFING

COALITIONS AND INNOVATION KEY TO DECARBONISATION The ceo of DNV Maritime, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, reiterates his call for greater collaboration, and notes that the multi-faceted nature of the energy transition will require bridge building with stakeholders outside the industry Speaking to The Motorship shortly after DNV’s Fuel of the Future conference, Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen directly addresses what he described as “the grand challenge” of decarbonising the maritime industry.

Grand challenges can be broadly described as challenges that require the mobilisation of a range of different stakeholders from different disciplines from within the shipping and maritime industries to resolve. A classic example is the development of solutions for the accurate measurement of longitude, for historically minded readers.

In common with other grand challenges, the solution will not only require contributions from stakeholders across the maritime industry, but also require contributions from outside sectors.

Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen is more interested in the broad mobilisation and innovation that underpinned the first ‘Moonshot’, which was the result of the Apollo programme.

Unlike the purely technological challenge of the Apollo programme, the challenge of decarbonisation is a much more complex problem.

“DNV has a unique position in this way because we are engaged already with the oil and gas sector, we are engaged with the renewables sector. And we see now that the interconnectivity between these different industry sectors is increasing as we have to solve this grand challenge… which is really all about reducing the CO2 emissions.”

The scale of the upcoming change was likely to affect a wide number of stakeholders, ranging from the insurance and ship finance communities, through to regulatory authorities and beneficial cargo owners. “We have seen an encouraging increase in engagement from the stakeholder community over the past couple of years,” Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen says, adding that this has resulted in tangible results, such as the Poseidon Principles in the ship finance community.

Even faster progress has been seen in the field of technology. “In terms of shipboard technology, I would say that we are doing fairly well… I mean, LNG is already there, methanol is already there and in a few years’ time, we will have a multitude of different solutions available when ammonia becomes commercially available.”

However, the key factors that need to be addressed in the energy transition will remain fuel availability, the creation of efficient fuel distribution networks, and most importantly, the safety of the networks. “We have to look beyond the immediate shipping and maritime ecosystem to include the utility companies producing the energy, the upstream companies that provide the oil and gas.” And that is really what has and is changing, we need to span out in our collaboration.

Turning ESG talk into action Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen addresses some of the push factors that are focusing stakeholders’ attention upon decarbonisation goals, including the steady evolution of corporate social

10 | JANUARY 2022

responsibility over recent years. “The ESG revolution has put [CSR] centre stage for corporations… and moved the focus onto performance.”

However, the need for demonstrable performance improvements was likely to create a demand for these improvements to be validated. This will go beyond the requirement by Poseidon Principle banks to have visibility of the performance of assets in their portfolio: the introduction of Scope 3 emissions reporting will require all the world’s major corporations to document the performance of their whole value chain. “This is a good opportunity for DNV to leverage trust into this system.”

8 Knut ØrbeckNilssen, ceo of DNV Maritime compares the ‘grand challenge’ of decarbonising shipping to that posed by the Apollo programme

Accelerating change Warming to his theme of grand challenges, Mr. ØrbeckNilssen notes that one of the lessons from the past was that grand challenges required innovation across sectors, across actors and across disciplines.

‘‘

In common with other grand challenges, the solution will not only require contributions from stakeholders across the maritime industry, but also require contributions from outside sector For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

Musing about the number of attendees at the Fuel of the Future conference, Mr. ØrbeckNilssen noted that it hopefully included recent graduates and students who would be inspired to contribute to the development of solutions, just as the young Englishman John Harrison had been when the Longitude Act was passed in 1714.

More immediately, Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen noted that encouraging the development of a range of different solutions was an integral part of responding to the challenge.

“What we really need to do now is to demonstrate concrete steps that take us in the right direction, putting one foot ahead of the other. And that is really what is needed.”

While Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen expressed impatience with the need to develop the solutions needed by the industry, he singled one particular recent declaration - the Clydebank Declaration at the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow - as making a real contribution to the industry.

By encouraging the rapid establishment of green corridors between two countries or ports, it would allow the early introduction of low carbon or zero carbon trading routes. “By making it happen on a smaller scale, we would have the

‘‘

What we really need to do now is to demonstrate concrete steps that take us in the right direction, putting one foot ahead of the other. And that is really what is needed possibility to experiment, to pilot, to gain experience with these new solutions.” Such green routes could represent a sandbox for the development of solutions at a small scale, without having to focus on the different challenges posed by scaling up solutions immediately.

Turning his attention to broader challenges relating to fuel supply, Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen noted that this would also help to mitigate the risk that the development of solutions could be delayed by chicken and egg type problems relating to fuel supply or bunkering infrastructure. “It has taken us 20 years for LNG-fuelled propulsion to reach 3% of the global fleet tonnage.”

While dedicated R&D funds represented one particular route to incentivising the development of solutions, closer cooperation between different stakeholders represented another potential solution.

“This is what we did last year, when we set up the Maritime Technology Forum with three other leading class societies and three flags all together. The whole idea is to leverage the output from the R&D efforts that we are individually undertaking… [by] a factor of seven. To solve this, we could really benefit from putting competition a little bit to the side and rather concentrate on producing good guidance and good progress. That is what the MTF is all about.”

Current options for shipowners Turning his attention back to the current market, Mr. ØrbeckNilssen noted that he had detected a shift, and that there was a greater willingness to contribute, both as an industry and on an individual business level.

The drivers of change – such as EEXI, CII and the emergence

Credit: DNV

LEADER BRIEFING

of rules (such as Scope 3 emissions reporting) from the ESG environment would affect every segment of the industry eventually. “The train is leaving the station, so you had better get on board,” he said, adding that “there is no way back.”

Looking at the range of fuels, Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen noted that green methanol and green ammonia as ship fuels were not really going to materialise this decade in any great sense.

“We are looking at, you know, some point in the 2030s before the fuel availability improves”.

LNG by comparison was an attractive, viable alternative. “If you're able to use dual-fuel LNG engines, it makes a lot of sense to take advantage of the emissions reductions that LNG offers, which are in the range of 20%,” he said. Looking further ahead, the potential arrival of bio-methane, or even synthetic LNG, could extend the duration of the transition, and maybe make it part of the end game.

The range of options open to owners varied, depending upon the trade. The availability of dual-fuel engines for larger container vessels, tankers, bulkers and even PCTCs has resulted in a lot of orders last year. “By comparison, it is harder to see what the best choice is for owners of tramp vessels at the moment.”

Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen concluded that “if you have trade and vessels that have [LNG] optionality, then they will not be stranded, they're good for one or two generations.”

8 DNV conference Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen hoped recent graduates and students would be inspired by the Fuel of the Future conference

Wider implications Mr. Ørbeck-Nilssen returned to his opening point by reiterating the need for the industry to come together to help to reduce CO2 emissions. One additional strand that would require significant attention was seafarer safety.

The need for guidance around new fuels, and wider safety issues connected with bunkering and onboard safety, for example, would expand significantly with the introduction of new fuels. “The level of increasing competence and knowledge sharing and training really has to be scaled up across the shipping industry during the course of this decade.”

He closed the interview by touching on the range of tools required to address these demands: “The tools for ensuring that seafarers receive the best possible training are already out there – simulators, and even VR technology.” This was one area where the solutions being developed by the continuing digitalisation – the second great transformation reaching the maritime industry – could contribute to addressing the first.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

JANUARY 2022| 11

FOUR-STROKE

STENAPROMAN OFFERS CH3OH SUPPLY & CONVERSION SOLUTION The company, a joint venture between Stena and methanol producer Proman, will offer a complete analysis of how methanol can benefit a shipowner’s environmental goals as well as regulatory requirements such as the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII). The result will be a report highlighting what needs to be considered from a regulatory, fleet and bunkering perspective as well as ship-specific reports where the design of the engine conversion and associated systems for a particular ship will be described more in detail.

“We believe that methanol is a clear frontrunner in shipping’s search for fuels beyond the fossil default,” said Per Westling, CEO of Stena RoRo. “We converted Stena Germanica to methanol power in 2015, and that gives us valuable experience both from a conversion and operational perspective.”

Stena and Proman will cooperate with 2- and 4-stroke engine designers and original equipment manufacturers for all engine related work, and Danish ship designer Knud E. Hansen will provide the concept and detailed design work.

“This will enable us to assist our clients in the best possible way, including delivering turnkey solutions,” says Westling.

He anticipates that a turnkey conversion would involve having the vessel in drydock for at most two weeks. During this time, the steelwork for the fuel storage tanks would be the main task undertaken. In many cases, this would involve the addition of cofferdams to create tanks within existing ballast tank or void spaces.

Methanol is relatively simple to store. There is no need for the cryogenic containment required for LNG, and no need for stainless steel tanks. The methanol storage tank on the Stena Germanica received standard shot blasting treatment before a standard zink silicate painting system was applied. “This is a very economical way of doing it, but it is work that needs to be done in drydock,” Westling says.

Other work, such as the installation of pumps, fuel lines, engine control systems, new high or low pressure injectors and engine cylinder modifications, could be completed alongside or even during operation if the ship is operating multiple engines.

He says StenaProman will work with yards on a projectby-project basis, operating globally, rather than tying its turnkey conversion solution to specific yards.

Fuel supply partnership The new proposition includes the supply of methanol under short or long-term contracts. Proman is the world’s second largest methanol producer. It produces 6.9 million tonnes of methanol a year and is investing in blue and green methanol production to satisfy future demand. In Canada, for example, Proman have partnered with Enerkem, Shell and Suncor, as well as the Government of Quebec, on the Varennes Carbon Recycling project, which will include one of the world’s

12 | JANUARY 2022

Credit: Stena

A new joint venture company StenaProman is offering a turnkey solution for retrofitting existing engines for dual-fuel methanol operation

largest waste-to-methanol plants. This project is set to reduce the carbon intensity of methanol production by over 90% and achieve the equivalent in greenhouse gas reduction of taking 50,000 cars off the road each year.

In addition to this, in August 2021, Proman entered into an agreement with UK port operator, Global Energy Group to develop a renewable power to methanol plant utilising local sources of captured CO2 to be located at the Nigg Oil Terminal in the Highlands of Scotland.

“Methanol is the only available alternative marine fuel that offers immediate emissions reductions, dramatically improving air quality and delivering a clear shipping decarbonisation pathway for 2050 and beyond,” says David Cassidy, Chief Executive of Proman. “Our combined vision is to dramatically accelerate the energy transition in shipping and not only talk about changing our environment but to actually make it happen.”

8 The first of a series of three 49,900dwt methanol-ready MR tankers for Stena Bulk was launched in November 2021 at Guangzhou Shipyard International

Benefits of methanol Methanol eliminates sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter emissions and cuts nitrogen oxides (NOx) by approximately 60%. It remains liquid at ambient temperatures, making it easy to handle, and safety procedures for handling methanol are well known and practiced all over the world. It quickly dissolves in water and biodegrades rapidly, making a methanol spill far less environmentally damaging than ones involving fossil fuels such as MGO, VLSFO and HFO. Methanol is a widely traded commodity available at over 122 ports worldwide. Unlike alternative fuels like LNG, methanol only requires minor modifications to existing terminal infrastructure, bunkering and fuel storage facilities to support shipping operation. On board, methanol behaves like established fuels and is easy to store and pump for direct injection into the engine. Classification societies and the IMO have already developed standards and guidelines for methanol as a marine fuel, with regulatory acceptance under the IMO IGF Code.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

Credit: Stena

FOUR-STROKE

As an added incentive for its use, Greg Dolan, CEO of the Methanol Institute, has noted that a move to methanol would help shipowners avoid the proposed carbon tax on diesel which could be USD250-450/t of CO2.

The growing methanol fleet Operating on methanol is already economical, especially in Emission Control Areas, and Westling believes that methanol is an excellent transition fuel for many cargo ships, as well as ferries and RoPax vessels, as it supports net-zero operation through the shift from grey to blue to green methanol production. He says the industry has seen increasing interest in methanol since the pioneering conversion of Stena Germanica. This has been most recently demonstrated by an order from A.P. Moller - Maersk for a series of eight 16,000 TEU ocean-going container vessels capable of being operated on carbon neutral methanol. The first vessel will be delivered by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2024, and Maersk has an option for four additional vessels in 2025.

Additionally, Singapore-based carrier X-Press Feeders has placed an order for eight 1,170 TEU dual-fuel container feeder vessels capable of sailing on green methanol. The vessels are expected to be delivered in 2023 and 2024 and will operate in the company’s Europe and America trade routes.

Stena Bulk and Proman are also adding to their joint methanol-fuelled fleet with an order for three 49,900dwt methanol-ready MR tankers. The first, Stena Pro Patria, was launched in JANUARY 2022 at Guangzhou Shipyard International, the first Chinese shipyard to build a methanol dual-fuel vessel. Delivery to Proman Stena Bulk is expected in Q1 2022.

Over the next two years, another five methanol-powered newbuilds will be delivered: Stena Pro Marine and Stena Prosperous, which will be Proman Stena Bulk JV vessels, and the Proman-owned Provident, Progressive and Promise. All vessels will be constructed at Guangzhou Shipyard International and delivered by the end of 2023. The Provident and Progressive will be traded globally for shipping chemicals and clean petroleum products.

All Proman and Proman Stena Bulk JV vessels will have the same vessel design based on MAN B&W 6G50ME-C9.6 MW Tier III engines. The vessels will also be equipped with the latest energy efficiency technology, including continually controlled combustion, optimised tuning, redesigned and aerodynamic hull lines, and a shaft generator. Each vessel will use approximately 12,500 tonnes per annum of methanol as a marine fuel.

project was a co-operation between Methanex Corporation, Stena Line, Wärtsilä, the Port of Gothenburg, and the Port of Kiel. It was co-financed by the European Union and the classification of the conversion to methanol was conducted

by Lloyd’s Register.

Since then, the vessel’s Wärtsilä ZA40S 4-stroke engine has run primarily on methanol, and in June 2021, it was bunkered with recycled methanol from residual steel gases for the first time. The steel industry and maritime sector are two of the world’s biggest emitters of CO2, and the EUfunded FReSMe project is exploring the possibility of converting CO2 to methanol via steel production to power marine transport. Stena is one of many partners in the project, which also includes the Swedish steel production company SSAB and the Swedish metals research institute (Swerim).

Methanol as a future fuel Methanol can be produced from natural gas, coal, biomass, by-product streams or from CO2 captured from industrial flue gases or direct from air. Grey methanol produced from natural gas represents a 10-15% Tank to Wake reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional marine fuels.

Green methanol is produced from recycled carbon dioxide and hydrogen produced from renewable electricity using proven technologies such as electrolysis. Production of green methanol from sustainable sources is growing and highly scalable, and when used as a marine fuel reduces CO2 emissions by over 90%.

According to the 2021 Innovation Outlook Renewable Methanol report published by IRENA and the Methanol Institute, global methanol consumption reached 98.3 Mt in 2019 and is expected to exceed 120Mt by 2025. Production is then anticipated to rise to 500Mt per year by 2050.

8 Stena and Proman will cooperate with 2- and 4-stroke engine designers and original equipment manufacturers for all engine related work, Stena RoRo ceo Per Westling noted

8 The new conversion and supply proposition includes the supply of methanol

by Proman, the world's second largest producer of methanol, under short or long-term contracts

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

Credit: Stena

Two pioneering projects The 240-meter Stena Germanica became the world’s first methanol powered RoPax ferry in 2015, with the conversion work undertaken at Remontowa Shipyard in Poland. The

JANUARY 2022| 13

FOUR-STROKE

CHANGE STARTS AT HOME: WÄRTSILÄ’S HÅKAN AGNEVALL President and CEO of Wärtsilä Håkan Agnevall outlines the company’s strategy to the energy transition in the maritime sector in an exclusive interview with The Motorship

Mr. Agnevall began by noting that his appointment as President and CEO of Wärtsilä represented the culmination of a personal journey. Having progressed from energy transmission at ABB through rail transportation at Bombardier and passenger transportation at Volvo Buses, where he was president, “it was obviously time for ships.”

Mr. Agnevall is the epitome of a modern chief executive, with an international background spanning the Americas, Asia and Europe, and managerial experience across a range of functions, including sales, engineering and project management. It is clear that Mr Agnevall has a passion for R&D and the transformative potential of different technologies. “I really enjoy this intersection between technology, people and society.”

Another of Mr. Agnevall’s interests is in using technology to break down barriers, both between teams within the company externally, and also in developing closer working relationships with suppliers and customers. This was a theme that he returned to later in the interview, where he outlined some of the changes in working methods that Wärtsilä will pioneer at its Vaasa campus by the end of 2022.

Another common thread running through Mr. Agnevall’s career has been entering industries just before or just as significant technological transformations occur. This was no accident, but rather a deliberate choice. “I've been looking

14 | JANUARY 2022

for those types of transformations, because you really can make a difference. Coming together as a team, in a [time of] transformation for a business and an industry, you invest a lot of yourself, your passion, your time, and it's also very rewarding because you can really see the results.”

Mr. Agnevall offers a glimpse of that passion when he describes, with obvious satisfaction, the widespread scepticism that greeted a decision by Volvo Buses to exhibit an electric bus prototype at a trade show in 2013. “At the latest UITP [trade fair] in 2019, all of the bus models exhibited in the whole fair were electric,” he adds simply.

8 The new Smart Technology Campus at Vasa will open before the end of 2022.

Mr. Agnevall notes that it is “probably the most significant investment we've ever made in Wärtsilä

The wider industry Returning to the theme of transformation, Mr. Agnevall is unequivocal that a similar change is also underway in both the wider energy sector, and in the maritime transportation sector.

“In my view, more is going to happen in the maritime sector, and also the energy sector, quite frankly, over the coming decade, than in the preceding 30 to 40 years.”

The changes were going to be driven by the response to the dominating question facing the industry at the moment.

“How do we create a sustainable path to meet the Paris Agreement and really address CO₂?”

Mr. Agnevall speaks concisely, and elegantly sketches out

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

FOUR-STROKE

‘‘

I n my view, more is going to happen in the maritime sector, and also the energy sector, quite frankly, over the coming decade, than in the preceding 30 to 40 years. the main drivers of the transition and some of their likely consequences in succinct sentences. Shifts in the regulatory environment, and both EEXI and CII in particular, will have an effect on the industry. “Especially with CII, with its requirements for continuous reductions, we clearly see that is having an impact on ship operators and owners and how are they going to decarbonise their fleet going forward.”

The unfortunate likelihood of regional diversification in the regulatory environment was recognised. In fact, the EU’s Fit for 55 proposals, and incorporation of shipping into the EU’s ETS are likely to be just the starting point. “There will be regional regulations or country wide regulations affecting maritime going forward.”

However, Mr. Agnevall balances out the challenges by noting that a nascent market for green transport represents an emerging business opportunity for the industry. “I will also say that in many industrial companies, the ESG agenda is driving industrial customers to formulate their decarbonisation targets.” Wärtsilä itself has committed to reducing its own environmental emissions, which Mr. Agnevall mentions in the context of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. “We’re doing the same.”

The changes will not be limited to newbuildings. In fact, Mr. Agnevall sees a prominent role for Wärtsilä’s services arm – one of the Group’s four core focuses – as an unprecedented change would sweep through the industry in the years to come. Given the age of the fleet, the typical operational life, and the current rate of renewal, up to 60% of the fleet will need to be significantly updated. “This is a pace which the industry has never experienced in the past.”

Grid balancing Even greater changes will be seen on the energy side of Wärtsilä’s business, Mr. Agnevall notes, adding that “on the energy side, it's about the shift to 100% renewables if you take the global view of power systems.” The expected exponential growth of wind or solar will create significant demands for balancing power. “And this is where our technologies come in to provide that balancing power.”

The shift in the fuel types seen in the maritime industry will also be seen in the energy markets, where gas fuelled engines designed to provide load balancing for intermittent wind or PV energy will eventually be powered by green fuels.

Mr. Agnevall is insistent that the market opportunity for such gas-fuelled generation capacity is already emerging. “If you look at the [growth in] renewables, it's starting to happen in continental Europe, and in North America.” The potential phase out of coal in the energy mix of some countries over

‘‘

I will also say that in many industrial companies, th e ESG agenda is driving industrial customers to formulate their decarbonisation targets

the coming years would create greater market opportunities, as grid volatility is likely to increase as renewables are introduced in higher and higher proportions.

A multifuel future Returning to the maritime market, Mr. Agnevall notes that there is unlikely to be any rapid shift away from fossil fuels in the short to medium term, adding that it had taken 20 years for the penetration of LNG to reach 2% of the global fleet. “In fact, you need to acknowledge that HSFO and LNG will remain part of the fuel mix for decades to come.”

The upcoming era will see the market change from one in which two main fuels, fuel oil and LNG, predominate to one in which there will be a number of different solutions. The likely introduction of greener variants of existing fuels, including bio-methane, would also need to be factored in.

“We expect the proportion [of such drop-in fuels] to increase in the maritime industry, just as it is doing in the automotive market”.

Mr. Agnevall notes that the optimal solution for different customers would vary depending on vessel-specific and owner-specific factors, as well as regional variations. “We’d recommend that customers engage with us at early stage in projects, particularly as our wide range of products and expertise makes us an interesting partner.”

Mr. Agnevall notes that colleagues report a significant shift in customer dialogue, even within the past 12 to 24 months, as decisions that were previously the responsibility of the technical department are escalated to board level. “These decisions are highly strategic, as you don’t want to run the risk of being stuck with stranded assets if you are investing significant amounts of capital over a 25-30 year time frame.

That’s a vessel lifetime.”

Mr. Agnevall cites a recent contract to supply auxiliary

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 President and CEO of Wärtsilä Håkan Agnevall: “In my view, more is going to happen in the maritime sector, and also the energy sector, quite frankly, over the coming decade, than in the preceding 30 to 40 years."

JANUARY 2022 | 15

EMISSIONS ABATEMENT

‘‘

engines, the fuel gas supply system, and associated control systems for a series of 13,000 and 15,000 TEU newbuildings ordered on behalf of CMA CGM, as indicative of the range of products that Wärtsilä could offer advice on.

Solutions for a multi-fuel future Turning to the alternative fuels, Mr. Agnevall noted that future decisions were likely to be affected by regulatory decisions around carbon taxation, for example, but were also likely to be affected by decisions taken in other areas of the energy complex. The path dependencies of decisions taken in other sectors would inevitably affect the future demand for ammonia, for example.

“Another element is fuel availability, which will be triggered by different energy availability and regional energy cost differentials. So, it is a very complex equation.”

One particular response is likely to be an increase in demand for fuel flexibility. The Motorship reported on Wärtsilä’s research project into a cryogenic LNG fuel injection solution in December 2021, which is expected to form part of a trial project to test a multi-fuel combustion solution for 2-stroke engines aboard an MSC vessel by 2023. “That is a fantastic solution. We are really, really excited. I think we can a big difference here. You think you've seen everything and then something happens which is very exciting.”

The other element is fuel efficiency. “For Wärtsilä, [energy efficiency] is nothing new, it's part of our DNA, but it will be even more important going forward because independent analysts expect the cost of green fuels to be between two and four times higher than fossil fuels. So that will drive even further focus and fuel efficiency.”

The drive towards fuel efficiency is also likely to increase interest in some of the alternative propulsion solutions that Wärtsilä is developing. The Motorship reported on Wärtsilä’s activity in developing battery-hybrid solutions for deep-sea vessels in December 2021.

Alternative fuel solutions Turning to technology development work in the field of alternative fuels, Agnevall notes that Wärtsilä has been “fairly open” about its development targets. The company has a long track record of developing solutions and is ready for the arrival of carbon-neutral fuels.

The latest product development schedule remains that a new methanol-fuelled engine concept will be launched in 2023. “In fact, if you use bio-methane, you can run our engines in a fuel-efficient way already today,” Agnevall adds.

“But we are also looking at the next step in the zero carbon fuels field, which includes ammonia and different types of hydrogen blends, assuming that you use green electricity in their production.”

16 | JANUARY 2022

Credit: Christoffer Björklund

or Wärtsilä, [energy F efficiency] is nothing new, it's part of our DNA, but it will be even more important going forward because independent analysts expect the cost of green fuels to be between two and four times higher than fossil fuels. So that will drive even further focus and fuel efficiency

The company plans to launch a technical concept for ammonia in 2023. Turning to hydrogen, Mr. Agnevall notes that Wärtsilä will deliver a concept for the operation of a combustion engine on 100% pure hydrogen in 2025. The company’s dual-fuel engines are already capable of operating on methane/hydrogen blends, with concentrations of hydrogen of up to 15-25%. “We are not unique in that respect”.

However, Mr. Agnevall emphasises during the interview that while the combustion technology will be commercialised as alternative fuels enter the fuel mix, the greater uncertainty surrounds fuel availability. “This is a major part of the equation that needs to be put in place. The availability of all this green fuel is quite a complex topic,” he says drily.

8 In addition to plans to launch a technical concept for ammonia in 2023, Wärtsilä will deliver a concept for the operation of a combustion engine on 100% pure hydrogen in 2025

Smart Technology Hub Agnevall concludes the interview by briefly outlining the company’s investments in the development of collaborative working spaces with customers and suppliers at the company’s Vasa campus.

“It's probably the most significant investment we've ever made in Wärtsilä. It means new factory, new plant and all those physical [investments] but it's also an attempt to open up and transform the way we work together.”

The concept owes something to the collaborative working model that has been pioneered by developers in the technology sphere.

The co-location of teams is partly intended to foster greater innovation, both between existing suppliers and customers, and also help to focus and maximise the output from the company’s core R&D. “If you want to be world class, and you need to be world class, you cannot expect to be world class in all technologies.”

There are also expected to be particular advantages for Wärtsilä as it seeks to partner up with outside specialists in some of the upcoming areas that will significantly alter the industry over the coming decade. “We intend to focus on our in-house core technologies, and then we partner up with other technology providers to marinise their technology, while also [leveraging our] capability to provide services.”

The new open development approach being pioneered at the Smart Technology Campus is expected to eventually lead to more aggressive product development cycles for both software and hardware solutions. “One of the things we need in this era of transformation is to accelerate the development of products for the new fuels,” Agnevall says, adding that the distinct market opportunity is evolving very quickly. The new campus is expected to open before the end of 2022, Mr. Agnevall concludes.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

EMISSIONS ABATEMENT

NEW METHANE SLIP TECHNOLOGY EXPECTED ON MOL COAL CARRIER BY THE END OF 2023 8 Yanmar’s 6EY22ALDF dual fuel engine

to oxidise the slipped methane for the application.

The company has been supplying NOx removal catalysts and NOx removal systems for over 50 years and has been providing marine engine technology since 2015.

In June 2021, MOL announced plans for achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050. It plans to launch about 90 LNG-fuelled vessels by 2030. In August 2021, the company announced an order for four 7,000-unit capacity LNG-fuelled car carriers.

That followed a July 2021 announcement of the signing of a long-term contract with JFE Steel Corporation for long-term transport using an LNG-fuelled bulk carrier.

Source: Yanmar

Hitachi Zosen, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Yanmar Power Technology are cooperating on engine and catalyst developments to reduce methane slip from LNG fuelled vessels.

The resulting system will be installed in a 94,000dwt coal carrier built by Namura Shipbuilding and operated by MOL. The vessel, powered by three Yanmar 6EY22ALDF gensets, is scheduled to enter service at the end of 2023, and technology demonstrations will be conducted between 2024 and 2026.

The transport agreement for what will be one of the world’s first LNG-fuelled large coal carriers was signed in December 2019 with Kyushu Electric Power.

The project is supported by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund. The partners aim to achieve a methane slip reduction rate of more than 70% less than current engine technology. The reduction will be achieved by combining methane oxidation catalysts

and engine improvements. The engine improvements will be carried out Yanmar’s four stroke medium speed dual-fuel engine, and the company plans to optimise the air-fuel ratio to reduce methane slip into the exhaust gas from engine outlet.

Hitachi Zosen is developing a new catalyst

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18/01/2022 09:54

JANUARY 2022 | 17

EMISSIONS ABATEMENT

MENENS CONSORTIUM TO ASSESS CH3OH COMBUSTION TECHNIQUES The 22 partners in the consortium represent the complete Dutch maritime sector, including Royal Wagenborg, Damen Global Support, Damen Workboats, C-Job & Partners, MARIN, TNO, Delft University of Technology, RH Marine Netherlands, Bakker Sliedrecht, IHC Holland, De Voogt Naval Architects, Boskalis, Van Oord, EST-Floattech, Wärtsilä Netherlands, ArenaRed, Van Oossanen Naval Architects, Discom, MSN, Verenigde Tankrederij, Thecla Bodewes Shipyards and DC Systems.

The goal of the MENENS project is to reduce emissions from shipping through the development and use of methanol fuel systems. These include the applied and fundamental research into methanol engine technology, methanol reforming for fuel cells, and the integration of methanol engines, fuel cells and batteries in DC systems and in ships.

The consortium will also retrofit two different vessel types to test the viability of methanol fuel systems, including Fugro’s diesel-electric survey vessel, Fugro Pioneer. The vessel will be retrofitted to operate on methanol from 2023.

The consortium will study six different future use cases with different operational profiles, including inland workboats, towing vessels, mega yachts, offshore work vessels, short sea cargo vessels and dredgers. By 2030, there should already be 30 zero-emission ships in operation.

Methanol combustion research Among the project participants is ArenaRed, which has previously commercialised innovative combustion technologies. The Motorship reported in October 2020 about ArenaRed’s reactively controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engine conversion of a Caterpillar 3512 engine on board Deen Shipping’s MTS Argonon.

RCCI technology is a variant of Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) that uses in-cylinder fuel blending by first injecting a low reactivity fuel such as natural gas, methanol or hydrogen combined with air and recirculated exhaust gases followed by injection of a high reactivity fuel such as biodiesel directly into the combustion chamber.

The technology’s attraction is clear: Paul Nooijen of ArenaRed noted that the RCCI engine retrofit could deliver up to around a third more power, while generating further energy efficiencies at the time.

However, the technology is more complex and harder to control. The Motorship notes that RCCI combustion increases the number of control parameters that need to be controlled independently and calibrated compared to a traditional combustion engine, requiring the development of modelbased controls.

Interestingly, a project team within Delft TU will focus on the development of a validated model of a methanol-fuelled engine. The development work will take place at the engine lab of the Netherlands Defence Academy in Den Helder. The model will assess the direct injection of methanol in the

18 | JANUARY 2022

Image: ArenaRed

MENENS – Methanol as an Energy Step Towards Zero-Emission Dutch Shipping, has been granted funding of EUR24 million (US$27.4m) by the government of the Netherlands as part of three awards to its R&D Mobility (RDM) scheme. The project has a total research budget of approximately EUR38m

8 The Menen’s consortium includes ArenaRed, which concluded a first commercial RCCI retrofit (pictured) in 2020

cylinder of a compression ignition 4-stroke medium speed engine, evaluating various injection methods, as well as the effect of injection location, injection timing and evaporation variation, as well as ignition timing, on engine performance and the trade-off between efficiency, combustion stability and emissions.

Previous research projects identified comparatively lower combustion efficiency at low engine loads, which resulted in increases in environmental emissions.

Methanol energy systems The developed methanol engine model will be used in cooperation with other researchers in the TU Delft team and with MARIN to predict the behaviour of the energy system as a whole and develop design and control strategies for the methanol energy system.

For this, the physical scaled zero lab and the virtual zero lab of MARIN will be used. Moreover, full scale system behaviour of electrical propulsion can be validated in the Fugro field lab and full scale system behaviour of mechanical propulsion can be validated in the Wagenborg fieldlab. This will then result in accurate prediction and digital twins, including design and control methodologies for the behaviour of energy systems.

One research theme within the project will be the validation and deployment of DC power networks, with the intention of improving energy efficiency by reducing losses and compensating for operational negative effects, such as latency when engines are operated on methanol. One potential solution being evaluated by Bakker Sliedrecht is the use of batteries or super capacitors to compensate for this.

The same is valid when fuel cells running on methanol will be used as the main source of power. They run on DC-power and therefore the entire power plant on board will be designed as a DC network.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

EMISSIONS ABATEMENT

BLACK CARBON MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES CONSISTENT OVER RANGE OF FUELS defined to improve consistency amongst the readings. They also note that a lack of universally agreed black carbon reference material and methods could complicate regulation development.

Credit: Wikimedia

The IMO is considering three techniques for measuring black carbon ahead of setting exhaust emission limits: photoacoustic spectroscopy, laser-induced incandescence and filter smoke number. Each of the methods varies in how it is impacted by particle size, filter fibres, aerosols, brown carbon, sulphur, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other pollutants.

Researchers from Finland and France evaluated the three methods and found that in most cases the standard deviation between instruments was low (5-15%) for a range of different exhaust compositions.

Measurements were taken onboard a ship from two modern medium-speed diesel engines burning 0.6% sulphur and 0.1% sulphur, one engine had a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and SOx scrubber and one had only a scrubber. In the laboratory, a medium speed engine was tested with three different fossil fuels and a fuel with a 30% blend of biofuel fatty acid. A modern highspeed diesel engine was also tested with two sulphur-free fuels.

8 Under the microscope: researchers have been investigating different methods for measuring black carbon

The researchers note that some differences could be attributed to the exhaust composition, and they propose that calibration methods and correction factors could be

A significant pollutant Black carbon particles contribute to global warming, and they are also an air pollutant that can contribute to heart and lung disease.

A global shipping emissions inventory conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation in 2017 found that black carbon accounted for more than 20% of CO2 equivalent emissions from ships over a 20-year timeframe.

Distillate fuels reduce black carbon emissions by 33% compared to heavy fuel oil, biodiesel and methanol reduce black carbon emissions by 55-75%, and LNG emits virtually zero black carbon. Alternatively, ships can remove black carbon from exhaust using diesel particulate filters or electrostatic precipitators, each of which reduce black carbon by more than 90%.

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20/01/2022 15:50

JANUARY 2022 | 19

IT & AUTOMATION

FULLY AUTONOMOUS SHIP NAVIGATION SYSTEMS TESTED ON JAPANESE FERRY

‘‘

his was the world’s first T fully autonomous ship navigation of a large vessel of over 200 meters in length with a maximum running speed of 26 knots, other ships even in darkness, a SUPER BRIDGE-X automated ship navigation system that includes an automated avoidance function, and an advanced automated port berthing/unberthing operation system that can perform turning and reversing movements that are difficult for manned vessels.

As one of the biggest issues for a fully automated vessel is fault prediction, an enhanced engine monitoring technologies that monitors motor conditions was also tested. The project

Source: Nippon Foundation

The Nippon Foundation, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, and Shin Nihonkai Ferry Company have successfully completed a demonstration test of the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a large car ferry.

The voyage was conducted on the Iyonada Sea on January 17 and was part of MEGURI 2040, a project promoting the development of fully autonomous vessels supported by The Nippon Foundation.

The newly built Soleil began navigating with an onboard crew on July 1, 2021, compiling data for the development of a fully autonomous ship navigation system. In the January test, the 222-meter ferry underwent autonomous port berthing and unberthing using turning and reversing movements and high-speed navigation of up to 26 knots. The 240-kilometre route from Shinmoji (Northern Kyushu) to Iyonada took approximately seven hours, at a maximum speed of 26 knots.

The vessel was equipped with a high-precision sensor image analysis system with infrared cameras that can detect

is developing various other technologies essential to the promotion of fully autonomous navigation, including platforms for advanced data security to protect the navigation data used for onshore monitoring and support.

The Nippon Foundation launched the MEGURI 2040 fully autonomous ship navigation project in February 2020 and will be demonstrating their fully autonomous navigation system concepts from January to March 2022.

“This was the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation of a large vessel of over 200 meters in length with a maximum running speed of 26 knots,” said Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation. “I hope this will lead to further development toward practical use. There are still many issues to be resolved, however, and I believe today’s results will be a guide toward the creation of international rules for fully autonomous vessels.”

8 The Soleil ferry during the fully autonomous ship navigation systems demonstration test

ABB adds digital analytics feature to turbochargers ABB Turbocharging is bringing the benefits of propulsion digitalization to the shipping industry with the introduction of Turbo Insights, a new analysis feature that provides indications for performance optimisation, fuel savings and CO2 emission reductions potential.

The new data analysis feature offers insights based on operational data received from the vessel, at no additional cost or need for additional hardware onboard.

The capability is bring supplied as a standard feature on all two-stroke A100-L and A200-L turbochargers from January 2022 and will provide simple visual indicators of the turbochargers’ performance levels, both for individual vessels and entire fleets.

Available for data connected vessels,

20 | JANUARY 2022

Turbo Insights offers remote 24/7 access to turbocharger operations, in a numeric and visualised way via an online customer portal.

With this, ship owners and operators will have access to turbocharger performance at their fingertips. In addition, they will be able to see at a glance their engine health status, total optimisation, fuel saving and CO2 emissions reduction potential.

Alexandros Karamitsos, Head of Global Sales Low-Speed Turbochargers, ABB said: “Traditionally, the turbocharger and engine have been seen as a black box where ship owners and operators do not have full visibility to their performance. With Turbo Insights we are now able to provide performance insights in a transparent data driven way.

Recording and analysis These insights will allow the recording and analysis of operating performance from running hour zero. This enables an important “benchmark” to be established for assessing the turbocharger’s performance as running hours accumulate throughout its entire lifecycle.

Visual indicators Presented as simple visual indicators, ship owner and operators can now easily see how well their turbochargers are performing, and if everything is operating as it should.

This can be particularly handy for newbuildings starting from sea trial and during the warranty period of the vessel.”

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

IT & AUTOMATION

FINCANTIERI BUILDS BROADER BUSINESS PLATFORM The turnaround in financial results for the first half of 2021, after the disruption to markets and operations wrought by the onset of the pandemic, has given succour to a multi-faceted business development strategy. A central pillar of the group’s approach is the sustenance of largescale resourcing of R&D. Moreover, a long-term mindset is expressed in the fact that capital expenditure over the first six months of last year was nearly one-third higher than the corresponding period of 2020.

Sustaining very high levels of revenue plough-back into the business is perhaps a mark of majority ownership by the state, which in this case clearly has a commitment to retaining and nurturing the industrial foundation and technological knowledge base in the long-term, rather than simply pursuing short-term socio-economic goals. The group currently controls 18 shipyards in Italy, Norway, Romania, the USA, Vietnam and Brazil, plus other subsidiaries around the world, but it maintains its know-how and management centres in Italy, where half its direct employment of 20,000 globally is concentrated.

While reinvestment in the international network of yards remains a priority, the group has leveraged know-how developed in shipbuilding and engineering to establish positions in the transport infrastructure, electronics, security and telecommunication fields, and more recently in healthcare infrastructure. This process is continuing apace, expanding the portfolio and spheres of influence, abetted by specialised company acquisitions and partnerships.

Diversification strategy The diversification strategy has seemingly been unfettered by the health emergency. Among initiatives during the opening six months of last year, for instance, a cooperation agreement was entered into with energy solutions company ENEL X for the construction and management of low environmental impact, port electrical infrastructure schemes, embracing the provision of shoreside power to docked ships.

Diversification into areas where there is a relationship to the group’s core, marine business sectors is also exemplified by a contract with the MSC Group’s cruise division to build a large-scale cruise terminal in the port of Miami. The facilities will accommodate the operator’s largest newbuilds, including vessels ordered from Fincantieri, and are due to be opened in 2023.

Moreover, a new joint venture company was formed

‘‘

he aim is to reduce lead T times and increase production efficiency, and resulting systems will initially be used in Group shipyards

Credit: Fincantieri

Steadfast in its policy of strengthening core shipbuilding activities while drawing on technological and project management skills for diversification into other industrial sectors, Fincantieri’s global influence has continued to grow notwithstanding the intensity of oriental competition.

in May 2021 with energy storage system specialist Faist Electronics to produce lithium-ion batteries. The new enterprise, Power4Future, is mainly targeted at automotive, telecommunication and industrial markets, although the partners also see opportunities for maritime applications.

With the engineering, project management and project integration skills acquired through shipbuilding, and notably in complex passengership, special-purpose vessel and naval newbuilds, the group has entered new industrial sectors with high value-added and high technological content. To that end, a key aim is to continue raising the profile in digital solutions, which offer immediate possibilities for raising efficiency in the group’s existing production processes while extending the business scope into other areas.

The vehicle for developing and supplying products, solutions and services in the fields of electronics, advanced systems engineering and information technology is Fincantieri NexTech, formerly Insis. A recent example of follow-through of the plan was the letter of intent signed with the Turin industrial automation firm Consorzio Macchine Utensili (Comau) to develop prototype robotic solutions for steel welding. The aim is to reduce lead times and increase production efficiency, and resulting systems will initially be used in Group shipyards. Once proven in a shipbuilding environment, the scope will be explored in fields such as the production of large steel elements for bridges, hoisting systems, and infrastructure.

Testing of a machine that combines an anthropomorphic (human-like) welding robot and a remote-controlled, tracked vehicle, denoting the first joint project with Comau, is due to take place in the coming months.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 Italian industrial fabric: Fincantieri’s Genoa-Sestri yard

JANUARY 2022 | 21

IT & AUTOMATION

Digital decision intelligence platform Most recently, and underscoring the bid for ever-higher levels of technological sophistication, Fincantieri has announced a plan to create a digital decision intelligence platform within 2022. This would rank as the first of its kind in Italy.

The key dependency in Fincantieri’s commercial shipbuilding activities on the cruiseship market, so severely affected by the pandemic, has been a test of the organisation’s mettle. While the extensive workload already in hand offered a cushion, it is significant that not a single contract, for a cruise vessel or any other newbuild, has been cancelled since the start of the health crisis. The shipbuilder has maintained continuous dialogue with customers during this period, providing extended payment terms to client cruise companies, thereby protecting the orderbook.

By the end of June 2021, the total backlog of commercial and naval work throughout the 18 yards at home and abroad stood at 111 vessels worth EUR 37bn ($42bn), equivalent to about seven times the 2020 revenues. This comprised 93 firmly-ordered vessels for delivery up to 2029, valued at EUR 27.6bn ($31.4bn), plus a “soft backlog”, representing provisional contracts and options, worth EUR 9.4bn ($10.7bn).

Production volume ramped-up steeply during the 2021 firsthalf, with 8.4m hours worked relative to 5.6m for the JanuaryJune 2020 period.

At present, one in every two cruise ship newbuilds worldwide is being produced by Fincantieri. In support of an anticipated increase in business, investment plans have been set in train for two of the Italian yards, Monfalcone and Venice-Marghera, both focused on cruiseship construction.

Furthermore, new expenditure has been allotted to means of fostering closer integration between all group yards engaged in cruise vessel production, encompassing Fincantieri’s shipyards throughout Italy and those of Norwegian subsidiary VARD in Romania.

Capital expenditure initiatives also embrace the development of shipyard information and management systems, and the installation of an integrated system for ship design (CAD) and product lifecycle management (PLM). The digitalisation strategy is expressed in the strengthening of the introduction of Industry 4.0 principles into shipbuilding, utilising artificial intelligence (AI), automation, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR) and other technological means, as well as in the implementation of robotic process automation tools and advanced analysis/reporting systems.

While LNG dual-fuel installations figure in the forward cruiseship newbuild programme, Fincantieri has taken an important step towards a new, environmentally-led stage in vessel powering through a memorandum of understanding with the MSC Group and Italian energy company SNAM. This entails a feasibility study into the design and construction of a hydrogen-fuelled cruise ship, which would be a world first, allowing zero emission operation in specific navigation areas.

The study addresses the ship design arrangement to accommodate H2 technologies and fuel cells, technical parameters of onboard systems, calculation of potential

22 | JANUARY 2022

Credit: Comau

Another new initiative is an agreement with the Italian ICT specialist Almaviva to support the digitilisation process in the transport and logistics sector, promoting a sustainable mobility system. The partnership also aims to develop applications for transport safety and predictive maintenance, using artificial intelligence and the digital twin concept.

Fincantieri NexTech is also aligned with IBM and Autostrada Tech in realising a new-generation system for monitoring motorway infrastructure and safety.

‘‘

Another new initiative is an agreement with the Italian ICT specialist Almaviva to support the digitilisation process in the transport and logistics sector, promoting a sustainable mobility system

8 Tests related to the development of an anthropomorphic steel-welding robot are scheduled at Fincantieri shipyards in the first half of 2022

greenhouse gas (GHG) savings, and analysis of hydrogen supply, storage and bunkering infrastructure.

Corporate tracking towards a low-emission, ultimately a zero-emission future, has seen Fincantieri implement construction at its Castellammare di Stabia yard, near Naples, of an experimental oceanographic research vessel equipped with hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, backed up conventional gensets.

Co-financed by Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development, the 25m prototype Zeus is the outcome of a project conducted with the National Research Council, classification society RINA, and three Italian universities. The system architecture enables propulsion in four different modes. Zero-noise operating mode is realised through powering of the propeller using only the lithium batteries, zero-emission sailing is achieved by engaging fuel cells and batteries, while the two other modes use the diesel generator sets with or without battery charging. Fincantieri SI was responsible for the design, engineering and supply of the integrated power and energy system.

Although Fincantieri’s bid to secure a majority shareholding in premier French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique did not go ahead, having fallen foul of European anti-cartel rules, the Italian conglomerate is central to the consolidation process in Europe’s naval shipbuilding sector through a joint venture with Naval Group of France. The joint enterprise, Naviris, is entrusted with providing oversight of export initiatives and cooperation programmes for surface warships as well as R&D projects.

European collaboration has now been taken a stage further by way of the Naviris involvement with Navantia of Spain for the development of a new platform dubbed the European Patrol Corvette. Fincantieri is coordinating the programme, which involves France and Greece as well as Italy and Spain.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

IT & AUTOMATION

AI & VESSEL OPERATIONS: USING DATA TO DRIVE OPERATIONS Understanding vessel operations has traditionally relied on the ability of technical superintendents and fleet managers to gather data from multiple sources and present it in a logical format. Data sources are many ranging from status of ship’s equipment to weather conditions and each has an impact on environmental, operational or commercial compliance.

While the industry will continue to rely on experienced people, and indeed such personnel will be key to the development of a digitalised shipping industry, the evolution of technology means that the efficiency of onboard processes can be improved to reduce manual effort to a minimum. This will permit the focus of the crew and shoreside teams to shift to higher order decision-making informed by data.

The operational risks for a vessel are dynamic, with impacts based principally on safety, compliance, structural/ machinery health, commercial performance and external factors such as weather conditions. Each of these factors is complex and intertwined. The continuously emerging regulatory requirements for decarbonisation such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), will create a convergence between environmental compliance and commercial performance.

In addition to the traditional communication between owners, managers and charterers, an ever-expanding group of stakeholders is interested in gaining access to vessel performance insights.

A digital transition This transition is moving the industry towards digitalization, through fleet management software with business intelligence increasingly monitoring the vessel and able to quickly tell the user what’s going on in terms of asset status and health as well as commercial and technical performance.

The advantage this conveys is that the information can be centralised and presented so that authorized parties - fleet managers, charterers, and the C-Suite - can easily find the answers they need.

With the next generation of fleet management relying on increased use of data and analytics, it makes sense to explore new ways of accessing and presenting that data. When ABS designed its My Digital Fleet™ platform, user experience was put at the centre of the process.

One of the logical next additions was to enable a greater range of stakeholders to query and receive insights on vessel status against any known parameter. To do this required technology that all types of users - regardless of their operational or commercial expertise - could work with but that would provide reliable information.

ABS recently integrated a chatbot feature into its ABS My Digital Fleet platform which functions as a conversational, self-service ‘assistant,’ incorporating AI that applies natural language processing to redefine how users consume data and make decisions based on actionable business intelligence.

For a non-technical user, it is possible to simply type or

Credit: Yellow.AI

The use of AI-enabled voice and chatbots will deliver insights to a wider range of maritime stakeholders and make data-driven decision making the norm, says Smarty Mathew John, Vice President, Digital Solutions, ABS

speak questions that the ‘virtual fleet manager’ can retrieve and articulate back – essentially eliminating the need to search for answers to critical questions from multiple sources such as: l Which vessels are not meeting charter party requirements? l Which vessels have non-functioning critical equipment? l How do I optimize my route for decarbonization goals? l Where can I find my lowest cost bunker fuel during the voyage? l Whatare the core fuel consumption, CII and performance trends for a specific asset, fleet or trade route/vessel? l How much fuel can I save by operating on a single generator while the vessel is at anchor?

Further insights can be provided as the machine learning engine is fed with more data and can extrapolate findings on a fleet level; there are many opportunities to augment decision making as the platform develops.

An Emerging Technology Conversational AI has evolved to the point where it will recognise any accent or language. Document cognition means it can read reports, understand and present their implications and even recommend insights where it would previously not have been possible to parse and present granular data.

The virtual agents can be trained to think like a charterer, shipmanager or an owner, depending on which user logs in; the background process will respond to their needs and deliver specific insights.

Relatively simple choices can predefine how data is

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 A rise in hyperautomation, or the automation of business and IT processes, is among the conversation AI advances anticipated by chatbot technology developer Yellow.AI

JANUARY 2022 | 23

charted and displayed, and more complex programming enables users to adapt the inputs to what they want to see.

For example, vessel performance can be a question of fuel consumption versus speed over ground or speed/power loss versus time, in which case the virtual agent understands the input and displays the information dynamically.

One of the main advantages is that the AI is not limited to what one single application can do. It is possible to pose telling questions, tie them to other parameters and do a deeper dive to gain the required insights. The only limitation is the amount and quality of data that has been ingested by the AI. The addition of AI to My Digital Fleet is the result of an alliance with Yellow.ai through ABS’ approach to tracking emerging technology trends and identifying innovative startups with unique capabilities that add value to users. The ABS My Digital Fleet Alliance Program is designed to nurture an ecosystem of trusted intelligence and technology providers enabling integrated insights for clients on one unified platform.

The working process with Yellow.ai was firmly grounded in addressing the needs of clients and market need. Yellow.ai has a track record in the conversational AI space; previous projects include producing a virtual agent for Microsoft, to which the company is also a partner.

Making a positive difference The maritime industry has ambitious use cases for AI, focused initially on applications where there is a high level of confidence in the data quality. ABS believes using AI in general can make a positive difference to vessel OpEx and ultimately to charter earnings. The industry has not been necessarily ready until now to treat data presented on screen as if it had been supplied by a person with a same level of trust.

AI is the next stage of evolution in using data to augment

Credit: ABS

IT & AUTOMATION

8 Smarty Mathew John, vice president of Digital Solutions at ABS

the crew and shoreside teams to make better informed decisions; that trust must be built up over time through practical use cases where value can be proven.

The maritime industry’s transition to more sophisticated ways of obtaining and managing information is moving shipping towards digital solutions that can increase the time-to-value for obtaining critical vessel status and related insights. The advantage this provides is that the information can be centralized and presented so that authorized parties - from crew to C-suite - can easily find the answers they need.

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08/05/2019 09:14

IT & AUTOMATION

KONGSBERG’S MODULAR AMMONIA-READY FEEDER DESIGN Kongsberg Maritime has produced an open top dual-fuel 2,000 TEU Kielmax container feeder design concept with modular cell guides that the company says offers significant efficiencies in bulk cargo transportation The future-proofed Kielmax design has been produced

by Kongsberg Maritime to meet the demands of meeting fuel x efficiency targets. The energy efficient design concept is estimated to exceed the A-rating threshold for CII by a margin of 35%.

While the rating is based on the use of wind-assisted propulsion for a vessel operating on LNG, further reductions may be possible in the future. Kongsberg Maritime has been following the class rules for future-ready fuels during the design process, and the dual-fuel vessel design has been designed with future fuel flexibility in mind.

A Kongsberg spokesman confirmed that market interest in the modular feeder design had already progressed further, with more detailed design ongoing for the 2,000 TEU ship. Some shipowners had also expressed interest in design variants with different container intake capacity, the spokesman added.

Ammonia-ready The new ammonia-ready Kielmax design employs a dualfuel MAN Energy Solutions main mover. A six-cylinder model of the G60ME-C10.5-GI design provides the propulsive power, at a stipulated output of 13,000kW. Meanwhile, two of the three gensets are driven by four-stroke dual-fuel engines rated at 1,770kW. A third auxiliary diesel engine is rated at 1,140kW. The nominated engine will use high-pressure selective catalytic reduction (HP-SCR) technology, thereby ensuring compliance with IMO Tier III NOx criteria, and the vessel will also meet the latest SOx emission requirements.

Future fuel optionality considerations have also influenced the selection of the vessel’s two integrated Type-C LNG fuel tanks. They will be capable of storing ammonia as a fuel without modification. The Motorship notes that MAN Energy Solutions is expected to introduce an ammonia conversion solution to market by 2025 to enable the high pressure two-stroke engine to be converted to operation on ammonia as a fuel.

The auxiliaries are complemented by a shaft generator, with a 3.1MW capacity in power take-off (PTO) mode. The use of PTO will permit the use of the dual-fuel four-stroke auxiliary engines to be optimised, lowering emissions and producing fuel savings of up to 12%. The shaft generator/ motor will also be able to act in a power take-in (PTI) mode.

The vessel will also feature two Flettner rotors, which will lower fuel consumption by around 5% on average.

The modular design of the vessel will permit the installation of additional fuel storage, along with any other future innovations. The solutions can be located below the container stacks without lowering the vessel’s cargo capacity, as the maximum height of the container stacks is dictated by the container strength, rather than capacity.

The vessel is also designed with future flexibility if regulations require zero-emission in seaways close to populated areas: this solution could be upgraded to make sheltered voyages such as the Kiel Canal transit possible on

battery power alone. The containerised energy storage systems could be installed during the vessel’s operational life.

If the vessel added a battery pack, the PTO mode could perform a peak-shaving role and black-out prevention, while the PTI mode could confer hybrid propulsion using electrical power.

Digital solutions One of the most striking features of the design is the employment of an open design, which will eliminate the need for heavy cargo hatches. The design features a forward deckhouse to protect the cargo against green water coming into the ship, with tarpaulins to provide further protection for the containers, which will slot between tall cell guides. By utilising cell guides, the vessel will be able to offer faster loading and unloading times.

The vessel has been designed to take advantage of improvements in communications between vessels and shoreside teams. The digitally advanced container feeder design is also designed to allow the vessel to take advantage of evolving remote support and autonomous technologies while also integrating Kongsberg’s own solutions for automation, systems management and optimisation.

The vessel will use KM’s EcoAdvisor tool to optimise fuel use, maintenance, environment or safety, depending on the current operation. Meanwhile, the vessel is expected to incorporate Vessel Insight SaaS (software as a service) solution, its patented ship-to-cloud data infrastructure, is a key feature of the concept in terms of capturing, aggregating and securely transferring standardised, high-quality, vesselspecific data from the container feeder.

8 The concept design has been developed with future fuel flexibility in mind, as most of the fuel system components are modular, plug-andplay items which are easy to retrofit, upgrade and convert

MAIN PARTICULARS – 2000 TEU concept design Length overall 183.0m Length perpendicular 179.86m Breadth 32.5m Depth 16.5m Draught, scantling 9.0m Draught, design 8.0m

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

JANUARY 2022 | 25

IT & AUTOMATION

BUNKERING: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EFFICIENCY EQUATION A new IBIA survey will help quantify the potential reduction in quantity disputes if bunker licences were to include mass flow meter system requirements

allowed the majority of quantity disputes to go unchallenged, revealed that 35% of respondents left more than 50% of quantity challenges.

Only 17% of respondents reported bunkering disputes to the relevant authorities, according to the survey. This meant that port authorities themselves were likely to have an incomplete overview of the scale of the problem, The Motorship notes.

The commercial logic behind leaving disagreements over smaller volumes was self-evident, particularly where the charter rate of the vessel meant it would not be costeffective, Fish said.

A follow-up survey was expected to be launched by IBIA before the middle of February to gather a wider cross-section of responses. The Motorship notes that quantitative data about the frequency of quantity disputes could help to derive a base line to assess the potential reduction in disruption associated with the introduction of MFMS systems.

The tip of the iceberg?

While testing agencies regularly publish data around fuel quality issues, including data around ports and geographies, there is significantly less transparency about fuel quantity disputes. “These disputes tend to occur between buyers and sellers, typically,” Eddie Fish, Market Development Advisor, Aviation & Marine Fuels at ExxonMobil noted.

As a result, it has been challenging for ExxonMobil to obtain quantitative data about the frequency of fuel quantity disputes.

ExxonMobil commissioned a brief survey of readers within a bunkering focused maritime publication last year to assess how frequently its readers experienced quantity issues relating to bunkering, and how frequently these issues resulted in disputes.

While the sample size was too small for the survey to be statistically meaningful, the survey revealed that around half of respondents had frequent quantity disputes. A second question, relating to the proportion of respondents who

Aggregated reporting requirements Fish notes that beyond the direct financial implications of variations between documented and physical delivery volumes, inaccurate bunkering data would distort vessel efficiency calculations. “How accurate can an assessment of a vessel’s emissions really be… if you're already 5% out from the bunker ticket from the beginning?”

The improved transparency around bunker movements could also help suppliers to report their bunker volumes to port authorities faster.

The implications of variations in bunker delivery tickets are set to expand over the coming years, as regional and IMO regulations increasingly intend to incentivise energy efficiency through financial means. The IMO is considering introducing a financial element to the CII index from 2027, The Motorship notes, without discussing the potential implications for regional schemes, such as the EU’s Emissions Trading System, which will rely on declarations via the EU’s MRV system.

26 | JANUARY 2022

Credit: ExxonMobil

While the introduction of mass flow metering systems into the bunker market remains comparatively slow, outside Singapore which mandated the use of MFMS in 2017, ship owners and some trade bodies are continuing to push for their use.

Armelle Breneol, ExxonMobil’s Marine Fuels Technical Advisor, noted that interest in MFMS systems was not confined to larger sized vessels operating on time-sensitive schedules. “I’m aware of customers who are stipulating that fuel should only be delivered via MFMS systems,” Breneol told The Motorship, adding that operators of smaller-sized vessels were also expressing interest.

The advantages of using mass flow meters over existing methods of measuring stems include improved accuracy, to within a margin of +/-0.5%, as well as the elimination of potential causes of human error.

Errors can be introduced by human error during traditional tank dipping, or simply during the conversion of volume into mass, or by errors in measuring temperature or density.

Breneol added that ports, such as Singapore, that had introduced requirements for the use of mass flow metering systems had benefited from increased efficiency and shorter bunkering durations. “We can say that barges using massflow meters require 1-3 fewer hours to complete a bunkering operation than barges using free manual tank measurements,” Breneol said.

Aside from the operational efficiency gains, the use of mass flow metering systems also improves the transparency of fuel bunkering. The quantity can be simply read from a printed ticket that is attached to the BDN and any quantity disputes can be swiftly resolved by showing the delivery profile during the whole delivery timeline, Breneol adds.

There were additional benefits from an assurance perspective, as the calibration and security of the system’s pipelines could be independently certified.

8 ExxonMobil’s Fish notes that, aside from the direct cost implications, inaccurate bunkering data risks distorting vessel efficiency calculations

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

IT & AUTOMATION

TAKING A SYSTEMIC APPROACH TO DIGITALISATION Eero Lehtovaara has a unique vantage perspective on the current state of developments in the digitalisation field.

While Mr. Lehtovaara chairs One Sea, an industry alliance focused on the development of autonomous ships, and the EU research and development forum, the Waterborne Technology Platform, his responsibilities extend into other international forums.

He begins the interview by noting that the current expansion in digital tools had not been matched by an expansion in regulatory oversight over the sub-systems.

“Since [the tools] fall outside the regulatory framework, nobody checks on them… and they’re not really tested [operating together].” While the functionality of sub-systems is certified, Lehtovaara notes that there are currently guidelines in place to govern how products should operate if the way they are used is altered after installation, for example.

The related risk of how serious risks can emerge if different systems are not designed to interact with each other is more widely understood by the industry. From a navigational perspective, imperfect interaction between navigational systems contributed to the grounding of the Royal Majesty cruise liner close to Nantucket off the Maine coast in 1995.

However, there was also the simpler risk that by designing systems as silos, “we might be duplicating a lot of stuff on board, just because we want a certain information flow or certain sensor input, just within one setup, instead of sharing that fully”.

‘‘

we applied the design If principles of a system to any shape, whether it's uncrewed, or fully manual, and something in between, then we wouldn't be able to evaluate them in a different way The appropriate response, Lehtovaara noted, would be to see the entire ship as a self-contained system. “The ship should be designed, built and tested as a whole system, meaning that as within the system boundaries, one change in variable will affect the rest.”

Such a change would create an opportunity for classification societies to extend their quality verification services to all of these new digital technologies. Classification societies could off third-party quality assurance to reassure a ship owner that a product or service would do what was promised.

Lehtovaara went further, suggesting that the application of such a system analysis approach would also have potential applicability to some of the different levels of autonomy

Credit: ABB

Eero Lehtovaara, Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs at ABB Marine & Ports calls for greater collaboration within the industry to ensure regulatory alignment as the pace of technological development in the digitalisation space accelerates

identified in the IMO’s unfairly maligned Marine Autonomy Surface Ships (MASS) scoping exercise.

“If we applied the design principles of a system to any shape, whether it's uncrewed, or fully manual, and something in between, then we wouldn't be able to evaluate them in a different way.”

Autonomy However, Lehtovaara also noted that the application of ship as a system methodologies would also offer a potential solution to questions about defining the precise level of interaction between a human crew member and digital solutions.

“For me personally, I don’t think that the level of technology on board a ship is directly dependent on where you have the human in the loop. The technology will still need to be there, regardless of whether all those humans are on board or not, or where they are on board.”

Lehtovaara applies a similar pragmatic approach to legalistic arguments about the locus of control aboard a vessel for autonomous and semi-autonomous vessels. “As a basic principle, a human being is always going to be responsible, whether that's the owner, or the beneficial cargo owner, or even the captain or an operator,” Regulatory environment Turning to the international regulatory environment, Lehtovaara noted there was a broad consensus about the direction of travel within the international community. “I think that that, in reality, the big picture, we are quite aligned, and I don't see much politics there,” he said.

“I think that the largest differences are around expectations about the speed with which fully autonomous, autonomous uncrewed, and autonomous system will be introduced.”

Lehtovaara added that serious technology suppliers were working closely with the regulatory authorities, but notes

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 Eero Lehtovaara sees an increasing need for shipyards, OEMs, ship owners and ports to come together and share information.

“If we could understandthe issues confronting other parts of the sector and work together, that would help us respond, considering the sheer pace of technology development.”

JANUARY 2022| 27

IT & AUTOMATION

‘‘

Technical engagement However, Lehtovaara did note that there was scope for more detailed engagement within the industry itself, particularly as the range of solutions under development was continuing to proliferate.

He gave the concrete example of internal discussions within ABB itself about definitions of live, of immediate, and control, in the context of remotely operated systems.

“If we're talking about remote operations, I think that the ship needs to be almost fully autonomous to be able to be operated remotely. So, it needs to have certain technology qualities that ensures a certain level of autonomy for the ship that is operated because you cannot have live 100% control of everything on board.”

“Some of our software engineers offered a definition of live where you have control that is faster than 40 microseconds,” he said drily.

Lehtovaara noted that there was a need for wider industry agreement around such definitions as the scope of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems extends from the navigation department into the engineering domain.

The development of engine room solutions that stretch the boundary between monitoring and control was an area of interest.

“Where is the line between monitoring operations and operating? And what are the legal implications of [introducing solutions that cross the line]. I can see that that we will have some interesting discussions going further.”

Looking further ahead, Lehtovaara wondered whether some engineering functions could simply be transferred to the fleet control centre. Giving the hypothetical example of full-electric ferries operating on a short-sea route, such as the cross-Channel route between Calais and Dover, Lehtovaara wondered whether it might not be possible to locate the chief engineer role onshore.

“Would we actually need anybody in the engine room, if that was even what it was called without an engine, particularly as software control could just as easily be carried out from the fleet control centre.”

28 | JANUARY 2022

8 Eero Lehtovaara wondered whether wider industry agreement around the scope of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems was needed as remote engine room solutions stretch the boundary between monitoring and control

Credit: ABB

that there is scope for the engagement to deepen. We need to help the regulators to understand the technology so that they can ask the right questions before framing regulations.

This was particularly relevant as the pace of technological development was leading to a slight lag between technological solutions, and the introduction of a regulatory framework that can support new technologies.

Lehtovaara did recognise that the pace of consideration of regulatory developments varied, which was only natural considering the range of flag state, classification society and IMO stakeholders he was engaging with. “Although our primary focus is at the IMO level, and its constituent parts, I see a relevant role for other organisations. We’re working with the USCG, the EU and others, for example”.

Lehtovaara emphasised that transparency was likely to be the best approach to ensure that the regulatory environment would be open and continue to offer a level playing field for different market participants, as well as potential new entrants.

Credit: ABB

we're talking about If remote operations, I think that the ship needs to be almost fully autonomous to be able to be operated remotely

The interconnections between different systems that Lehtovaara described from a navigation perspective would also potentially benefit propulsion and auxiliary system solutions from a system-level perspective, although the exact layouts would vary between container ships, bulkers, drill ships and passenger vessels.

The need for such a system level approach might also offer a potential solution to another pressing issue confronting the community. The issue of how to ensure that different subsystems and solutions successfully operate with each other also has a temporal element, as new vessels entering the fleet at present may still be in service well after 2050.

Lehtovaara recognised that this issue is being considered by the leading classification societies, with a focus on developing an understanding of these complex systems.

Similar work is being undertaken at the IMO, while DG MOVE within the European Commission, are already starting to work on this, and how we should we work with it.

“But before we act, we need to be clear what we're talking about and how we should approach that. Which is what I meant when I said the dialogue between the various stakeholders is imperative. And it needs to be dynamic, it needs to be active is to happen with high frequency so that we all understand what we're doing.”

Industry collaboration Lehtovaara concluded by calling for the industry to come together and to share information.

“The big shipyards, equipment manufacturers, ship owners and ports, all need to look at the big picture together, because we all have our own issues. If we could understand the issues confronting other parts of the sector and work together, that would help us respond, considering the sheer pace of technology development.”

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE

NEW LNG TANK DESIGN SAVES SPACE ON BUNKERING VESSEL

Cedit: Titan LNG

Titan LNG has developed a new LNG tank design that overcomes regulatory limitations set for inland waterway vessels and will save space on the company’s latest bunker vessel newbuilding

The European code for carriage of dangerous goods sets a tank capacity limit of 1,000m3 per tank onboard bunkering barges. This has led to vessel designs with many small, relatively expensive tanks onboard. Continued market growth and the higher tank capacity of the global fleet of LNG-fuelled vessels is generating demand for more and larger bunker barges, challenging the efficiency of up-scaling vessel capacity under the code.

Titan LNG has developed an alternative way of complying with the code and maintaining safety standards by creating multiple 1,000m3 internal tank partitions within a single bilobed tank structure. The tanks take up less space than multiple cylinders, and the internal partitions maintain the equivalent structural integrity should tank damage occur.

Bunkering procedures and equipment are the same as for conventional inland waterway-compliant tanks.

The larger tank size has enabled the use of lighter and cheaper foam-insulated tanks instead of the vacuuminsulated pressure tanks that are more common in the <1,000cbm tank size range. The tank’s boil-off gas performance is the same as typical Type C tanks, as is its sloshing performance. As Type C tanks are designed for high vapour pressures, sloshing and slamming are rarely governing structural load cases.

Tank support requirements are similar to other Type C tanks, although tank domes are grouped together around a fixed support, allowing no lateral movement due to temperature variations. The resulting configuration has a central fixed support and two outer sliding supports.

Titan LNG has patented the design and technically validated it for a bi-lobe tank design, cooperating with HB Hunte Engineering to prove the structural feasibility of the tank.

A growing fleet The tank design has been included in Titan LNG’s LNGfuelled Hyperion inland waterway bunker vessel design series. At a total capacity of 8,000m3, the lead vessel’s length and breadth were reduced by 10-20% compared to the individual tank approach. Fuel consumption, steel weight, outfitting costs and overall environmental impact of constructing and operating the vessel were reduced by similar percentages. The resulting vessel lay-out, stability and dimensions are suitable for both inland and seagoing vessels.

Titan LNG’s current bunkering fleet includes the LNG bunker barges FlexFueler 001 and 002, each 76 meters long and 11.4 meters wide. The FlexFueler concept was developed in-house by Titan LNG and represents the first generation of LNG bunker assets tailor-made for the Antwerp-RotterdamAmsterdam area.

Titan Hyperion, 127.4 metres long and 19.5 meters wide, will target the market for LNG and bioLNG for larger ocean-going vessels in the region. Anticipated for delivery in 2023, the vessel will also serve as a mother ship refuelling the FlexFueler barges to achieve higher utilization of the fleet.

“In the design, we have incorporated four years of lessons learned from LNG bunkering, including the FlexFueler barges and the largest LNG bunkering transfers using small scale LNG carriers in the world,” said Ronald van Selm, CTO of Titan LNG. “Our design will enable Titan LNG to efficiently, safely, and cost effectively deliver larger parcels of the cleanest marine fuel. The Titan Hyperion will be ideal for servicing large tankers, cruise, container and offshore vessels.”

Titan LNG is adding a further bunkering barge to its fleet.

The 4,500cbm capacity Krios will operate in the Port of Zeebrugge and in English Channel ports from 2023. The low air draught, highly manoeuvrability vessel will operate with multiple cylindrical tanks to segregate streams of LNG and bio-LNG. Designed by HB Hunte Engineering, it is expected to be operational in 2023.

Titan LNG is the exclusive long-term off-taker of the bioLNG that will be produced from the Attero facility in Wilp in the Netherlands. Attero will produce 6 million Nm3 of biogas per year from domestic biowaste as part of the EU’s FirstBio2Shipping project. The biogas will be upgraded and liquefied into bio-LNG by Nordsol’s iLNG technology. This technology resolves various challenges in the production of small-scale LNG including: producing high quality bio-LNG (not containing contaminants); zero methane slip; and no high temperature demands in gas treatment technologies, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.

Attero and Nordsol anticipate producing 2,400 tons/year high-purity bio-LNG and 5,000 tons/year liquid bioCO2 from 2023. The produced bio-LNG will reduce GHG emissions by 92% compared to a conventional maritime fuel, representing more than 87,500 tCO2e net absolute emissions avoided during its first 10 years of operation.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 HB Hunte Engineering has cooperated with Titan LNG to prove the structural feasibility of the tank

JANUARY 2022| 29

SHIP DESCRIPTIONS

SWEDISH PRODUCT TANKER SETS NEW STANDARDS

Credit: Donsotank

Swedish owner Donsotank is introducing a new generation of hybrid-powered tanker to the European distributive traffic. The 25,300dwt Prospero, as the first of two IMO Type 2 sisters ordered in China from Wuhu Shipyard, represents an investment in more environmentallycompatible and energy-efficient transportation of oil products and petrochemicals

The tanker’s powering arrangements meld the latest type of dual-fuel, medium-speed main machinery with a permanent-magnet shaft generator, PTI capability, and plug-in battery pack.

Commercial management has been entrusted to the Gothenburg company Navix Maritime Chartering, putting a versatile trading asset at its disposal, with 14 coated tanks available for low-flashpoint chemical and petroleum product cargoes in up to seven segregations.

Overall cargo carrying capacity amounts to some 28,000m3, and Svanehoj deepwell pumps in each tank provide for a maximum outturn rate of 2,600m3 per hour, while the loading cycle can be made at 1,800m3 per hour.

The 167m design developed by the Swedish technical

‘‘

rospero adds to Wärtsilä’s P growing reference list for its 31-series medium-speed engine series, the selected unit being a 10-cylinder model of the LNG-capable, dual-fuel variant 30 | JANUARY 2022

consultancy FKAB is based on a proven, low-resistance F-Bow hull form, optimised for efficient sailing in harsh weather conditions and strengthened to 1A ice class standard. The lower flair and lower block along with a propeller bulb and pitch optimisation contributed to a 25% improvement on the hull lines of existing vessels in the fleet. The focus on improved hydrodynamic efficiency extended to the specification of a full-spade, full-twist leading edge rudder from MM Offshore. A wake-field and propeller slipstream analysis ensures maximum efficiency, minimal cavitation and therefore less noise at the aft end of the vessel.

The vessel’s designers told The Motorship in 2020 that the vessel was expected to achieve a 13-21% reduction in fuel consumption compared with a standard design, while the newbuilding’s CO₂ emissions were expected to be 55% lower than existing vessels in the fleet. Running on LNG, NOx emissions will be reduced by 89%, SOx emissions by 99% and particulates by 95%.

Prospero adds to Wärtsilä’s growing reference list for its 31-series medium-speed engine series, the selected unit being a 10-cylinder model of the LNG-capable, dual-fuel variant. The nominal maximum continuous output of the veetype machinery is 6,000kW at 750rpm, and drive is to a

8 Chinese-built Prospero, with funnel on deck for passage under Nanjing Bridge on the Yangtze

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

SHIP DESCRIPTIONS

‘‘

controllable pitch propeller through a reduction gearbox.

The LNG feed is from two storage tanks mounted forward on the weatherdeck, just abaft the covered fo’c’sle.

Two 1,480kW diesel gensets, based on Wärtsilä 8L20 engines, are equipped with the GESAB Catamiser, a combined unit for waste heat recovery and NOx reduction of exhaust gases to the IMO Tier III limit. The auxiliaries are complemented by a 1,500kW shaft generator and a 500kWh battery system provided by Corvus Energy which performs a peak-shaving role and black-out prevention. The vessel has been laid out for an energy storage system that could be extended up to 1,000kWh capacity.

Prospero adopts WE Tech’s variable-frequency drive technology and permanent-magnet shaft generator-cumelectric motor PTO/PTI setup. The solution allows nominal voltage and frequency output to be maintained from the shaft generator, feeding the ship’s electrical net, over the entire main engine operating range and at optimal duty points for all vessel speeds. The system reduces or obviates the need for diesel gensets to be run while under way. The selection of ancillary equipment has been made with one eye on minimising oil consumption, with electric options selected from THR Marine for the mooring and anchor winches.

The shore power connection can receive energy at 6.6kV, ensuring the requisite capacity for cargo discharge operations and battery charging. Cleaner electrical energy from the landside grid can thereby supplant shipboard generator usage. Furthermore, as WE Tech’s WE Drive conditions any available voltage and frequency, the tanker’s electrical system is unaffected by any differences between various national power grids when cold-ironing.

The connection point for the shore power connection has been located in the manifold area located centrally in the EX cargo handling zone to reduce cabling requirements and enable the ships’ cargo cranes to handle the cable lifting.

The location was specified during the design phase after consultation with the Port of Gothenburg, where a shore power station will be located centrally on the quay with approximately 50 meters of cable available.

The focus on Additionally, to reduce the need for oil, the THR Marine mooring and anchor winches are electric. This avoids the need for a lot of pipework and eliminates oil

‘‘

The selection of ancillary equipment has been made with one eye on minimising oil consumption, with electric options selected from THR Marine for the mooring and anchor winches

Credit: Wärtsilä

Two 1,480kW diesel gensets, based on Wärtsilä 8L20 engines, are equipped with the GESAB Catamiser, a combined unit for waste heat recovery and NOx reduction of exhaust gases to the IMO Tier III limit

leakage risks. The Wärtsilä stern tube has a water lubricated seal, and the vessels have a frequency controlled, fixed pitch Wärtsilä bow thruster.

The PTI function, whereby the shaft generator is energised by the auxiliary gensets to serve as a motor acting on the propulsion shaft, confers an auxiliary propulsion capability.

This enables main engine power to be supplemented when encountering difficult ice conditionsin the Baltic, and ensures safe return to port in the event of main machinery failure.

Demand-adjusted cooling water circuits, using the hullintegrated Hydroniq Rack seawater cooling system, reduce energy consumption. The vessel also features an Organic Rankine System waste heat conversion system, supplied by Orcan Energy, connected to the cooling system. The solution uses waste heat from the thermal oil system and the jacket cooling water to produce electricity, thereby recovering waste heat from both the main engine and the auxiliary engines.

Construction of the Prospero has signified Wuhu Shipyard’s entry into the high-end tanker segment and the Nordic market. She is also said to be the first dual-fuel vessel and ice-reinforced ship from the industry in Anhui province.

Second-of-class Pacifico was launched from contractor’s yard into the Yangtze during June, and is due to be delivered in early 2022.

MAIN PARTICULARS – Prospero Length overall Length bp Breadth Depth Draught, design Draught, scantling Deadweight, maximum Gross tonnage Cargo capacity Main engine power(dual-fuel) Service speed, economical Auxiliaries Shaft generator(PTO) Bow thruster

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 The Prospero features a 10-cylinder Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel main engine operating primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel

167.34m 160.63m 26.50m 13.90m 9.20m 10.00m 25,300t 18,636t 28,000m3 6,000kW 13.5kts 2 x 1,480kW 1,500kW 1,200kW

JANUARY 2022| 31

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50 YEARS AGO

THE PROPULSION DILEMMA As was customary, the January 1972 issue of The Motor Ship looked back over the previous year’s events, but at the same time looked forward, with apprehension, to a difficult year ahead.

Our predecessors saw a time of “so many imponderables and variables in shipping” that predicting the future for marine propulsion was near-impossible.

Even that far back, some forecasters were considering that future availability of liquid and even gaseous fossil fuels was far from certain, but these predictions were based more on available resources than environmental concerns, with some expecting supplies to dwindle within the following 30-40 years. The growing practice of tankers fuelled with crude oil straight from the well was seen as both dangerous – due to the low flash point of the light volatile content – and wasteful, particularly when the destination was a refinery which could make good use of such content.

Nuclear power was dismissed, on safety and political grounds rather than technically. The future was seen – somewhat correctly – in large low-speed engines able to burn increasingly poor-quality heavy residual fuels. Steam turbines still represented the prime choice for the largest vessels, as even the largest diesel engines of around 48,000 bhp had insufficient output. But twin screw diesel propulsion was proving popular and economical, except in cases where high power was required for cargo pumping, steam pumps being the main prime movers. However, higher auxiliary diesel power, and even gas turbine driven pumps, were seen as the future.

The ultimate solution for the future specialised vessel, however, was considered to be one which

8 Gotaverken’s three-cylinder 750mm bore test engine

34 | JANUARY 2022

MOTORSHIP

THE

MARINE TECHNOLOGY

The international magazine for senior marine engineers EDITORIAL & CONTENT Editor: Nick Edstrom editor@mercatormedia.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, Wendy Laursen Production Ian Swain, David Blake, Gary Betteridge production@mercatormedia.com 8 Cunard Adventurer, the operator’s first all-cruise ship

made full and efficient use of available fuels as well as contributed less to air pollution and oxygen depletion - namely a gas turbine electric configuration, driving controllable pitch propellers.

One low speed engine company, Gotaverken of Sweden, had recently decided to cooperate with B&W of Denmark, and was working on a 750mm bore engine capable, through the use of two-stage turbocharging, of 3,500 bhp/cylinder. Scaling up to a 950mm bore, and 12 cylinders, this was expected to be able to produce 71,400 bhp from a single engine. A true forerunner for today’s technology.

The main ship description concerned what was seen as a “significant milestone in passenger carrying business”: namely the Cunard Adventurer, Cunard’s first vessel to be designed – by Knud E Hansen solely for year-round cruising. The 147m ship, with capacity for 806 passengers, seems tiny by today’s standards. It had originally been ordered from Rotterdam Dockyard by a US airline, with an option for a second ship from the neighbouring Smit yard, but was taken over by Cunard when the original owner withdrew. Given this turbulent start, costs had escalated, and Cunard was said to be paying over £20m for the two ships. The vessel was originally designed to ABS class, but subsequent changes were made to comply with Lloyd’s Register, UK Dept of Trade & Industry, and latest SOLAS requirements as well as US Coast Guard rules.

Machinery installation was almost complete by the takeover, and consisted of four Werkspoor V-12 medium speed engines, rated at 28,000 bhp total, geared to twin CP propellers. These were to run on an intermediate grade fuel oil, which although more expensive than the heavier alternatives, was thought to pay off in lower maintenance requirements for a heavily-worked ship. Four B&W engines provided the high level of auxiliary power needed to run the hotel supplies. Cunard has specified an upgraded fresh water distillation plant, with the main engine jacket water as heating medium. Machinery was controlled from a sound-proof and air-conditioned control room, though propeller pitch could be altered from the wheelhouse.

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Marine Civils is open for business all year Marine Civils is Europe’s leading event dedicated to showcasing the latest equipment and solutions for marine, coastal and other challenging civil engineering projects with unique landscape features.

Reach a larger audience than ever before Marine Civils is held in association with Seawork, Europe’s leading commercial marine and workboat exhibition.

Marine Civils gives exhibitors the opportunity to showcase the latest innovations in equipment and solutions for marine, coastal and other challenging civil engineering projects.

Reserve now for 2022 and make the most of marketing support from Marine Civils, Seawork and our leading commercial marine magazines, in print, online, eNews and via social media.

For more information visit: marinecivils.com contact: +44 1329 825335 or email: info@marinecivils.com #MarineCivils2022

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It’s our mission to engage with our audiences globally through multi-media platforms, offering our commercial partners a wide range of opportunities for campaign delivery. We deliver bespoke packages and quantifiable ROI. Let us be part of the solution - Contact Sue Stevens today on +44 1329 825335 or email sstevens@mercatormedia.com