New propulsor: ABB Dynafin concept
WinGD’s Ott: VCR launch
Retrofit feature: Cautionary note sounded
New Accelleron TC: Circular service model ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: CCS feature | OPS confusion | GTT LH2 design | Topeka boxships
Today’s marine propulsion choices are significantly influenced by fuel costs and decarbonization requirements. These factors have driven the development of the MAN 49/60DF. It sets a benchmark in efficiency to keep fuel costs and CO2 emissions low. The built-in flexibility of a dual fuel engine, its low methane emissions and high efficiency ensure multiple paths for long-term emissions compliance. Based on this state-of-the-art engine platform, MAN Energy Solutions plans options ready for future fuels.
www.man-es.com/MAN-49-60
9
Accelleron is introducing a new generation of turbochargers for two-stroke engines, the X300-L series. The new series boasts industryleading power density and efficiency levels.
10 Port fuel injection
MAN Energy Solutions will upgrade a 48/60 engine to a 51/60 using a low-pressure injection strategy as its first retrofit of a 4-stroke diesel to dual-fuel MeOH.
17 Ammonia
Researchers at Fraunhofer IMM in Germany are actively developing methanol and ammonia reformer technology suitable for mobile applications, including shipping.
7 Leader Briefing
Daniel Bischofberger, CEO of Accelleron calls for a levy on shipping emissions to support solutions that exist, such as turbochargers, fuel injection and digital solutions.
The ABB Dynafin cycloidal propeller concept allows the unit to utilize a trochoidal blade path, analogous to the movement of a whale tail, writes Wendy Laursen.
42
The entry into service of the first of P&O’s muchvaunted Fusion-class ro-pax vessels heralds a new chapter in the annals of the crossChannel ferry business, writes David Tinsley.
A new ship design concept for the carriage of liquified hydrogen (LH2) will evolve from experience gained with LNG but faces unique technical challenges.
The scaling up of e-fuels production has started, and with it, the technological advances that aim to reduce upstream emissions and bring costs down.
As MEPC80 prepares to look at incorporate CCS technologies into the CII framework, Patrik Wheater asks whether carbon capture projects can overcome technical obstacles without a carbon levy.
While autonomy and automation technologies are advancing apace, can the underlying technology meet the everexpanding expectations of ?
Two newbuild boxships under construction in China for intra-European trade under charter to North Sea Container Line (NCL) will combine Berg Propulsion’s direct-drive solution with methanol fuel.
It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my professional career to cover the cascade of technical developments that have been announced in a few short weeks.
Whether we are talking about WinGD’s successful delivery of a variable compression ratio solution for its X-DF2.0 engines, or ABB’s paradigm-shifting trochoidal propulsor reveal in May, or Accelleron’s introduction of a circular turbocharger concept that will potentially transform turbocharger servicing models, we are in the midst of a period of intense innovation.
While all three of these innovative developments are the subject of features in this month’s issue, I recommend you begin by reading Wendy Laursen’s inspiring Design for Performance feature on the Dynafin propulsor concept, and how its biomimetic whale tail-like blade path may lead to radical changes in vessel design in the near future in affected vessel classes.
Accelleron’s proposed introduction of a circular business model, permitting the replacement of turbocharger cartridges with refurbished units in port, is likely to be have even wider-reaching implications. I have written about the introduction of power-as-aservice type contracts in the maritime sector in the past, but the introduction of a digitally-enabled circular turbocharger model in the 2-stroke sector, and potentially later this year in the 4-stroke sector, is a step towards Accelleron assuring your asset’s availability.
While demand for such as a service may appear limited to cruise vessels, LNG carriers and passenger ferry segments, the rising cost of alternative fuel means such arrangements may be seen in other vessel segments in the future.
Such changes are affecting many business models within the industry: Wartsila 2-Stroke’s Fit4Power engine conversion model is leading class societies to reimagine the essential requirements for a factory acceptance tests, in order to permit FATs to be conducted on engines installed on vessels, as Wendy Laursen explores in a feature in this month’s issue.
Unfortunately, we are also living through a period of regulatory innovation without parallel in the shipping industry.
The 80th meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) will be held in London at the beginning of July 2023.
Towering above all other issues are the vexed issues of: the 2023 Greenhouse Gas Strategy, and whether the IMO will adopt proposals for full decarbonisation of the world’s maritime sector by 2050; the finalisation of the LCA Guidelines covering the GHG intensity of marine fuels, and the proposed introduction of a well-to-wake approach to allow for a holistic comparison of different fuels; and the selection of mid and long-term measures for further development, potentially including a carbon levy.
By this point, I expect few if any of our readers will not have made up their own minds about the respective pros and cons of different topics under consideration. For myself, I echo Tancredi’s perspective in Il Gattopardo, and note that things must change if we wish things to remain as they are.
After a year of intensive research, coastal ferry and cruise specialist Hurtigruten Norway has revealed early concept plans for an emissionfree ship promising to set a new benchmark in energy efficiency.
Following a rigorous feasibility study conducted by the company with partners in the first phase of the Sea Zero project, the most promising technologies and innovations were pinpointed for future vessels. Those elements will now be tested and developed over a two-year, second phase so as to create the next-generation ship and prepare the ground for a construction contract.
In line with a focus on ‘sustainable’ operations throughout the country’s long, rugged and heavily-indented coastline, Hurtigruten Norway has laid ambitious plans for a new fleet composed of smaller, custom-built ships designed to have no deleterious impact on the environment. The initial representative of the zeroemission, electrically-powered class now being formulated is due to be ready for service in 2030, as a template for the eventual transformation of the entire fleet.
The concept vessel is modelled at 135m length, incorporating 270 cabins for 500 guests, and having a complement of 99. While achieving robust growth in the cruise segment, the company’s traditional role as a key component of the coastal transportation infrastructure has ensured that the new ship type will have a cargo hold and provision for carrying cars.
Combining 60MWh battery solutions with wind-assisted propulsion technology, the vessel is expected to feature numerous innovative and improved solutions, including retractable sails with solar panels, artificial intelligence(AI) manoeuvring, contra-rotating propellers, and retractable thrusters, under-hull air lubrication and proactive hull cleaning.
Hurtigruten’s Norwegian Coastal Express is a scheduled service running the length of the west coast from Bergen to Kirkenes, connecting 34 ports and communities, carrying local passengers and tourists, and also goods. The line will use AI to collect data and ‘learn’ the most efficient docking and undocking procedures in each port, and under adverse weather or otherwise challenging conditions.
The exceptionally high capacity energy storage system, made up of cobalt-free, nickel-minimised batteries, will be charged from the shore, and from the solar arrays embedded in the three retractable, autonomous wing rigs. When fully extended, the sails will reach a height of 50m, and will enhance the aerodynamics of the ship.
With the vessel incorporating dozens of exterior sensors and cameras, and manoeuvring aided by AI, the size of the bridge can be slimmed down and a setup employed akin to that of an airliner cockpit. This arrangement facilitates the forming of a more aerodynamic foreship section.
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Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) has announced that it plans to develop a successor to its lowspeed UEC60LSE design. The development of the UEC60LSH engine will retain the LSH ultrawide rating concept, and is expected to meet very large gas carrier (VLGC) requirements, as well as Capesize bulk carriers, coal carriers and specialist car carriers.
J-ENG has announced plans to co-develop conventionallyfuelled and NH3-fuelled variants of a 60-bore LSH type engine.
J-ENG has also announced that it will concurrently develop a 60-bore ammonia-fuelled engine variant, UEC60LSJA, alongside the conventional fuel oil-fuelled 60LSH version. The UEC60LSJA type is expected to be brought to market after 2026.
Ghent-based mediumspeed engine designer and manufacturer ABC Engines has added another string to its bow through the development of a methanol dual-fuel range. Covering the output band from 955kW up to 3,536kW, the new DZD MeOH series derives from the DZ engine family, and addresses the evolving needs of the Belgian company’s target markets in shipping, power generation and rail traction.
Available in two in-line and two vee-form configurations, each deliverable at four crankshaft speeds, the 256mm-bore design can produce a maximum continuous output of 221kW per cylinder in its 1,000rpm versions.
Depending on operational profile and load, a fuel usage ratio of 70% methanol and 30%
Maersk has awarded MAN
PrimeServ a contract to retrofit the main engines aboard 11 container vessels equipped with MAN B&W 8G95ME-C9.5 prime movers. These will be retrofitted to dual-fuel MAN B&W 8G95ME-LGIM10.5 types capable of operation on fueloil/methanol. The first vessel will be retrofitted in mid-2024. PrimeServ will provide a solutions package comprising engineering, parts, project management, onsite technical assistance at yard, sea-trial assistance and recertification service during the work.
The introduction of a 60-bore variant means that J-ENG would be able to cover the entire layout points for ship designers to include an ammonia engine in very large gas carriers (VLGC), pure car and truck carriers (PCTC), container feeders, Panamax and Newcastlemax bulkers and LR1 and LR2 tankers.
The development of the 60-bore variant is expected to meet an expected increase in demand from the large ammonia carrier segment. J-ENG notes that it expected the international ammonia market to expand towards the end of the current decade and at the beginning of
the next decade as demand for ammonia from the agricultural supply chain and from the thermal power market (where ammonia can be co-fired alongside other feedstocks) expands. This is likely to lead to the introduction of larger capacity ammonia carriers, as well as an overall increase in the number of vessels in the ammonia carrier fleet.
The ammonia engine development will proceed alongside the development of J-ENG’s first 50-bore ammoniafuelled engine size, the UEC50LSJA, which it aims to complete in 2025.
conventional fuel, or biofuel, can be achieved, ensuring stable combustion. The dual-fuel concept means that a seamless switch to diesel oil or biofuel can be made if methanol is not available, and may be effected automatically and even under load without incurring loss of power in the event of a problem with the fuel supply system.
ABC claims that the DZD MeOH type reduces CO2 emissions by up to 70%. By incorporating the proprietary exhaust aftertreatment system(EATS), particle emissions(PM) and nitrogen gases(NOx) are virtually eliminated. The modular EATS equipment comprises a diesel particulate filter(DPF) and
Malaysian ship owner and operator MISC Berhad has signed collaboration agreements with WinGD and DNV. Under the new, strategic collaborations with WinGD, a central feature relates to the training of mariners to safely manage vessels built with new technologies and ammoniacapable engines. The initiatives involve subsidiary AET and maritime education institution Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALM), which is run by a MISC subsidiary, the Malaysian Maritime Academy (MMASB).
selective catalytic reduction (SCR)/oxicat arrangement, so that the strictest emissions standards are achieved. In cases where biodiesel or hydrogenated vegetable oil(HVO) are used in place of conventional fuel, CO2 is cut to an even greater extent.
In the MeOH design, liquid methanol is injected at low pressure(less than 10 bar) into the combustion chamber via port injection, i.e. before the intake valves. The system is less complex than high-pressure fuel injection, incurring lower cost as regards both purchase and maintenance. Through the adoption of double-wall methanol fuel pipes to eliminate leakage, engine installations are IGF Code-compliant. The MeOH
The European Commission has announced a raft of proposals to improve and modernise safety in maritime and reduce pollution. The proposals include measures to prevent any type of illegal discharges into European seas, and include measures to improve enforcement of maritime regulations by strengthening CleanSeaNet, EMSA’s surveillance and information sharing database.
series does not call for lubrication additives in the methanol.
The new range has been released with immediate effect, and ABC states that it has already received orders for the methanolcapable engines from several sources in various applications. Furthermore, the technology provides for retrofit of existing ABC diesel engines to dual-fuel methanol operation. Under an EU-funded project, an ABC twin-engined tug owned by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is currently being converted to methanol propulsion, as part of the port’s strategy to attain CO2 neutrality and ‘sustainability’.
ExxonMobil has successfully completed a commercial marine biofuel oil bunkering in the port of Singapore. On 1 April 2023 Evergreen Line’s vessel, Ever Ulysses, received ExxonMobil’s marine biofuel oil blend via a ship-to-ship transfer in Singapore waters before heading to the discharge port. The marine biofuel oil is a combination of a conventional 0.50% sulphur fuel with up to 25% waste-based fatty acid methyl esters (FAME).
Ports must be able to check the background of all vessels and show bodies such as OFAC that they have the technology to screen ships for suspected sanctions evasionn The new engine will a fourth in the LSH series, following the 50LSH type, the 42LSH type and the new 33LSH engine
This week will see the latest attempt by a group of world leaders to push industries to accelerate their journey to net zero emissions while finding new ways to finance the energy transition in the process
Beginning in Paris on Thursday, The Summit of the New Global Financing Pact is spearheaded by Emanuel Macron and marks a colossal effort to reach an inter-governmental agreement on issues relating to multilateral development bank reform, the debt crisis, innovative financing, and international taxes.
One such international tax that the Summit will deal with relates to an emissions levy on global shipping. With the UN’s International Maritime Organisation due to meet in two weeks’ time, Macron’s Summit is expected to pressure the IMO to tax the emissions of global shipping to draw additional revenue necessary to fund the transition while decarbonising an industry that represents close to 3% of emissions globally.
Macron is right to want shipping to decarbonise, however such a levy must come with the appropriate recommendations if the industry is to be successful in its aims without significantly increasing the cost of the day-to-day trade of goods that are essential to sustaining the global economy.
To date, the conversation around decarbonising shipping has been dominated by the prospect of switching to alternative fuels, which include ammonia, methane, methanol, and hydrogen. Adopting any of these presents its own unique challenge to overcome. These include adapting existing ships to store fuels in particular conditions, in addition to scaling the production of alternative fuels to an industrial level – it may take decades before we have an industrial output large enough of any alternative fuels to sustain the global shipping industry at its current level. Moreover, ship operators are preparing for a transitional period by ordering ships with dual fuel engines. Accelleron estimates, based on latest figures that by 2025 60% of orders will be dual fuel engines.
Alternative and future fuels will be and should be used once their production infrastructure is at the right scale, however conventional marine fuel oil will continue to be used at some level until this point. In this scenario, the most effective means of reducing emissions comes from drastically improving energy efficiency.
Shipping’s answer to energy efficiency already exists for today: turbochargers. A turbocharger acts as an extension to a conventional marine propulsion engine that forces air through a combustion chamber at a higher pressure and can improve an engine’s performance by up to 300% while reducing fuel consumption by up to 10% and C02 emissions by 20%.
As future fuels replace fuel oil that ships use today are estimated to be 2 to 3 times more expensive than today’s fossil fuels, the role of turbochargers will become even more important. This applies both to the importance of saving costs by improving turbocharger efficiency, but also to the application of more fuel-efficient turbocharging systems such as flexible cut-out.
Turbochargers, such as Accelleron’s low-speed X300-L series are designed with both these long- and short-term needs in mind. In the short-term, the X300 series reduces emissions by providing the highest efficiency levels in the industry and in the mid- to long term it provides the flexibility for component upgrades tailored to needs of future fuels and enhanced turbocharger cut-out options.
Reducing the environmental impact of maritime transport is imperative, however a levy on shipping emissions must be implemented with guidance by offering solutions that exist, such as turbochargers, fuel injection and digital solutions that have the potential to drastically lower emissions in the short-term while improving energy efficiency. Such a levy should empower industry to change, not scare it into an illinformed leap into the unknown.
Turbochargers, such as Accelleron’s low-speed X300-L series are designed with both these long- and short-term needs in mindSource: Accelleron
Winterthur-based two-stroke engine designer WinGD is adding a variable compression ratio option (VCR) to its engine portfolio, Marcel Ott, General Manager, Application Engineering at WinGD, explained to The Motorship
The new VCR solution will be initially offered as an option for 62-bore and 72-bore dual-fuel X-DF engines, although the engine designer anticipates extending the range of the engines covered by the solution, as well as introducing retrofit packages for existing dual-fuel X-DF engines.
The solution was being added as a selectable option for WinGD’s X62DF-2.1 VCR, X62DF-S2.0 VCR, and X72DF-2.1/2.2 VCR engine types.
The first orders for 62-bore engines equipped with the solution have been placed and a bulk carrier and a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) will be delivered in 2024, Ott explained to The Motorship
The first orders for X-DF 72-bore engines, which are typically installed on board LNG carriers, have not yet been finalised, Ott noted, adding that commercial discussions are underway.
Ott added that the decision to add VCR to the portfolio was made following the conclusion of tests on a full-scale installation on a 6X72DF test engine. Ott paid tribute to the development team, which had worked closely with engineers from Japanese engine licensee MES DU.
“This is a significant achievement, and represents the culmination of a decades-long search. For combustion engineers, the search for VCR has been like the search for the Holy Grail.”
Compression ratio is altered by changing the piston position to adjust combustion chamber volume. The simple mechanical configuration has no impact on engine footprint or installation requirements. VCR can also be adjusted for part load operation, meaning relatively larger savings can be achieved at the low speeds that operators may consider to further reduce their emissions.
While the underlying concept behind the VCR solution has not changed significantly since Motorship covered the technology in an indepth feature in 2020, the intervening period has seen significant research into the solution, in collaboration with Japanese engine licensee MES DU.
“The project has seen cooperation in validation tests, and we have worked together to simplify the design of the solution, and to reduce the manufacturing cost,” Ott noted. As a result, the footprint of the engine is unchanged within the dimensions of the previous engine, and the
solution does not require any changes to auxiliary systems. This ensures that the solution is likely to be highly suitable for retrofit installations, Ott noted.
The solution can be seen as an elegant solution to some of the trade-offs required during the design of an engine for dual-fuel operation. Engine efficiency has been limited by the need to avoid potentially damaging peak pressures.
WinGD is introducing a variable compression ratio selectable option to its portfolio for a number of X-DF engine types.
As dual-fuel engines are optimised for operation in gas mode, the engine efficiency in diesel mode operating on conventional fuels is typically lower. By introducing the ability to dynamically modify compression ratios, VCR will optimise fuel consumption in diesel mode and will also contribute to favourable efficiency in part-load gas
Ott explained that the consumption improvements are significant, with savings seen in gas mode at part and low load operation. By contrast, the improved combustion efficiency in diesel mode means that there will be a reduction in fuel consumption across the load range.
The potential benefits vary according to the operational pattern of the vessel, as well as the proportion of conventional fuel that a dual-fuel engine is using, but WinGD estimated BSGC consumption reductions of 5g/kWh at 50% load and 6g/kWh at 25% load.
“In diesel mode, you gain between 8-12g/kWh,” Ott said. These fuel savings were likely to be make the solution compelling for ship owners, Ott noted, without even taking into account the likely greenhouse gas emission reduction potential of the
“In gas mode, the savings are only 2.4%, but in diesel mode, you gain between 5% and 7%,” Ott said, adding that the highest savings seen were seen in the bulker and container feeder segments.
As well as optimising compression ratios for different fuels, VCR can also benefit engines operating under different ambient conditions and intake air compositions, such as when using exhaust gas recirculation. This makes it a critical advance as shipping adopts the new fuels and technologies that will allow it to reach decarbonisation targets.
n Marcel Ott, General Manager Application Engineering, WinGD
Accelleron is introducing a new generation of turbochargers for two-stroke engines, the X300-L series. The new series boasts industry-leading power density and efficiency levels, while enhanced turbocharger cut-out options will support lowest engine fuel consumption
The next-generation turbocharger boasts a platform-based compact design, making it easy to service and easy to adapt for different requirements that might evolve from an increasing variety of fuels. A new turbocharger design means that the entire rotor subassembly can be exchanged in a single port call, using a new or refurbished cartridge.
The advance in serviceability means that turbocharger overhaul is no longer tied to dry docking schedules. Instead of servicing turbochargers every five years, exchange at port means the full run time between overhauls can be used, resulting in just three scheduled services rather than four across a 25-year vessel lifespan. This is expected to significantly reduces operating costs and provides operators with greater flexibility in their service regimes.
The power density improvements in combination with the unique cartridge concept leads to more flexibility for the X300-L on engine arrangement. Concept studies have shown the feasibility of turbocharging an engine with a twin arrangement where two X300-L type turbochargers are applied per intercooler instead of one large conventional type without fundamentally changing the engine design concept.
By doing so the benefits of port call cartridge exchange can be extended to the largest engines and vessel types. In addition, the turbocharger cut-out options increase leading to tangible fuel savings.
The first X300-L turbochargers are expected to be delivered by the end of 2025, with the first orders being taken in the second half of 2024.
The platform-based and easy-service concept complemented by Accelleron’s Turbo Insights digital technology sets a new benchmark for turbocharging that will offer ship operators the flexibility to respond to uncertainty around the fuels they will use and how they will operate their vessels in the future.
The X300-L series is fully enabled with Accelleron’s Turbo
One of the most intriguing aspects of the new service concept is the possibility of introducing a circular business model for turbocharger cartridges.
The concept envisages monitoring the performance of individual turbocharger cartridges, and permitting their replacement with new or refurbished turbocharger cartridges drawn from assets operated elsewhere within a shipowner’s fleet, or even
Insight, giving operators the ability to identify performance improvement opportunities and identify when service will be needed well in advance and helping Accelleron to judge exposure-based maintenance needs.
The platform-based concept is essential for delivering flexibility to adapt to future changing requirements. The series has been designed with margin for the even higher pressure ratios that new fuels could require. As a result, turbocharger core components for specific fuels can be incorporated more rapidly for newbuild projects as well as for upgrading the existing population.
Christoph Rofka, President of Accelleron’s Medium and Low Speed Product Division said: “The X300 –L series reimagines turbocharging for an era of multiple fuels and increasing cost pressures in shipping. A platform-based design means upgrades can be introduced more easily as technology advances and provides the enhanced serviceability that operators need in order to control operating costs. Ship operators need flexible technology to exceed existing performance and excel on their path to decarbonization. The X300-L series delivers exactly that.”
potentially from cartridges drawn from another owner entirely.
The use of digitally enabled technologies will enable the introduction of advanced service models, as the precise condition of the turbocharger cartridge and the asset’s operational history will be understood.
Such a circular service model would lead to an extension to the operational life of turbocharger components, and would also
n Accelleron’s X300-L represents an upgrade in power density and efficiency, and offers the prospect for optimised turbocharger overhauls
lower emissions from the turbocharger asset overall if measured on a life cycle analysis basis, by reducing the need for cartridges to be recycled.
Leaving aside the practical considerations of building up inventories of turbocharger components, the model will also draw heavily on Accelleron’s plans to develop a core offering of frame sizes incorporating its modular design concept.
MAN Energy Solutions has confirmed that it will upgrade a 48/60 engine to a 51/60 using a low-pressure injection strategy as its first retrofit of a 4-stroke diesel to dual-fuel MeOH
Last year, MAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Stena Teknik and Proman for a retrofit project, and a similar one with Norwegian Cruise Line. Bernd Siebert, Head of Retrofit & Upgrades at MAN PrimeServ in Germany, has now confirmed that the projects will involve the adoption of their port fuel injection retrofit concept due to its inherent advantages for legacy installations.
After internal benchmarking the different technologies with market requirements and customer demands, these retrofit projects will involve pre-mixed combustion via the installation of a port fuel injection system for MeOH in addition to the existing diesel injection system. This simpler injection system esp. as a retrofit kit for existing engines in contrast to the high-pressure diesel direct injection based on Diesel combustion for new-built engines like the MAN L/V 32/44CR MeOH ready or the MAN 49/60.
Siebert says the system provides economic benefits for owners looking to retrofit their existing engines with the simply to retrofit PFI (port fuel injection) technology. Also, there’s no need to open the ship to remove the engine compared to an exchange with a new engine, so less time is required in drydock. “The larger the bore size and the younger the engine, the more reasonable a retrofit is from a commercial perspective.”
The simpler injection system comes with a reduced MCR map for MeOH – currently operation up to 70% MeOH is possible, but on-going testing is expected to increase it up to 80%, enough for shipowners to remain compliant with existing legislation up to 2045. The amount of diesel in pilot injector will be limited to a maximum of 1-3%. In case the ship owner requires 100% MCR this can still be maintained in Diesel operation. In addition to the engine modifications retrofits will include a MeOH pump skid, and to be compliant with class rules, this will be containerised.
This PFI retrofit option for methanol operation will also be available for the entire 48/60 fleet (A, B and CR release status) . With the MeOH retrofit kit the 48/60 engine will be converted to a 51/60 engine type including an optimized combustion chamber (cylinder head, liner and piston) and a pilot oil system that reduces diesel performance but increases the MeOH map to 80%, making it comparable in performance to other MAN dual-fuel engines.
“With port fuel injection, we only have pressure of between 10 to 20 Bar, so it’s relatively easy to handle from an operating perspective. This leads consequently to lower efforts in piping and auxiliaries. When we talk about high pressure injection, we’re up to 300+ bar operating pressure. This is a challenge when it comes to piping on existing vessels, and that’s why we are
concentrating on port fuel injection for retrofit,” says Siebert.
Converted engines will be technically equivalent to newly built MAN 51/60 units and, as a result, achieve significant savings in fuel consumption, CO2 and pollutant emissions, and increase reliability, says MAN.
AiP for newbuild engine
MAN continues to make progress on its MeOH engine for newbuilds. Most recently, RINA granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) certificate for its MeOH-ready MAN L/V 32/44CR engine. The AiP covers an upgrade concept for the four-stroke engine for conversion to dual-fuel running on methanol to provide greater flexibility to shipowners. “The idea behind this is that the subsequent retrofit is able to be done during operation of the vessel. We can take the engine out of operation for the conversion period – in best case when the engine is on standard maintenance anyway – and install the MeOH components without needing to have a trial period,” says Siebert.
He notes that MeOH has several, physical advantages as a fuel, including a liquid state at ambient temperatures and its accordingly easy handling aboard vessels compared to gaseous fuels. Under combustion, MeOH also emits fewer NOx emissions and no SOx or soot emissions. MeOH is also much less hazardous to marine life compared with conventional marine fuels. The AiP certificate permits the use of outer ship hulls as bunker tanks, thereby increasing fuel-storage capacity on-board.
MAN estimates that for four-stroke, newbuilds amount to approximately 750 per year for engine units larger than 1MW, and the existing fleet is around 30,000 ships. This highlights the importance of implementing decarbonisation action for both the existing and newbuild fleet. “Newbuild engines will always be equipped with high pressure direct injection: this is the long-term future,” says Siebert.
n MAN ES will upgrade a 48/60 engine to a 51/60 using a lowpressure injection strategy as its first retrofit of a 4-stroke diesel to dual-fuel MeOH.
The energy-saving Becker Twisted Fin is suitable both for newbuildings and retrofits. It significantly reduces SOX, NOX and CO2 emissions and saves energy by 3% on average – even more when combined with a Becker Rudder.
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Class societies are actively collaborating with yards and manufacturers to ensure successful and timely engine retrofit projects, but there are challenges
There are practical challenges when it comes to the testing and certification of the exhaust gas emissions of engines after they have been retrofitted, says Dr Fabian Kock, Head of Section at DNV, citing Regulation 13 of MARPOL Annex VI (Nitrogen oxides (NOx)) and the NOx Technical Code 2008. “These regulations do not cover a detailed procedure for how to improve the performance of existing marine diesel engines that are installed onboard a ship and which cannot be tested on test beds retroactively. One could say that the requirements of the NOx Technical code are somehow hindering the development of new technologies when retrofitting already certified engines on board of existing vessels,” he says. “This dilemma has just recently been addressed to IMO MEPC80.”
Additionally, the conditions on board a ship are not optimal for conducting a parent engine emission test according to the procedures and requirements as outlined in chapter 5 of the NOx Technical Code. Kock cites some practical challenges:
n Weather and sea conditions, vessel draught and other conditions prevent the engine from running constantly at 100% power. Each wave, change in rudder angle, etc has repercussions for the torque the engine provides to the propeller.
n A dedicated dynamometer (water break) cannot be installed or connected onboard a ship which leads to compromises in the accuracy of power measurements.
n Weather and sea conditions, vessel draught, vessel hull, propeller and other conditions prevent the engine from running on the ideal (theoretical) propeller curve on board at a test run.
DNV is working closely with engine manufacturers, equipment makers, ship designers and yards to ensure safe ship operation on individual retrofit projects. One recent project is its collaboration with BW LPG, the Isle of Man Ship Registry, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions and MAN Energy Solutions on a fleet of vessels retrofitted for LPG fuel. The last of 12 retrofitted vessels successfully left the repair yard earlier this year, and the conversions are a first for very large gas carriers.
Mark Penfold, LR's Technical Specialist for Power Generation, says that the broad range of potential modifications, and the specific implications for each ship, means that LR will assess all proposals on a case-by-case basis.
"The reality is that conversions are difficult, particularly for cryogenic gaseous fuels. Onboard emissions testing is usually one of the more difficult aspects to verify. The issues (and our requirements) are relatively straightforward for a synthetic fuel (as in synthetic diesel, or a biofuel such as HVO) which may be considered as direct dropin fuels. That is very different to hydrogen or ammonia as alternative fuels.
Our approach is therefore case-by-case and requires compliance with the rules.”
He says that while LR is well practiced in undertaking sea trials as part of the process for issuance of ship and equipment class and statutory certification, there are additional parts of equipment and system testing undertaken at type tests or factory acceptance tests that can be challenging if these have to be undertaken onboard. “In the case of modifications or conversions involving changes to internal combustion engines the statutory NOx implications can also be one of the more challenging aspects and the difficulties with undertaking emissions measurements onboard are well known.”
Julien Boulland, Global market leader for sustainable shipping at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, says one of the critical aspects of engine retrofitting is the certification process. “Due to the limited number of cases, approval will always be, for the moment, on a case-by-case basis, and the process depends on whether the new engine is already type-approved or not.”
In the case where the new engine is already typeapproved, BV follows a two-fold procedure consisting of a review of engineering drawings, sanctioned with a review attestation, and a subsequent onboard survey, leading to the final certification. The survey is based on an approved tests program that is thoroughly discussed and approved by class.
In the past, BV has collaborated with engine manufacturers on significant projects such as the 1,000 TEU Wes Amelie, now named the ElbBlue, which was the first container ship to undergo a dual-fuel LNG conversion in 2017. This retrofit served as a pioneering effort to test the viability of LNG technology in a container ship setting.
n Some of the more challenging aspects of engine conversions include the statutory NOx implications, as well as the undertaking of emissions measurements onboard.
n JulienBoulland, Global market leader for sustainable shipping at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore: “Due to the limited number of cases, approval will always be, for the moment, on a case-by-case basis
Another notable project is the conversion of some ships in the Spanish ferry operator Balearia’s fleet to LNG. The conversion works were carried out at Portugal’s West Sea yard where the engines were adapted to dual-fuel LNG propulsion.
Currently, BV is working with a leading engine maker and a large container ship operator on the retrofit of engines in several phases. This ongoing project involves the development and implementation of a two-stroke future fuels conversion solution. The retrofit conversion initially allows for operation with LNG fuel and is designed to be adaptable to ammonia in the future. The first commercial conversion project is expected to be completed in 2025 at the earliest, and it will contribute to making existing fleets ready to meet future emission requirements.
Changing demand
Boulland sees changes ahead for the market. “In terms of retrofitting, we have observed varying levels of interest based on different factors. For example, in the case of LNG, retrofitting with LNG technology has been conducted on a few projects in the past to test the viability of the technology. However, nowadays, ships can be ordered with full dual fuel technology, making costly LNG retrofits less common.”
He says it is important to note that beyond engine retrofits, the scope of retrofitting can extend beyond the engine itself: from total engine replacement or conversion, to complete replacement of machinery spaces, or more extensive modifications of the hull (jumboisation, bulbous bow).
“At BV, we actively collaborate with yards and manufacturers on engine retrofit projects. We have worked with engine manufacturers on various initiatives in the past, and we continue to engage in partnerships for ongoing and upcoming projects,” says Boulland.
“These collaborations with shipyards and manufacturers are essential to ensure the successful execution of retrofit projects, leveraging their expertise and resources to achieve the desired outcomes. Close cooperation between all stakeholders, including owners, classification societies, and flag states, is crucial for the seamless integration of retrofitted components and compliance with applicable regulations.”
New fuel ready
Boulland notes strong interest for fuel-prepared notations for new fuels such as methanol and ammonia. However, he says it is important to distinguish between the concept of retrofit and the notion of fuel-prepared notations. “The fuelprepared notation can be seen as the initial step towards an actual retrofit and certifies that a ship has been designed and constructed to later be converted to use a different fuel. Furthermore, it is important to refer to the specific class rules to determine the applicability and degree of preparation required for each ship system.”
For BV’s Boulland, the most significant factor influencing the decision to carry out retrofit operations remains the cost of conversion, as ship operators need to evaluate the economic feasibility. Some projects may involve subsidies or other forms of support to encourage and facilitate conversion projects.
Retrofits at scale
MAN Energy Solutions and DNV summarised the technical issues for engine retrofits in a recent white paper Potential for dual-fuel conversions of marine engines that current technical IMO regulations present a challenge for fast implementation of retrofitting to dual-fuel at scale. At issue is that a parent engine test of exactly the same electronically controlled engine type is required for a dual-fuel conversion to be NOX compliant. This is a problem for the pace and cost of decarbonisation.
The paper states: “Imagine relatively new engine technologies such as methanol and ammonia that are not available for all bore sizes. Today shipping needs to wait for a newbuild test before the new technology can be implemented as retrofit. But certain historical engine types are not made for newbuilds anymore. So there are engines in operation running on HFO where shipowners want to retrofit to dual-fuel based on a positive business case, but where a test of a newbuild engine – a parent engine test – is not possible.”
DNV and MAN have supported IMO member states as they raise attention to the issues at IMO level. They have also proposed new procedures for certifying the NOx exhaust emissions of existing engines on board of ships which have undergone a retrofit.
n DNV and MAN have proposed new procedures for the certification of NOx exhaust emissions of existing engines on board ships which have undergone a retrofit.
n Dr Fabian Kock, Head of Section at DNV: "One could say that the requirements of the NOx Technical code are somehow hindering the development of new technologies."
At BV, we actively collaborate with yards and manufacturers on engine retrofit projects. We have worked with engine manufacturers on various initiatives in the past, and we continue to engage in partnerships for ongoing and upcoming projects
The conversion of one of the engines on the ro-pax vessel Stena Germanica inspired the initial growth of the market for methanol powered vessels, and Wärtsilä continues to expand its engine and service offerings
The 240-metre ferry Stena Germanica, with a capacity for 1,500 passengers and 300 cars, was retrofitted with a first-of-its-kind Wärtsilä 4-stroke engine that can run on methanol or traditional marine fuels back in 2015. Since then, given the modularity of modern Wärtsilä engines, many can now be upgraded for methanol use, including the Wärtsilä 32 engine, the Wärtsilä 46F diesel engine and Wärtsilä ZA40S 4-stroke engine.
Earlier this year, Wärtsilä announced that it will supply methanol-ready engines for Celebrity Cruises’ new ship, the fifth vessel in the cruise company’s Edge Series. Giulio Tirelli, Director Business Development at Marine Power, Wärtsilä, says: “To enable this advance, we will convert two Wärtsilä 46F engines to allow them to utilise methanol as fuel, marking the first-ever such conversion for this particular engine type. Not only does the conversion project promote lower carbon cruising, adding methanol as a fuel option will ensure that emissions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter will be significantly reduced.”
Wärtsilä will also supply Wärtsilä 25 engines for four new 7,999dwt chemical tankers being built for Swedish fleet owner Erik Thun. The Wärtsilä 25 is the latest future-fuels ready addition to the company’s engine portfolio, and key to the order was the shipowner’s ability to have the option to operate on future fuels.
Wärtsilä announced last year that a new offshore wind installation vessel being built for Dutch contracting company Van Oord at Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard in China will be powered by five Wärtsilä 32 engine capable of operating with methanol. This was Wärtsilä’s first order for newbuild methanolfuelled engines. The Wärtsilä 32 is applicable either as a main engine or auxiliary generator on a wide range of vessel types from offshore support vessels to deep-sea merchant ships.
“Our Wärtsilä 32 engine has been designed to operate reliably in a wide range of vessel applications, whether that’s running on methanol and/or fuel oils,” says Tirelli. “This makes it a strong asset for different vessels, such as special vessels, merchants and ferries, to name just a few examples. What’s more, as methanol infrastructure can vary significantly – especially depending on the region – and will constantly evolve, our Wärtsilä 32 engine is a leading candidate due to its fuel flexibility.”
The Wärtsilä 32 methanol engine does not require any technical conversion when starting to run on methanol. “However, it is important that there is a methanol supply system in place along with the adequate safety measures taken in the engine room and tank space. That’s why, last year, we announced that Wärtsilä has developed a dedicated fuel supply system for methanol, MethanolPac.”
MethanolPac includes both the low- and high-pressure parts of the fuel supply system as well as the related control and safety functions. This includes the high-pressure methanol fuel pump unit, low-pressure pump module, fuel valve train, bunkering stations and tank instrumentation.
MethanolPac will gain its first reference alongside the debut installation of the Wärtsilä 32 methanol engine, on the wind turbine installation vessel under construction for Van Oord.
“Methanol fuel injection can also be retrofitted to any of the more than 5,000 conventionally fuelled Wärtsilä 32 engines in operation. MethanolPac means that such retrofits can be dramatically simplified, with one supplier providing both engine and fuel supply system,” says Tirelli.
When considering converting an existing vessel to run on methanol, there are many factors to take into account, Tirelli says. “First and foremost, you would either need a methanol engine conversion or to replace existing engines with methanol-capable engines. What’s more, converting an existing vessel to operate on methanol mainly depends on the space required by the tanks and additional equipment needed such as certain auxiliary, safety, and control systems which would all need to be fitted onboard too.”
Wärtsilä’s methanol conversion service is a holistic solution to convert existing vessels to use methanol as a fuel. The full project can be delivered from feasibility studies to execution planning and implementation. “At Wärtsilä, we support customers with the initial decision-making by providing an overall concept of vessel conversion, as well as a calculation of their emissions levels after conversion and an engineering design for vessel integration.”
n Wärtsilä methanol engines offer a route to maritime decarbonisation.
Accelerating interest in methanol fuel among the shipping community has led to the unveiling of a new engine type in the Japanese low-speed, four stroke mould, writes David Tinsley. The addition of the LA28M model to the line-up of trunk piston machinery produced by Hanshin Diesel is the culmination of many years’ development work and test campaigns involving methanol combustion.
The new design is based on the LA28 diesel, and expresses the company’s view that methanol offers a raft of environmental, practical and logistic benefits at a lower capital cost than that entailed with other alternative fuels such as hydrogen or ammonia.
An early reference for the six-cylinder, LA28M will be as the propulsion engine in the methanol-fuelled coastal tanker newbuild project announced earlier this year by the Mitsui OSK Lines(MOL) Group. The 65.5m vessel ordered from Murakami Hide Shipbuilding for delivery in December 2024 will be jointly owned by MOL Coastal Shipping, Tabuchi Kaiun and Niihama Kaiun.
Employing the same 280mm bore and 590mm stroke of the LA28, the methanol-capable Hanshin engine has a slightly lower nominal power of 1,103kW, compared to the diesel’s 1,323kW, at the 330rpm crankshaft speed.
Compared to conventional use of heavy fuel oil(HFO), operation on methanol brings a considerable reduction(80%) in NOx, virtual elimination of SOx(99%) and particulates(95%), with the further advantage of a 15% abatement in CO2. As an energy transition pathway, machinery designed to ingest methanol as the primary fuel paves the way to use of synthetic methanol produced by hydrogenated CO2. Although easier to handle and store than LNG or hydrogen, and widely available using existing infrastructure, methanol’s calorific value is about half that of marine distillates.
With the new addition to the Hanshin portfolio, marine diesel oil(MDO) or marine gas oil(MGO) will be used for starting, and for operation through the low-load range until the engine speed increases to the higher-load point whereupon methanol will be injected as main fuel, supplemented by MGO or MDO to ensure stable combustion.
In the event of a failure of the methanol fuel supply or its double-wall piping, back-up operation can be secured on MGO or MDO. Provision is made for the methanol piping to be purged with nitrogen gas before maintenance disassembly.
Favoured over the medium-speed four-stroke, and lowspeed two-stroke options, the low-speed, four-stroke engine concept retains a strong following among Japanese and east Asian operators engaged in coastwise and short-sea trade. The moderate crankshaft speed enables direct drive to the propeller, dispensing with the need for a gearbox.
Hanshin and other manufacturers involved in the sector continue to attach particular importance to design simplicity, high reliability and cost affordability, given the financial capacity and competitive considerations of companies within the target market sectors, and these principles have endured in the developmental path that has led to the LA28M. Sixcylinder formats predominate in the low-speed, four-stroke stakes, and such is the methanol engine’s configuration.
The intake and exhaust valves use a hydraulic system, reducing noise around the cylinder cover, preventing
sprinkling of lube oil, and obviating the requirement for tappet clearance adjustments. Camshaft drive is retained for methanol fuel and pilot fuel injection and valves, with the cam profile tailored to methanol usage. The crankcase is integrated with the cylinder frame, cam case, and cooling water main inlet pipe, thereby enhancing engine rigidity, reducing the component count and simplifying the overall structure.
The LA28M follows last year’s release by Hanshin of a gas monofuel engine, the 300mm-bore G30, using diesel architecture and the low-speed, four-stroke cycle formula.
The development of methanol and ammonia cracking technologies is expanding to offer a more compact alternative to onboard hydrogen storage
Element One, founding company of e1 Marine, recently announced its new M Series M30 methanol to hydrogen generator, a high-density model for multi-MW scale marine applications. First sales are expected in Q1 2024. The M30 is a scaled-up version of the earlier M18 model and has increased hydrogen density relative to its footprint. The Hydrogen One towboat included 10 M18 hydrogen generators, and the next vessel in the line will require six M30s, bringing space savings of nearly 40%.
The M-Series includes a port to provide the operator with the option to efficiently capture CO2. “The M-Series provides superior conditions for carbon capture with an impressive 50% of H2 depleted syngas stream, with the H2 generator future-proofed for carbon capture and a zero-emission profile possible with green methanol. As a result, CO2 emissions after carbon capture will be 20% – 50% reduced in comparison to the previous iteration,” says Robert Schulter, managing director, e1 Marine.
Element One is working with Saudi Aramco to perform testing and a sensitivity analysis of its carbon capture solution to determine the cost relative to the carbon capture rate. This analysis should be complete in Q3 2023. “Typically, we see in this type of analysis that the cost will quickly escalate at some point relative to the carbon capture rate. We anticipate that we will be able to economically capture carbon somewhere in the range of 50% to 80%,” says Schulter.
e1 Marine has also been commissioned to build an S Series 130 methanol to hydrogen generator by Current AG for the development and evaluation of techniques to capture waste heat and CO2 from the exhaust stream created during the reforming process. The S Series S130 Hydrogen Generator is a modular system designed for ease of use on board vessels as part of a quiet, low vibration, low emission power solution for luxury boats or as a range extender supporting batterycentric power solutions on workboats. The technology can integrate with PEM fuel cells.
If the lab-based tests are successful, the additional heat and reduced CO2 emissions will improve the overall economy and environmental footprint of the methanol to hydrogen reforming process. This knowledge will then be incorporated into existing plans to construct commercial vessels with methanol to hydrogen reformers so that hydrogen can be
used to power fuel cells for generating electricity on e-vessels or hybrid vessels.
“Our methanol to hydrogen generators are already providing an accessible, safe and commercially viable low emission power solution for use in ports and on a range of vessels,” says Schulter. “The technology is already proving to be effective to slash total emissions, including the full removal of particulate matter, SOx and NOx. Although our generators already enable vessel owners to meet the incoming carbon reduction regulations, we are delighted that companies like Current AG are working to explore how we can help customers get closer to zero carbon emissions.”
Element 1 is also preparing to announce a new containerised, integrated fuel cell power solution for ports supporting e-vessel charging, cold ironing, and port electrification.
Ammonia and hydrogen mix means less pilot fuel Pherousa Green Technologies (PGT) has developed an ammonia cracker to enable deep-sea shipping to use hydrogen as a fuel. Pherousa Green Shipping (PGS) is preparing to order up to six Ultramax dry bulk carriers, designed by Deltamarin, incorporating the technology. PGT will deliver the plug-and-play ammonia crackers to PGS for installation onboard the newbuildings which are intended to service the worldwide copper industry.
PGT’s ammonia cracking technology allows the ship’s engines to be operated with a minimal amount of pilot fuel, instead using enriched ammonia and hydrogen as fuel. The system also enables the use of pure hydrogen in PEM fuel cells for electric power production. “The only fuel that is truly zero emission is hydrogen, but hydrogen storage is the biggest challenge for deep-sea shipping. Ammonia is the only readily available hydrogen carrier that has no carbon in its molecule, therefore the only truly zero-carbon hydrogen carrier. The ammonia cracking technology developed by PGT is a game changer that could become a major contributor toward the realization of the world´s zero-emission shipping,” says the PGT Group Chairman Hans Bredrup.
n Pherousa Green Technologies (PGT) has developed an ammonia cracker to enable deep-sea shipping to use hydrogen as a fuel
Researchers at Fraunhofer IMM in Germany are actively developing methanol and ammonia reformer technology suitable for mobile applications, including shipping
“The most important power-to-x fuel is currently hydrogen itself,” says Dr Gunther Kolb, Deputy Institute Director and Division Director at Fraunhofer IMM. “However, before hydrogen can be utilised as an energy source on a widespread basis, there are still some considerable hurdles that need to be overcome in terms of its transportation and storage. These include either high space requirements for its storage or other energetically unfavourable conditions.”
As ammonia can be liquefied at a moderate temperature of -33°C, and its volumetric hydrogen content is significantly higher than that of compressed hydrogen at 700 bar, it is a desirable hydrogen carrier.
“In a cracking reactor ammonia can be split into nitrogen and hydrogen when suitable catalysts are applied. A mixture of ammonia, hydrogen and nitrogen, known as spaltgas, is suited for homogeneous combustion and can be used as an energy source,” says Kolb. As part of the Spaltgas project, the researchers and project partners are developing a combustion technology that will use the gas mixture in the brick firing process
The researchers are also developing another cracking reactor based on new catalyst and micro-structure reactor technology. In this process, pure hydrogen is produced from ammonia through cracking and subsequently purified. The hydrogen can then be injected into PEM fuel cells.
“By utilising the off-gas of the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) applied for hydrogen purification as an energy source for the cracking process, we are able to achieve an efficiency of 90% in comparison to 70% which is achieved when conventional technologies are applied,” says Kolb. In the framework of AMMONPAKTOR project, the researchers have also reduced the size of the ammonia-cracking reactor by 90% compared to conventional reactor-technology. They have also lowered the carbon footprint in comparison to electrically heated reactor concepts by only using the exhaust gases from the cracking process to generate the energy required.
The first generation of the technology achieved the secondhighest specific hydrogen production rate ever published, and the current second generation has a throughput of 25 kg/h of ammonia and produces 70 kg of purified hydrogen per day.
Kolb sees maritime applications. Spaltgas, partially cracked ammonia, for example, could be combusted in ship engines. The gas mixture, containing some hydrogen, would aid the combustion of ammonia in the engine, negating the need for pilot fuels such as diesel or biodiesel.
His Fraunhofer IMM team is also participating in the ShipFC project to develop the world’s first ammonia-based fuel cell system for maritime applications. The ammonia required for fuel cells would need to have higher purity levels, and the project partners have demonstrated this along with the ability to reduce NOx from the exhaust gas to levels tenfold below current regulatory requirements.
Methanol reformer advances
Methanol is gaining popularity as a hydrogen carrier in the
shipping industry, and Kolb’s team is also developing a methanol reformer to produce hydrogen at the point of use onboard ships. The endothermic reaction to crack methanol requires heat, steam and catalysts. Existing catalysts are made from copper-zinc-oxide powder that is added to the reactor as extruded pellets. In mobile applications, movement leads to catalyst attrition and the reaction rate is low owing to relatively low reaction temperatures.
As well as optimising the catalysts, Kolb’s team has reduced the size of the reformer itself to about one sixth of other reactors. The are also opting for catalyst coatings containing precious metals similar to those used in automotive catalytic converters, because there is no attrition with these coatings, says Kolb. The catalysts are highly active and do not produce unwanted byproducts such as CO at partial load.
The research team has also optimised the heat management by developing plate heat exchangers coated with a catalysts and combined into stacks of up to 200 plates. When the exhaust gas flows over the plates, it comes into contact with the catalyst and is also heated highly efficiently in the small channels.
“By utilising the waste heat, we achieve excellent heat integration and high system efficiency,” says Kolb. At present, the researchers have a 35kW prototype running, and a 100kW prototype for maritime applications will be running by the end of this year. Kolb is now aiming for a 200kW system – to suit the fuel supply required for the 200kW maritime fuel cell modules currently on the market.
Australia is pushing ahead with its plans to be a leading green hydrogen producer with a new A$2 billion funding program
There’s some concern that the clean energy funding provided in the US’s Inflation Reduction Act will pull project and technology developers from around the world. Australia has ambitious plans to become a leading green hydrogen producer and exporter, and perhaps in part to counter a “brain drain” to overseas projects, the nation has allocated A$2 billion in its latest federal budget to subsidise projects that will reduce the cost of producing green hydrogen at home.
The program will help bridge the commercial gap for early projects and put Australia on course for up to a gigawatt of electrolyser capacity by 2030 by funding two or three flagship projects that can be scaled up to meet that goal. Expressions of interest will be accepted in 2024, and contracts will be awarded and provided with ongoing payments over a 10-year period from 2026-27.
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) CEO Darren Miller said: “Australia has an unparalleled opportunity to become a global green hydrogen leader, but we can’t afford to lose our momentum as other competing countries step up their ambitions and support. With this funding, we are looking to incentivise green hydrogen production in Australia by backing early projects that will be among the largest in the world.”
Industry has been positive about the program. Fortescue, which has a pipeline of hydrogen projects both in Australia and overseas, said it demonstrates how seriously the government is taking the green hydrogen industry and its critical role in Australia’s future. Australia has the highest solar radiation per square metre of any continent in the world.
Enough sunlight falls on a 50 square kilometre area to satisfy our entire nation’s electricity needs, says Mark Hutchinson, CEO Fortescue Future Industries. “According to a 2022 study, Australia would need to allocate just 2% of its land mass to solar and wind to replace all of the energy it currently exports via LNG and thermal coal with green electrons and green molecules.”
bp also has a project pipeline. Lucy Nation, bp’s vice
president, hydrogen - Australia and Asia Pacific said, “The Albanese Government has provided a much-needed response that gives industry increased confidence to invest. This program of competitive production contracts assists producers by helping to de-risk significant investments in an important new industry as well as attract global capital to Australia.”
bp is progressing three world-scale hydrogen projects in Western Australia with H2 Kwinana in the Kwinana Industrial Precinct, Project GERI (Geraldton Export-Scale Renewable Investment), and the Australian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara, a joint venture with Macquarie, CWP Global and Intercontinental Energy.
The Australian Government has already announced up to A$70 million in funding for the green hydrogen hub at Kwinana which brings together a unique combination of existing infrastructure, concentrated industrial demand, and strong connections to one of Australia’s largest industrial hubs. The hub will include installation of an electrolyser of at least 75MW, hydrogen storage, compression and truck loading facilities, and upgrades to bp’s existing on-site hydrogen pipeline. The hydrogen produced will support domestic and export demand including hydrogen supply for bp’s renewable fuels production, ammonia, metals and minerals processing, on-site gas blending and hydrogen for heavy duty transport.
The Australian Renewable Energy Hub project offers a major decarbonisation opportunity for the Pilbara, an industrial region identified for having significant potential for emissions reductions through the greening of iron ore mining and processing, green steel production, diesel fuel displacement and potential use and bunkering of green shipping fuels at Port Hedland. At full scale, the project is expected to be capable of producing around 1.6 million tonnes of green hydrogen, or 9 million tonnes of green ammonia, per annum and abate around 17 million tonnes of carbon in domestic and export markets annually.
bp’s hydrogen projects represent the opportunity to decarbonise today’s industry and set conditions for
tomorrow’s low carbon economy, says Nation. This includes decarbonised energy for processing critical minerals and supplying hydrogen to Australia’s major trade partners as they also decarbonise their economies.
ARENA has also announced $20 million in funding to Stanwell Corporation to support a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for a large-scale renewable hydrogen project in Gladstone, Queensland. The $117 million project will finalise the development stage of the Central Queensland Hydrogen (CQ-H2) Project, which will initially involve the installation of up to 640MW of electrolysers to produce hydrogen for commercial operations commencing in 2028. The hydrogen production facility will produce gaseous renewable hydrogen that will be purchased by offtakers and converted to renewable ammonia and liquefied hydrogen for export. The facility will initially produce 200 tonnes per day (tpd), with full scale anticipated to be 800 tpd for commercial operations in 2031.
The Australian government is also targeting Australian manufacturing, with Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing, saying there’s clear intent to set up a process to make sure that, given what’s happening overseas, particularly in the American system where there are big production subsidies for manufacturing there, that Australian manufacturing maintains its competitive edge. “The Government is sending that clear market signal to the investment community and the scientific community now that Australia should be the destination for renewable energy investment.”
Paul Barrett, CEO of Australian electrolyser technology company Hysata, said the Headstart program funds his company’s customers. “There’s going to be multiple projects around Australia that have now got an economic benefit to get their green hydrogen projects to scale quickly. And as a manufacturer of electrolysers, that are the technology that manufactures the green hydrogen, we’ve now got an opportunity to sell early to these Australian customers rather than shipping our product overseas.”
He says Hysata, a company spun out of the University of Wollongong, can make hydrogen cheaper than anyone else in the world. Research published in scientific journal Nature Communications confirms Hysata’s ‘capillary-fed electrolysis cell’ can produce green hydrogen from water at 98% cell energy efficiency, well above International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) 2050 target and significantly better than existing electrolyser technologies, enabling a hydrogen production cost well below A$2/kg (US$1.50/kg). The technology involves water supplied to hydrogen- and oxygen-evolving electrodes via capillary-induced transport along a porous inter-electrode separator, leading to inherently bubble-free operation at the electrodes.
Professor Kondo Francois Aguey-Zinsou of the University of Sydney says one of the main goals right now is to take hydrogen production and storage to industrial scale. His
research includes solid-state hydrogen storage: rather than compressing and liquifying hydrogen, this involves holding hydrogen atoms within a solid substance.
In the early days that substance was often magnesium, but Aguey-Zinsou and his team are investigating combinations of metals, termed intermetallics, to find one that would maximise hydrogen absorption and stability. This offers the possibility of hydrogen being part of a solid-state device that could be easily carried and plugged into fuel cells. An electric bike and barbecue have already been built to successfully demonstrate the principle.
Nanoscale advances
Scientists from the University of NSW have demonstrated a novel technique for creating tiny 3D materials that could eventually make fuel cells cheaper and more sustainable. In the study published in Science Advances, the researchers show it’s possible to sequentially ‘grow’ interconnected hierarchical structures in 3D at the nanoscale which have unique chemical and physical properties to support energy conversion reactions.
The researchers were able to carefully grow hexagonal crystal–structured nickel branches on cubic crystal–structured cores to create 3D hierarchical structures with dimensions of around 10-20 nanometres. The resulting interconnected 3D nanostructure has a high surface area, high conductivity due to the direct connection of a metallic core and branches, and has surfaces that can be chemically modified.
In conventional catalysts, which are often spherical, most atoms are stuck in the middle of the sphere. There are very few atoms on the surface, meaning most of the material is wasted as it can’t take part in the reaction environment. These new 3D nanostructures are engineered to expose more atoms to the reaction environment, which can facilitate more efficient and effective catalysis for energy conversion.
“If this is used in a fuel cell or battery, having a higher surface area for the catalyst means the reaction will be more efficient when converting hydrogen into electricity,” says Professor Richard Tilley. This means that less of the material needs to be used for the reaction so costs will be reduced, making energy production more sustainable and ultimately shifting dependence further away from fossil fuels.
Australia has an unparalleled opportunity to become a global green hydrogen leader, but we can’t afford to lose our momentum as other competing countries step up their ambitions and supportSource: Hysatas
Australia-based Provaris aims to offer its compressed hydrogen supply chain solution as an alternative to ammonia as a hydrogen carrier in upcoming European projects
n The engineering and approvals process for the H2Neo hydrogen carriers is continuing, with the H2Leo set to become available in 2025.
The company aims to have its solutions ready for when both Europe and Australasia have matured production projects in a few years’ time.
Martin Carolan, Provaris Managing Director and CEO, says recent announcements relating to ports and pipelines in Europe indicate they are getting ready for hydrogen delivery from 2027. This fits with his timeframe for offering a competitive alternative. Already partnered with Norwegian Hydrogen, he is in talks with companies in the UK, Germany and southern Europe. The company is ideally targeting supply that is less than 1,000 nautical miles to port, and up to 2,000 nautical miles, where Carolan says Provaris’s compressed hydrogen transport solution is “super competitive.”
Provaris and Norwegian Hydrogen entered a collaboration in January to accelerate the development of a hydrogen value chain covering large scale production and export of hydrogen from the Nordics to key ports of Europe. A preferred site in Norway has been identified for a production facility. The project aims to deliver 50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year commencing in 2027, with a competitive transport cost for compression, loading, shipping and discharge of EUR 1.00-1.50/kg, based on the use of Provaris’s recently launched floating storage (H2Leo) and two of its H2Neo compressed hydrogen carriers. The partners are now developing a blueprint for multiple bulk-scale compressed hydrogen export sites in Europe.
Germany and the Netherlands are already considered key import locations for bulk-scale hydrogen and are well advanced in the planning and development of the HyPerLink project which aims to develop an open access, cross-border hydrogen backbone in northern Germany. This will include connection between sites for the large-scale import of hydrogen and final consumers in industrial and urban centres in Northern Germany. A grid system established from repurposing of existing gas storage and pipelines will allow for integration with Provaris’ compressed hydrogen solution at the ports in Netherlands and Germany. The project is expecting to deliver a large scale hydrogen network (up to 7.2GW) with a total length of approximately 610km.
Hydrogen storage capacity will be built in. Provaris launched its gaseous hydrogen floating storage solution, H2Leo, earlier this year after earlier launching the design of a compressed hydrogen carrier, H2Neo. The storage concept has a design capacity range of 300 to 600 tonnes of hydrogen, expandable to up to 2,000 tonnes. “We have undertaken research in 2022 with the support of a consultant looking for storage solutions up to 500 tonnes,” says Carolan. “When looking at the alternatives of purchasing containerised solutions that use carbon fibre high pressure tanks or customer build c-type carbon steel, the capital costs for such scale resulted in a range of US$1-2 million per tonne of hydrogen storage. With our proprietary tanks integrated with a barge hull design, the cost per tonnes, based on 300-600 tonnes of storage capacity, is estimated to be US$200,000 to US$300,000 per tonne.”
Storage adds flexibility and redundancy to the loading and discharge of hydrogen cargos to cater for variability in hydrogen supply based on renewable power generation. “It will also optimise the round trip scheduling and in some instances remove the need for a carrier. This reduces overall capex which flows on to lowering overall delivered costs.
“Additionally, we know that all giga-watt scale supply chains for ammonia that are based on renewable generation and hydrogen supply will require hydrogen storage and power storage (batteries). The amount of storage will vary based on the load factor of the renewable supply, but this can be in the range of 200-600 tonnes.”
We have undertaken research in 2022 with the support of a consultant looking for storage solutions up to 500 tonnes
‘‘Source: Provaris
A further potential use for the barge would be maritime bunkering operations. “We have held discussions in Norway and other areas where bunker storage applications for small ships and ferries are planned to run on compressed hydrogen and fuel cells. The logistics will need fixed land-based storage or an alternative would be a floating barge near to the shore where you can have the advantage of central location, without the complication of exclusion zones for hazid.”
Carolan also sees potential for barge storage along the river systems in Europe to be located near industries such as cement or chemical or steel.
The H2Leo floating storage barge is designed to have two cargo tanks with independent isolation, safety valves, and manifolds for compressed hydrogen transfer. The company targets a US$0.2 - 0.3 million/tonne capital cost for the H2Leo, making it significantly cheaper than onshore solutions.
The ongoing development of H2Leo will run parallel to the remaining engineering and approvals for the H2Neo hydrogen carriers, targeting prototype testing and final class approval later this year, with H2Leo set to become available in 2025.
In January, Provaris released a feasibility study for exporting compressed hydrogen from the HyEnergy project in Western Australia, with the design basis of the study demonstrating an export solution for 200,000 tonnes per annum. The project is a proposed green hydrogen production project developed by Province Resources located in Western Australia’s Gascoyne Region, Carnarvon. The project involves the installation of a wind and solar farm with a proposed renewable energy capacity of at least 8GW over a land area in excess of 350,000ha.
HyEnergy is envisaged to be developed as a 5.2GW electrolyser facility, producing up to 550,000tpa of green hydrogen for export to Singapore. An offshore loading terminal will use a Single Anchor Loading system designed by APL NOV, which has delivered and commissioned similar technologies to the offshore oil and gas industry. The proprietary system provides high operability limits, allowing connection and loading to take place at a significant wave height of 3.5m. The mooring and riser assembly and pipeline end manifold is located subsea, reducing the risk of collision with vessels and has low visual and environmental impact. The study confirmed the technical and economic feasibility of the export using compression.
Analysis of Singapore’s existing receiving port facilities indicates Jurong Island as a suitable location to unload hydrogen. Jurong Island is the largest energy precinct in Singapore with several potential offtakers. The unloading terminal is envisaged to consist of two island berths in a linear arrangement with supporting unloading terminal equipment and infrastructure to enable compressed hydrogen transfer to the end customers and future grid infrastructure.
Also in Australia, Provaris is developing its own Tiwi H2 export project. Located on the Tiwi Islands, the project scale proposes an export volume of 100,000 tonnes per annum, using a fleet of its H2Neo carriers. The Tiwi H2 Project intends to use solar energy to produce up to 100,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen for export markets in the AsiaPacific region. The Tiwi Islands have existing port infrastructure and an industrial precinct at Port Melville, and the company is now engaged in pre-FEED activities.
“The combination of low environmental impact, port infrastructure, proximity to market and compression provides Provaris and the Tiwi H2 Project with a potential first-mover advantage in the region, by targeting first exports in 2027, and
has the potential to be Australia’s first export project of gaseous green hydrogen,” says Carolan.
In May, Provaris released a report comparing the delivery cost of hydrogen using either compression, liquefaction or ammonia when integrated with a variable renewable energy profile to produce hydrogen. The study states that energy use and losses across the entire supply chain (generation, production, and delivery) associated with liquefaction and ammonia exceed 40%, while compression remains below 20%. Further, compression is the most cost-effective option for regional transport distances from 500 to 4,000 nautical miles with volumes of up to 500,000 tonnes per annum. Liquefaction and ammonia suffer from high levels of renewable energy curtailment, energy use in the conversion process (20-30% loss), and energy use in the conversion back to gaseous hydrogen upon delivery (5-30% loss).
The report concludes that compression is the most compatible alternative for variable renewable generation profiles as it can fully “load follow”, eliminating additional capex required for a battery as well as hydrogen storage to manage variability. A bulk-scale hydrogen storage solution is required regardless of the hydrogen energy vector selected, and the recent launch of the H2Leo floating storage solution is a low-cost alternative for hydrogen storage.
“We are witnessing a remarkable increase in awareness and comprehension of some of the formidable challenges associated with delivering green hydrogen and the need for scalable solutions before 2030,” says Carolan. “Relying predominantly on ammonia supply chains to deliver hydrogen is not necessarily an efficient solution for governments and industries that require gaseous hydrogen to achieve emission reduction targets.
“By embracing compression as a crucial element in our hydrogen infrastructure, we ensure a swifter realisation of emission targets for hard to abate sectors and effectively address the challenges we have ahead of us.”
n Provaris is developing its own Tiwi H2 export project, with an export volume of 100,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen for export markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The Tiwi Islands have existing port infrastructure and an industrial precinct at Port Melville, and the company is now engaged in preFEED activities.
n The H2Leo floating storage barge is designed to have two cargo tanks with independent isolation, safety valves, and manifolds for compressed hydrogen transfer.
A new ship design concept for the carriage of liquified hydrogen (LH2) will evolve from experience gained with LNG but faces unique technical challenges
n GTT has already developed a preliminary LH2 carrier design as well as an LH2 cargo containment system for a mid-size LH2 carrier
GTT, TotalEnergies, LMG Marin and Bureau Veritas (BV) are developing a 150,000m3 capacity LH2 carrier concept design which will be fitted with a membrane-type containment system from GTT. The ability to safely transport large volumes of hydrogen in liquefied form at -253°C (only 20°C above absolute zero) is one of the major technological challenges that the project partners aim to overcome to ensure a reliable, efficient, safe and competitive global carbon-free hydrogen value chain.
The ship design will be largely driven by the lightness of LH2. Its density is much lower than liquefied gases such as LNG, LCO2 or LPG. When H2 is liquefied at atmospheric pressure and at the necessary cryogenic temperature, its density is as low as 71 kg/m3
Jean-Baptiste Boutillier, VP Innovations of GTT, says that technical challenges for the LH2 containment system include permeability, because hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the universe, thermal insulation, and safety.
LH2 transport technologies are required to demonstrate the same level of safety as LNG, which has a significant track record for safety. “The physical properties of hydrogen and its very low boiling point at atmospheric pressure require extremely efficient solutions,” says Boutillier. “To meet the technical challenges of LH2, new materials will be required, but most of GTT’s existing partners across the supply chain are in a position to offer components for the LH2 technology.”
The main advantage of the membrane type tank design is that the weight of the containment material is reduced compared to other thick plate solutions, he says.
GTT is carrying out multiple sloshing calculation and test campaigns to compensate for the differences between LH2 and LNG. The light weight of the LH2 means less sloshing than LNG. “This has two consequences. As the cargo is lighter, the shape of the hull will be different and therefore the movement of the ship will not be the same as for LNG carriers. The liquid response is also different, as well as the pressure on the containment system.”
The system’s boil-off rate will be designed to match the gas handling capacities on board the vessel. One of the options for powering the LH2 carrier is to use fuel cells which would consume the boil-off, but one of the industry’s challenges for LH2 carriers is to design fuel cells that meet the power demand of the vessels. Either way, fuel cells or combustion engines, boil-off will be consumed in the propulsion system, with a reliquefaction system required to handle the excess.
“GTT has all knowledge and skills to develop the technical solutions necessary to ensure the safe and reliable transport and storage of LH2 in large quantities and over long distances,” concludes Boutillier.
Regulatory considerations
Carlos Guerrero, Global Market Leader Oil tankers and Gas Carriers at BV Marine and Offshore, says the IMO IGC Code
does not presently consider LH2 as a cargo. However, the IMO recently issued the Resolution MSC.420(97) “Interim Recommendations for Carriage of Liquefied Hydrogen in Bulk” which is a useful instrument for the assessment of this type of ship. It was produced, among other reasons, to support the development of the first seagoing LH2 carrier, the Suiso Frontier
“This IMO document is currently being revised basically to try to incorporate the lessons learnt so far,” says Guerrero. The IMO subcommittee CCC9, to be held in September this year, is dealing with the revisions, and LH2 cargo will potentially be included in future amendments of the “International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk” (IGC Code).
“Currently, classification regulations have been developed to cover liquefied gases in bulk similarly to the IGC Code, although it is worth noting that class societies were pioneers to implement such type of rules before any specific IMO regulation was developed,” he says. “Supported by risk analysis, the IGC Code, the MSC.420(97) resolution and the existing classification rules, a design of a LH2 carrier can already be assessed and the concept approved accordingly. Obviously, classification rules will also evolve in parallel with the IMO developments, and LH2 as cargo is to be incorporated in the service notation ‘Liquefied gas carrier’ that is currently granted for other type of liquefied gases such as LNG or LPG, for instance.”
Fire safety
Guerrero says the main safety risks for the carriage of hydrogen relate to its wide range of flammability and the low amount of energy needed to ignite an inflammable air/H2 mix. “The range of flammability of H2 is very large, from 4% to 75% in the air mix, compared to approximately 5 to 15% for CH4. This flammability means that there is an additional risk in case of a gas release on board of a LH2 carrier. Secondly, the energy required to ignite a flammable H2/air mix is very low, which means that there is a higher risk of fire or explosion on board in case of a LH2 leak or H2 release.”
A fire on board a LH2 carrier has a rapid burning rate, and the flame at a very high temperature is invisible. “Efficient gas detection and the necessary fire-protection and fire-fighting equipment on board will be a must, and a risk analysis will provide valuable insights to take into consideration in the ship design.”
Leak mitigation
Brittle fracture and consequently loss of containment could be a catastrophic scenario for the ship. The risk is applicable to tanks and cargo handling systems, i.e. piping, valves, etc. that are in contact with the cargo. “As for LNG, appropriate materials may be stainless steel or aluminium, for instance, and the IMO guideline Resolution MSC.420(97) makes reference to this specific topic and to existing standards.”
Due to the small size of the H2 molecule size, there may be
a risk of diffusion into the cargo system material, potentially leading to micro-cracks or fractures and then potentially leaks. “Again, the type of material including composition, tensile strength, grain size and micro structure are important elements to take into consideration. Special surface treatment could also be proposed to protect the material against H2 absorption,” says Guerrero.
“Risk can be mitigated firstly by carefully managing the cargo to prevent leaks or releases. A thorough risk analysis is a critical part of the assessment of such innovative projects. The selection of materials for the cargo system is key but not only this. Since the cargo tanks may be small (in some cases, just a few thousand cubic meters), the boil-off rate is significant due to the fact that the cargo is continuously boiling and vapours generated inside the tanks have to be handled adequately to prevent a pressure increase which could lead to emergency gas release through the vent masts.”
He says that some systems that have been put forward consider highly performant insulation, including vacuum to reduce significantly the LH2 vaporization, i.e., to lower the boil-off rate. Other concepts propose “active” boil-off gas handling systems such as gas combustion units to burn the excess vapour in the tanks. A combination of techniques is also possible.
“It seems that the LH2 seaborn transportation model may follow trends that we observed with LNG, which has been up and running since October 1964. However, due to technical and commercial challenges, the feasibility must be demonstrated with practical projects. It is a fact that technical developments are much faster today than in the 20th century, but we cannot compromise safety so we will need to follow carefully the necessary steps to move forward with confidence,” says Guerrero.
“In the path to decarbonization, H2 is one of the key options and there will be a need to implement a global distribution network for large volumes of clean energy. Transportation by ship is the most efficient way and all the stakeholders have to work together in very close collaboration to address the necessary technical and commercial aspects.”
n Carlos Guerrero, Global Market Leader Oil tankers and Gas Carriers at BV Marine and Offshore noted the IGC Code needs to be updated to include liquefied hydrogen as a cargo
GTT has all knowledge and skills to develop the technical solutions necessary to ensure the safe and reliable transport and storage of LH2 in large quantities and over long distances
The scaling up of e-fuels production has started, and with it, the technological advances that aim to reduce upstream emissions and bring costs down
We are on the brink of industrialised production of e-fuels, says Ralf Diemer, Managing Director of the eFuel Alliance. “The technology is there. It’s doable. It’s feasible, but now the big investments have to be made.” The eFuel Alliance is an interest group committed to promoting political and social acceptance of e-fuels and to securing their regulatory approval. It represents over 170 companies along the value chain of e-fuels.
Diemer expects to see a lot more production globally at least by 2025. Regulation in the EU and the US, even Australia, is creating the right environment, but the big projects need offtakers to trigger FID. e-fuel refineries have the advantage that, like their fossil fuel equivalent, their production systems can be flexible, shift from one use case to another to meet changing demand, he says.
“Cost effectiveness will come through scale effects,” says Diemer. “It’s difficult to predict exactly when, but our members believe that around 2030-35, we will be able to produce e-fuels at costs comparable to fossil fuels – not cheaper, perhaps just slightly more expensive. CO2 neutrality comes with a price tag.”
Commodities specialist Trafigura recently published research estimating that the Global South (Africa, Australasia, South America) could produce almost 4,000 exajoules per year of competitively priced green hydrogen, against projected annual demand for the shipping industry of 20 to 40 exajoules. At US$2.00 per kilogram of green hydrogen, the estimated production costs of e-fuels in these nations is expected to be approximately US$750 per tonne, whereas in Europe, with higher electricity prices, it would be closer to US$1,200 to US$1,500 per tonne.
The authors call for the introduction of a carbon levy by 2025, saying the IMO could accelerate the development of these fuels by implementing demanding science-based decarbonisation targets in its revised GHG Strategy at MEPC 80 in July. “Delaying action will only add to the eventual cost of decarbonisation. The IMO needs to decisively move forward to tackle the shipping industry’s emissions and start the journey to a sustainable and resilient future,” says Rasmus Bach Nielsen, Global Head of Fuel Decarbonisation at Trafigura and co-author of the research whitepaper.
SwitcH2 has developed an H2-FPSO design which it says is a natural evolution from traditional FPSOs which have been the most cost-effective solutions for standalone production in oil and gas fields worldwide. SwitcH2 is leading the OFFSET project, which includes partners BW Offshore, MARIN, TU Delft, and Strohm. With funding from the Dutch government, the project aim is to create a floating hydrogen and/or ammonia FPSO which will be connected to a nearby wind farm by 2027 for production to start in 2028. The ammonia will be shipped to end consumers by shuttle tankers, and the produced hydrogen brought to shore by pipeline.
At 300 meters long and 64 meters wide, the FPSO was
initially targeted to have a capacity of 200MW, the same as Shell is planning in the Port of Rotterdam in a separate project, but Dr Saskia Kunst, board member of SwitH2, says the partners expect to increase that to 300MW.
“We have made cost assessments in terms of overall capex, OPEX and maintainability, and believe that a single floater attached to a wind park is the way to reduce costs rather than having production take place at individual wind turbines,” she says.
“What we see developing currently is a 1GW standard for installed wind power, at least around Europe. It could be a single FPSO that takes part of that power, roughly a third. But what we increasingly see, and I believe that will also be visible in other parts of the world, is that wind parks will be set up solely to produce hydrogen offshore.”
The company’s goal is to send molecules to shore rather than electrons and bring them to shore. “Why? Because bringing electricity to shore is inherently less efficient than bringing molecules to shore, due to the power losses. And we are starting to see the limits of what the transformer stations offshore can absorb and how the grids onshore can deal with the fluctuations in power.”
She notes that a previously designated Dutch offshore wind farm location, Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden, will now be used exclusively for the production of green hydrogen from offshore wind. And as part of Germany’s new plan to generate 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, an area of the North Sea has also been set aside exclusively for offshore green hydrogen production.
TU Delft is developing catalyst technology that will eventually enable the electrolysers on the H2-FPSO to use seawater as the source of the hydrogen. Currently, electrolysers need demineralised water, and the process results in a brine waste stream. TU Delft’s new membraneless technology is currently at TRL4, but the aim is to reach TRL7 in the next few years. It may not be fully commercialised by
the expected time of operation of the first FPSO in 2028, but it is certainly the direction of travel for large scale offshore production, says Kunst.
Experts from DNV expect to see catalyst and reactor design developments that will boost e-fuel production efficiency in parallel with the development of larger scale or modular mass-produced reactors. They also expect a lot of process optimisation in the production of e-fuels, including higher efficiency hydrogen electrolysers. Better heat integration with downstream processes is expected to bring costs down.
Topsoe is currently constructing the first industrial scale SOEC manufacturing facility. The factory will have an initial 500MW manufacturing capacity, and Topsoe says its SOEC technology is up to 35% more efficient than conventional technologies, enabling a more efficient green hydrogen production to help meet global decarbonisation targets.
To reach net zero on a global scale in 2050 an estimated 3670GW of installed electrolysis capacity is required by 2050. A prerequisite for having enough capacity, that enables industry producing green hydrogen, is to build up manufacturing capacity at speed, and this is what Topsoe is aiming for with the new factory.
“Our factory will take high-temperature electrolysis from the laboratory environment to industrial scale and provide the first industrial use case,” says Kim Hedegaard, CEO Power-to-X at Topsoe. The company is involved in several projects aimed at proving the viability of SOEC, including the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia, announced in July 2020, for which it will deliver the world's largest green ammonia plant.
Topsoe’s ammonia technology will also enable Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Sustainable Fuels Group to produce blue ammonia from a planned facility on the US Gulf Coast, expected to be operational in 2027. The facility will use Topsoe’s SynCOR™ steam reforming technology to generate hydrogen from high-temperature steam and a methane source. Along with the capture and sequestration of the produced CO2, the process will reduce emissions by 90% (well-to-gate) compared to traditional ammonia production.
BASF Japan’s high-pressure regenerative CO2 capture technology HiPACT® will be used by INPEX in its Kashiwazaki Clean Hydrogen/Ammonia Project - Japan’s first demonstration project for the production of blue hydrogen/ ammonia from domestically produced natural gas. By releasing the CO2 off gas above atmospheric pressure, the technology is expected to reduce CO2 capture and compression costs by up to 35% compared with conventional technologies due to its excellent high-temperature durability and CO2 absorption performance.
Methanol is also in the picture. In May, Ørsted broke ground on Europe’s largest e-methanol project, FlagshipONE. The project
is claimed to signal in a new green era of shipping, where largescale methanol production facilities will supply a constantly growing fleet of methanol-powered vessels. Currently, over 110 e-methanol vessels have been ordered or are in operation, up from 80 vessels at the end of 2022. At the same time, new regulation such as FuelEU Maritime is also increasing the demand for new, green maritime fuels. FlagshipONE will start production in 2025, when it will produce 50,000 tonnes of e-methanol annually. Partners include Siemens Energy, Carbon Clean, and Topsoe, which will deliver the electrolysers and control system, the carbon capture equipment, and the methanol synthesis equipment, respectively.
The Methanol Institute projects there will be up to 8 million mtpa of combined renewable or bio-methanol production capacity by 2030, in addition to the approximately 100 million mtpa produced from fossil-based feedstocks. IRENA forecasts production of 550 million mtpa by 2050, including 350 million mtpa of combined renewable and bio-methanol.
Chris Chatterton, Chief Operating Officer of the Methanol Institute, notes that electrolysis is the dominant technology platform being chosen for the production of green hydrogen globally, which requires large amounts of affordable, renewable power as the primary feedstock. This is true for both green ammonia and green methanol.
“Electrolysis is not a new technology although scaling it efficiently in order to meet the expected future demand for green hydrogen is. In this respect, scaling too fast may lead to inefficiently produced hydrogen which could potentially be rendered uncompetitive. Production costs are largely a factor of the costs for the renewable power together with the hydrogen production. Therefore, the only way to bring costs down to be able to offer a greener product at an affordable price will be to introduce effective policy to incentivise producers as well as consumers, so that both sides can maintain compliance and not sacrifice their competitive advantages.”
Speaking on the ability of methanol to support more ambitious targets that could be set by the IMO at MEPC 80, Chatterton says: “Methanol is ideally suited as a transition fuel today, in its conventional specification based on fossil fuel, as it is substantially lower in CO2 than conventional marine fuels when combusted, with significantly reduced PM, NOx and SOx, plus it is miscible in water, which is better for the environment in the event of a spill or salvage operation. Numerous pathways to allow for transitioning to lower carbon and carbon neutral methanol have been well studied and are incorporated across the almost 90 projects that the Methanol Institute tracks globally.
“So, we can confidently advise the IMO that methanol can contribute significantly to maritime decarbonisation and is
but now the big investments have to be made”
It’s difficult to predict exactly when, but our members believe that around 2030-35, we will be able to produce e-fuels at costs comparable to fossil fuels – not cheaper, perhaps just slightly more expensive. CO2 neutrality comes with a price tagn Ralf Diemer, Managing Director of the eFuel Alliance: “The technology is there. It’s doable. It’s feasible,
over 20 vessels in service today and over 100 on order. By 2030, methanol will likely be seen as having contributed more towards maritime decarbonisation than all other alternative fuels combined, based on total emissions reduced, to include CO2, methane, PM, NOx and SOx.”
Measurement and reporting of upstream emissions is developing along with the technologies, and in April, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report proposing new hydrogen definitions that replace the colour labels (green, blue and grey) with a taxonomy based on underlying production emissions. The report argues that an international emissions accounting framework for hydrogen is necessary to ensure much-needed transparency to facilitate adoption and scale-up.
The IEA is concerned by the significant divergence between emerging certification schemes, and says that terminologies that use colours or qualifiers such as “sustainable”, “low-carbon” etc. often mask a wide range of different emissions intensities, depending, for example, on the source of electricity, the CO2 capture rate or the emissions associated with upstream fossil fuel production.
Numerical values that reflect emissions intensities and that can be calculated directly for a specific production route are more transparent and allow project developers to assess regulatory compliance efficiently. The IEA therefore proposes nine technology-neutral levels. Beginning with level “A” (emissions intensities below zero), each subsequent level represents an increase in emissions intensity ending with
level “I” (7 kg CO2-eq/kg H2). The cap at level “I” is intended to capture all known hydrogen production routes that can achieve lower emissions than unabated fossil-based routes.
It remains to be seen whether this will be taken up globally or nationally. Certainly, the IMO is working on how to incorporate well-to-wake emissions into its regulations. Meanwhile, some in the industry are anticipating regulatory or consumer demand. Earlier this year, for example, ONE launched an Eco Calculator which calculates CO2 emissions from ONE’s operating vessels on either a tank-to-wake or well-to-wake basis.
n SOEC factory.
Inset: Saskia Kunst: “We have made cost assessments in terms of overall capex, OPEX and maintainability, and believe that a single floater attached to a wind park is the way to reduce costs"
Harland & Wolff has given added dimension to its strategy for shipbuilding revival through a project to design and construct zero-emission tugs. The Belfast-based group has joined forces with Macduff Ship Designers, Kongsberg Maritime, and Echandia in a consortium that will make recourse to technology transfer to develop and build ‘green’ harbour/coastal tugs using a 100% UK supply chain.
An initial order is in the planning stage encompassing two hybrid battery-electric tugs of azimuthing stern drive(ASD) type, each of which will be 25.5m in length, 12m in breadth and of 4.85m draught. Relative to the main dimensions, the design offers a high towing effect of 50t bollard pull capacity, suited to coastwise assignments with heavily laden barges and other tasks.
The consortium will meld innovative design with proven energy storage and propulsion technologies to realise zeroemission vessels that will utilise electric propulsion from stored battery power for regular day-to-day operations, backed up by generators run on biofuel where boost or higher power is required, or when shore charging support is unavailable.
Harland & Wolff will act as project lead and builder, with Macduff of Aberdeenshire undertaking the design, Kongsberg having responsibility for propulsion and vessel control systems, and Echandia supplying the battery and electrical control know-how and hardware.
It is indicated that the opening two-tug programme will also involve construction of two barges, one measuring 90m x 30m and the other 50m x 15m. The barges will play a logistical role for Harland & Wolff, transporting loads, such as sub-assemblies and sections, between its network of yards in the UK, and have wider effect in keeping with the concept of a UK Marine Coastal Highway.
The technologies deployed are seen as scalable and adaptable to other fields in due course, notably to the crew transfer vessel(CTV) and service operation vessel(SOV) markets, given robust development in the offshore wind energy sector.
In addition to the Belfast complex, where the company has production under way on 23 containerised refuse lighters for service on the River Thames with Cory, the Harland & Wolff group comprises the Appledore shipyard in north Devon, and two fabrication yards in Scotland.
The company has suggested that the craft could provide coastal freight carrying capacity for other clients as and when the barges do not have full H&W consignments or are in ‘light’ condition on positioning voyages. Fabrication of structures for offshore wind developments is seen as offering scope for coastwise loads.
The consortium believes that the tug market will offer up significant demand for ‘green’ designs of various sizes and capabilities in the coming decade, including substantial export opportunities.
Harland & Wolff’s chief executive John Wood said “These will be the first vessels of this type to be designed and constructed in the UK and will go on to provide firm foundations for the build of various vessels requiring this type of technology in the future. We are delighted by the initial feedback we have received from potential clients and look forward to seeing these vessels come to life in our shipyards.”
Nearly 20 years on since the last newbuild delivery from Belfast, the barge programme has effectively reactivated the fabrication halls at the Belfast site. The contract is thereby serving as preparation for the return to large-scale shipbuilding in Northern Ireland, signalled by the UK Ministry of Defence’s selection last November of the Team Resolute consortium to design and build three Royal Fleet Auxiliary(RFA) support vessels.
Team Resolute, comprised of Harland & Wolff, ship designer BMT, and the UK arm of Spain’s largest shipbuilder Navantia, is focused on a 2025 start of production on the first vessel. The series of 216m newbuilds, with the power to operate at speeds up to 19 knots, will have a primary role as replenishment vessels, supplying stores, munitions, spares and equipment to warships at sea.
The majority of the blocks and modules for the ships will be constructed by Harland & Wolff in Belfast and Appledore, with components also being sourced from the Methil and Arnish fabrication sites in Scotland. There will also be significant input from Spain, whereby Navantia’s Puerto Real yard at Cadiz will undertake some of the building work, as well as providing technology transfer and skills know-how to Belfast. Final assembly for all three vessels will take place at Belfast.
These will be the first vessel of this type to be designed and constructed in the UK and will go on to provide firm foundations for the build of various vessels requiring this type of technology in the future.
n Expensive industrial carbon capture projects, such as a proposed project at Mongstad in Norway, are unlikely to be economical in most of the world without the introduction of a carbon levy
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is gaining widespread attention as a way towards ‘Net Zero’ but a CO2 value chain is required before the maritime industry can give serious consideration to the commercial transportation of this primary greenhouse gas. What’s more a number of technical obstacles need to be hurdled if there is going to be industry wide take up of CCS technology aboard all vessel types, including passenger ships.
Financial constraints have already resulted in delays to the planned 2026 commissioning of a carbon capture plant in Oslo, Norway, with inflation, geopolitical instability, energy and raw materials pushing cost calculations for Hafslund Oslo Celsio’s Klemetsrud plant way beyond the initial US$518.88 million price tag.
Any further delays to plant commissioning will inevitably have a knock-on effect on the 7500m3 Northern Lights vessels being built to ship CO2 from industrial sites in Europe to the receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, from where it would be injected into rock formations on the North Sea seabed. If we assume the same issues are impacting similar projects elsewhere, then meeting the Paris Protocol ambition of a 1.5°C temperature drop is improbable. The targeted Celsius reduction means limiting carbon emissions to 450ppm and “we are already at 420ppm. The time gap is narrowing very quickly,” one analyst revealed.
Transporting CO2 in its gaseous form is technically feasible and transporting CO2 as dry ice is also possible but the volumes make liquefaction a better solution, with most maritime projects looking at developing onboard liquefied CO2 containment systems.
However, while a LCO2 system is likely to be based on a bi-lobe, tri-lobe or cylindrical Type C cargo tank, simply using a tank designed for LNG or LPG containment is not an option.
As Knut Erik Heggem, Sales Manager at Wärtsilä GasSolutions (WGN), explained: “There are so many different implications into carrying liquid carbon dioxide than just having a conventional tank that's already in commonplace; it's got to be a new design, a new concept.”
Heggem furthered that CO2 is about 45% heavier than LPG and LNG. And for larger LCO2 carriers, containment tanks need to withstand different design pressures and temperatures. The operating envelope of a LCO2 tank needs to be above the ‘triple point’ for pure carbon dioxide, which occurs at 0.5 MPa (5bar) and -54.4°C.
Essentially, CO2 is stored at high pressures and low temperatures to maintain its liquid state. This means special attention must be given to insulation systems and pressure relief mechanisms to prevent excessive pressure build-up or temperature fluctuations during transportation.
While LCO2 tanks would not need an inert gas system, they would need to be vented very carefully to protect crews entering the tank (CO2 is toxic) but also to prevent ice from forming in the tank. Venting during transportation would be an important operation to prevent over-pressurisation, which, depending on the size of the tanks, could require several thousand cubic metres of dry air.
Knut Arild Kaupang, Sales Director with Survitec’s Maritime Protection division, the safety company WGS approached as part of its research into the development of a medium pressure LCO2 containment system, said if you put in “ambient air with a high dew point it will start snowing inside. We already have the technology. It needs a slight redesign, but we basically have a solution ready. It is very similar to our dry inert gas systems, we just remove the inert gas part.”
Despite the potential for liquefied carbon dioxide to solidify into dry ice should relief valves fail and pressure falls below 5 bar, tanks will need to be built from sturdier, heavier materials which, due to stability reasons, will have to be
accounted for at the ship design stage. This may also require larger ballasting requirements. Certainly, steel thickness above 50mm or high tensile steel could be difficult to achieve classification certification, while a 5% nickel steel could be too much of a financial stretch for a vessel transporting a waste product that currently has no discernible trade value.
Tank lifespan is also an issue. One analyst we spoke to in the furtherance of this report suggested that containment and cargo handling systems could be capable of only three of four round trips before they need replacing due to structural fatigue. While this needs further exploration, tank fatigue is a challenge and no vessel would be accepted into class if it was capable of only a few years operational life.
Nevertheless, despite these technical challenges, classification society DNV – which is involved in a number of land-based and maritime CCS projects, including the aforementioned Northern Lights vessels – foresees a market in which a fleet of LCO2 tankers would be chartered by shore-based industrialists, manufacturers and energy producers to ship the waste from A to B. However, substantially larger vessels than those currently on the drawing board would be required.
Sørhaug said: “HFO it potentially cheaper than LNG, but HFO would require more treatment of the exhaust before capturing the CO2. Depending on the extra fuel consumption onboard carbon capture may become a competitive alternative to green fuels which are expected to become more expensive.”
Internal data from Wärtsilä test stations show that 10% extra power is needed to capture 70% of CO2 emissions. 80% capture is possible but then the extra power needed exceeds 10%, according to Heggem.
DNV’s Business Development Director, CO2 Carriers, Erik Mathias Sørhaug, suggested that between 50 and 150 vessels would be required to transport 5.8Gt of CO2 per year to meet emissions reduction targets. He said it could be more by 2050 “if we are to be close to meeting the Paris agreement targets.”
For those vessels using CCS to simply clean up exhaust emissions rather than carrying it as cargo, the same storage issues apply, albeit to a lesser scale. A burning question is which fuel is best for onboard capture.
For passenger vessels, particularly cruiseships, there are the obvious safety concerns, but available space is currently the prohibiting factor. Carnival Corp, for instance, “thinks it has potential on a limited scale in cruise ships, due to the relatively small storage space available”, compared to other commercial vessels like bulk carriers or tankers. Certainly, retrofitting existing vessels with CCS technology poses challenges in finding suitable locations for installation without compromising passenger comfort or operational and energy efficiency.
The implementation of CCS technology involves substantial upfront costs, including the installation of equipment, infrastructure modifications, and ongoing operational expenses. These costs can be a significant barrier, particularly for merchant vessels that operate on tight profit margins. Assessing the economic viability and potential return on investment for CCS implementation can pose challenges, as the technology is still in its early stages and cost-effectiveness may vary depending on vessel type and operational profile.
Knutsen NYK Carbon Carriers’ (KNCC) LCO2-EP tank system has received approval from classification society DNV, in what marks a significant breakthrough for the Knutsen/NYK joint venture in being able to provide LCO2 marine transportation services.
The LCO2-EP containment system is not new technology but based on the development of proven Pressurized Natural Gas technology and gas pipeline designs.
Trygve Seglem, Owner and President
of the Knutsen Group and Vice Chair of KNCC, said: “Transporting LCO2 in ambient mode will offer cheaper and less energy consuming solutions through the entire CCS value chain from capture to final storage. It also has great synergy for direct injection offshore from the LCO2 carriers as CO2 injection must be done at high pressure and supercritical phase of CO2.”
The LCO2-Eelevated Pressure "LCO2-EP" (formerly called PCO2) tank concept is based on a cylinder type CO2 containment system
applying principles used in compressed natural gas (CNG) transportation.
The CO2 is stored at ambient temperatures (0 to 10°C) in bundles of vertically stacked small-diameter pressure cylinders, rather than large cylindrical tanks at low temperatures. The use of small diameter cylinders can mitigate the risk of pressure variations within the tubes, avoid dry-ice formation, and eliminate the sloshing effects of liquid CO2 in part or fully loaded condition.
HFO it potentially cheaper than LNG, but HFO would require more treatment of the exhaust before capturing the CO2. Depending on the extra fuel consumption onboard carbon capture may become a competitive alternative to green fuels which are expected to become more expensiveSource: DNV
Paul Sells, ceo of ABS Wavesight, discusses the role that digitalisation tools can play in helping shipowners manage emissions reporting, as well as broader digitalisation trends
Good morning, Paul. And thank you very much for agreeing to speak to The Motorship. I was wondering if we could talk a little bit about ABS Wavesight and your role at the organisation.
ABS Wavesight is a new software company that was launched in December as an affiliated company of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). We are responsible for the development, maintenance and sale of software products in the maritime technology space, and work very closely with our colleagues at ABS to maintain the level of service that we expect.
Unlike ABS, which is a 160-year-old services organisation, we are a product organisation. We are responsible currently for what was ABS’s portfolio of software products, which include fleet management systems as well as operational tools. Our fleet management system is Nautical Systems, which has been in the market for almost 30 years, which covers a range of services for shipping companies ranging from maintenance and purchasing to crewing and payroll and lots of things in between.
We also cover My Digital Fleet, which is a true data platform and helps monitor the operational characteristics of a fleet, including the voyages that the fleet undertakes to ensure that vessel performance is optimal. This includes data from onboard the vessel and third-party data sources. Our final product is electronic log books to help digitise a lot of the fundamental activities aboard the ship.
These are areas where there have been quite rapid developments. One area where we're seeing particularly fast changes is around the decarbonisation and sustainability space. Could you touch on how you plan to help your customers meet their sustainability goals?
Q A Q A
It's actually a topic that we touch upon in all of our products, but it's certainly highlighted in My Digital Fleet. My Digital Fleet is a data platform that brings information in from the vessels and from third party providers and from the enterprise systems.
It measures the emissions of a vessel on a voyage basis and it provides recommendations on how to improve the performance of the vessel on a given voyage. For an organisation that's considering its decarbonisation sustainability goals, it introduces a consistent approach to measure those emissions in an enterprise system. That's the way the tool is set up. It's to help provide this, this real time insights into how the vessel is actually performing and provide information in time to make a decision proactively.
This allows the ramifications from a CII perspective or in terms of the total carbon emissions of the vessel for example, for a given choice, voyage or maintenance availability. We like to think of it as digitalisation as the path and decarbonisation as the destination.
Looking forward, regulation and technological availability are driving a lot of this. The CII came online this year, the ETS comes online next year in the EU. More broadly, the increased
access to high bandwidth, low latency information on vessels is changing faster. We're working hard to solve the problems of today. But we're also keeping an eye on those trends, the regulatory trends and the technology trends that will enable solutions today to become the solutions of tomorrow.
Q A
Are there any other specific aspects around digitalization, which are contributing to the change?
The broad access to more information and the needs of organisations to become more efficient and competitive with the information that they already control are drivers. Human factors also play a part: employees have expectations about the tools that they use day to day to do their jobs.
MS: You've already touched on the upcoming introduction of the ETS scheme from Q2 2024. And this is just part of what we expect to see a greater demand for higher frequency reporting of environmental emissions. Do you expect this to affect demand for your products?
I don't have any special insight into the future evolution of regulations, but as a market force, we expect the level of reporting to increase. And based on our experience from other industries, we can expect that regulations may be adjusted following their introduction.
This is particularly the case with] things like the ETS… [which] will have dollar signs, or euros as it were, attached to submissions. The scrutiny which the measurements will be required to undergo for compliance… will only increase.
How can shipowners and operators ensure that their submissions are compliant once the ETS is extended to shipping next year?
The best advice I could offer would be to start getting organised early. Ask yourself, honestly, whether this is something you want your organisation to do manually or to do ad hoc? Or do I want it to be a continuous part of the way I do business.
And the majority of owners that I speak with are leaning towards the latter, where they want to make it part of their enterprise system of records. It's not really something that most forward-looking ship owners that that we speak with are delegating to one person. They're looking at it from a systems approach.
You also mentioned that CII is an area that you're also focused on this year. Just looking ahead, what strategic advice are you offering customers about the phasing of investments in emissions reduction technologies?
From a broad perspective, we expect the largest reductions in emissions in the shipping sector will come from alternative fuels and electrification. However, these changes will also be the most capital intensive and slowest. Investing in improving the energy efficiency of the vessel and improving the efficiency of the routes that you take are the two other routes.
So, the latter two emission reduction strategies are things you can do with software. You can improve the efficiency of the vessel through real time monitoring, leveraging techniques not only pioneered within maritime, but pioneered in the IoT space, looking at the systems on board as well as routing.
We typically advise our customers to prioritise the less expensive measures, and to start understanding how your business operates. And in order to do that, you have to start with measurement. And you do that with software.
We’re seeing ABS Wavesight announce a slew of partnerships. How important are these partnerships in driving this decarbonisation initiative?
It takes partnerships to solve such a big problem. Whether that is partnership with a data provider or a partnership with a cybersecurity provider, we’re interested in partnerships with organisations that supports the same sort of outcomes we're looking for. It's sort of part and parcel to how we do business that we want to win together. In fact, we actually partner with some folks that we compete with on other products.
But the short answer to your question is it's going to take a lot of people to solve the challenges that the industry faces, and not one organisation is going to be able to do everything all by itself.
This means we have to be able to work together. Systems need to be able to talk to each other, they need to be able to provide data to sources that were not that they weren't originally designed, perhaps, to anticipate, and they need to be able to do it freely and openly. And that's part of our product philosophy as well as we go forward.
Looking at some of the other upcoming changes in the industry, I think the digitalisation side of things… is going to become a very interesting area. How do you see the market changing over the next two to three, four years?
It's an interesting question that is hard to answer for a product organisation. But I will say, we're very, very focused on our infrastructure on levelling up the products that are in our portfolio. Since we launched in December, we have grown the company by almost 50%. We're onboarding technologists, product managers, software engineers, architects, etc. that are coming in from not just the maritime industry, but outside the outside the maritime industry.
Looking beyond our current portfolio a little bit, we're looking at interesting ways to provide through partnerships and through our own development, to provide additional information about the condition of a vessel… Some of the work that we're carrying out on our own infrastructure is focused on innovation that we want to bring out in 2024, and some of its focused on enabling these partnerships that [hope to] provide a more holistic view of the condition, the real condition of the vessel.
It has been a rough patch for tech’s true believers. The new inflationary paradigm, rather than rewarding those who invest in thousands of potential ‘unicorns’ on the off-chance one becomes the new Facebook, demands immediate returns
The result: bankruptcies, mass layoffs and even bank runs; a reckoning for which many startups – and their venture capitalist backers, and some of the banks that fund those -- were dizzyingly ill-prepared.
The clock is ticking for tech. In the maritime realm, Yara Birkeland, which has been positioned since its delivery as the first autonomous vessel in shipping, still operates with a crew, and is likely to continue doing so at least until the end of this year. “While I can’t claim inside knowledge on this, like most things, once they got there, it is likely more issues were uncovered,” speculated Lloyd’s Register (LR) Principal Specialist Assurance of Autonomy Tony Boylen, in conversation with The Motorship. “I'm sure they are doing high levels of remote operation, it could be 98% hands off, with the only intervention taking place when they decide that they haven't got some coding right.
“[Yara] are not early adopters; they're at the demonstration phase… it is a prototype, and we shouldn’t be looking at it and demanding to know why it isn’t a shiny finished product.”
Of course, the end of free money is not the only factor bringing shipping’s tech segment crashing back to Earth; at the end of last year, Maersk’s TradeLens shut its doors, bringing an end to its promise of effortless communication between ship operators, crews, ports, and cargo owners, shipping goods as straightforwardly as ordering an Uber. A relic of a ‘blockchain’ moment when the merest mention in a company’s marketing materials was Pavlovian investmentbait, able to inflate share prices overnight -- even if identifying an actual use case was optional -- nothing as complicated and resource intensive as TradeLens’ blockchain was necessary for the task at hand; and while a deluge of Maersk’s competitors signed on as ‘foundation carriers’ and ‘trust
anchors,’ essentially, pledging to act as digital co-signatories if the technology turned out to work, few were interested in becoming its customers.
But now there is a new golden goose to get the languishing tech industry back on track. According to data from Google, search interest in ‘AI’ in May 2023 was almost neck-and-neck with the feverish peaks of ‘Bitcoin’ hype in 2017. Much of this has to do with OpenAI’s decision to put ChatGPT’s impressive skills on public display. But as in the case of blockchain, its capabilities have been overstated. ChatGPT, GPT-4 -- and Google’s answer in kind, BARD – are not in fact Artificial Intelligences but Large Language Models (LLMs). Though they may appear to think for themselves, they rely on a massive reservoir of human writing and data, referred to in the industry as ‘training data’.
Crucially, as with anything human, much of this input is erroneous. LLMs’ short history shows them to be very delicate, and poised on the brink of catastrophic error. With a rudimentary knowledge of how chatbots work, it was not long before internet denizens had Microsoft’s Tay AI responding to trivial questions with Nazi propaganda. Digital assistant and chatbot Replika was the next casualty; lauded for its lifelike conversations, until it began to deluge its user base with unwanted sexual advances.
In short, the ‘AI’ of today may be a voracious reader, and demonstrate considerable skill and eloquence in effectively disseminating information. But even at the very cutting edge, it has shown little academic rigour, or interest in discerning the veracity of its findings; garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) in by-now ancient computer science terminology. To any veteran of the maritime industry, this will sound awfully familiar.
As shipping’s own history demonstrates perhaps better than any other industry, one wrong answer hidden amid a cascade of correct ones, can be deadly. In minor cases, inconsistencies replicated from paper charts have led to issues with ECDIS, and even groundings. At the farthest end of this gamut is the tragedy of the El Faro, in which a captain of decades’ experience, beguiled by elegantly-presented -- and wrong -- weather information on his phone, steamed directly into the eye of a hurricane, declaiming “conflicting reports” until moments before his death.
As Jesse Vecchione, Weathernews Incorporated (WNI) head of sales and marketing and meteorologist by background, recently told The Motorship, early examples of this tendency are already emerging with the application of AI in voyage optimisation.
As Vecchione illustrated, ship operators and crews are being presented with routes which, if followed, would result in loss of vessels and crew. In one example, a path from Northern Europe to the US east coast through iceberg strewn waters, further north than the Titanic would have dared venture. “Operators will pass us examples of these… sent directly to captains. The ship would sink if it went on these routes.
“You would never take a vessel to the south coast of Greenland… it does not make any logistical sense to go through Belle Isle Strait, which was closed at the time,” he said. “It was a shock to the system to see this, especially from a company that I consider to be reputable.”
But new entrants in Vecchione’s field, boasting a pedigree in tech rather than in maritime or in predicting the weather, believe it is humans that make mistakes, and not AI. He told The Motorship that he fears the outcome of this. “The legacy weather companies [like WNI] want to sell themselves as having people involved. In the worst case scenario we have AIS data. It is better to know the Master’s terrible route, and help them along with that.
For One Sea, there is an explicit need to have a “human in the loop,” whether or not that takes the form of crew onboard the vessel. “From a safety, liability and a reasonably practicable low level of risk perspective, it is expected that the autonomous technologies in crewless and in some cases reduced crewed ships, will still require corresponding Remote Operation Services,” said the group’s position paper. “Ships operated by a Remote Operations Centre should be managed by a competent remote master and operated by competent remote operators.”
“I am very keen that people see autonomy as a full spectrum because a lot of people automatically jump to the fully autonomous vessel… [but] with autonomy, the soft squishy [human] should be at the centre of everything,” agreed Boylen. “What level of autonomy you go with depends on how human-centric you are.
This is an unusual stance in the context of AI discussion as a whole, which nearly always centres around replacing and displacing human labour. “People constantly pitch it as the fight between man and machine,” said Boylen. “But no, it’s about augmenting, taking the stress off, adding assistance and therefore making the job easier, and allowing those crew to do other tasks that can add perhaps more value to the owner-operator.”
“The upstart companies have been saying they are so good, they do not need a person in dialogue with the captain. My fear is that in the next five years, there is going to be an event that happens because a company is offering an automated weather solution, but there is no actual trained person watching the routes. I really don’t want this to happen, but I think it will.”
This could be why experts in maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) so self-consciously distinguish between ‘automation’ and ‘autonomy’. “Autonomy is not just about crewless ships and does not imply that there are no persons onboard,” explains The One Sea Association in its June position paper. “In practice, this means saving fuel through optimised speed profiles, reducing associated emissions, as well as reducing maritime accidents or incidents by supporting crew tasks performance and therefore improving safety at sea.”
Other maritime autonomy experts similarly advocate human-centred automation, which they say is integral to any such effort in shipping. “We need to ensure that [new technology] is effectively designed for use by seafarers, that they are trained to use it as intended to maximise fuel and voyage efficiencies, and that there are feedback mechanisms in place to ensure their understanding of its value,” Mikael Laurin, Head of Vessel Optimization at Yara Marine Technologies, told The Motorship.
Yara is one of several stakeholders in the Via Kaizen project, which concluded in June. Its aim has been to apply AI to the issue of reducing fuel consumption, recognising patterns and trends in vessel operation data which would be imperceptible for humans, and instigating performance optimisations based on these. However, one of the aims of the Via Kaizen project has been in seeking to develop systems that do not interfere with, but rather complement, human operation.
“Our success as an industry depends on integrating onboard optimisation systems with crew workflows, effectively supporting crew routines and responsibilities while minimizing obstacles to their uptake of supportive technologies,” Laurin said. “This is the best way for our industry to accelerate the adoption and effective use of AIpowered ship operation support technology by ship crew and management."
Ships operated by a Remote Operations Centre should be managed by a competent remote master and operated by competent remote operators
In February, Korean Register (KR) granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an autonomous AI-based navigation system developed by HHI’s autonomous navigation division Avikus. HiNAS (“Hyundai Intelligent Navigation Assistant System”). In contrast to autonomy approaches which centre on remote-controlling vessels from shore, HiNAS would give a vessel its own in-situ decision-making capability based on sensor input, and would ‘enhance safety during navigation, improve fuel efficiency and ease the operational workload for bridge teams,” according HHI.
HiNAS has advanced to stage four of the KR’s new technology qualification (‘NTQ’) process, ‘operational assessment,’ having passed the ‘feasibility and concept verification,’ ‘prototype validation,’ and ‘system integration’ phases. KR chief executive and chairman Lee Hyung-chul pledged to “…continue to provide more substantial and active technical support for the commercialisation of autonomous ships as a future technology.”
Never tell me the odds
To say that major strides are necessary in cybersecurity before taking crew off vessels is to elide the fact that these are needed at any rate. Earlier this year, a ransomware on DNV’s ShipManager put some 70 companies and around 1,000 of their vessels in the firing line. DNV claims the damage to DNV’s customer base was minimal. Indeed, it could have been a lot worse, with 6200 vessels and 300 operators using ShipManager software.
ShipManager is nobody’s idea of a fully automated vessel. It performs various onboard functions, including hull integrity monitoring, crewing and technical management. But even that was enough to make it a target. “All ships could still use the onboard, offline functionalities of the ShipManager software, and no other systems onboard were impacted,” said DNV in the days after the attack.
Not lost on onlookers was the fact that the successful ransomware attack on ShipManager is hardly a glowing endorsement of DNV in its capacity as a cybersecurity consultant, or its own ‘Cyber Secure’ class notation. Even those on maritime’s cyber-threat frontline, then, are lagging behind, and clearly the sector as a whole will have to get significantly more resistant to cyberattack, whether it is taking crews off ships or not. But the fantasy of ‘switching to manual’ – the romantic notion that when all else fails a crew could turn off the computers and operate by skill and daring alone, like Han Solo might – fuels the most common misgiving around not having crews onboard.
On a modern ship, densely networked with interlinked operational technology (OT) systems continuously monitoring and retaining control over navigation, engine load, trim and ballast, this is largely fallacy. Software, cables and electrical signals, not chain and telegraph, connect the bridge controls with actuators that govern the ship’s heading and speed. The locking-up of OT systems by ransomware can today put a vessel entirely out of action, unable to, in aerospace parlance, ‘fly-by-wire’. “We’ve seen flaws in VSAT systems; vulnerabilities in cyber-technologies that are supposed to protect systems onboard vessels actually creating security flaws; and we’ve seen onboard engine control systems with security flaws as well,” Ken Munro, a cybersecurity consultant with PenTestPartners, told The Motorship.
On more advanced ships, there are even systems like Yara Marine’s FuelOpt, which tune the propulsion load from moment-to-moment to smooth out inefficiencies and reduce fuel costs – adding an extra layer of remove and making the
navigator’s throttle adjustments even more a polite suggestion.
If a vessel’s OT systems are locked up by ransomware, explained LR’s Mr Boylen, “…there is still the ability to hydraulically control the vessel -- so the hydraulics can take over and the human can intervene, even if the helm is inactive, there are other methods. But on a human vessel, especially a very large vessel, the lag in inputs is so significant that by the time the crew realises an attack is happening, it could already be too late – meaning there might not be a huge risk differential between [a crewed ship and a remotelycontrolled ship].”
In fact, a ship in the deep ocean “might actually be safer,” Boylen claimed. “What's the line of nodal attack into the vessel? You would have to use satellite – a car, a fuel truck or whatever driving to the petrol station could be steered off the road and do significant damage, whereas on a vessel how do you attack that?
“Cyber is no different to any other domain, in my opinion. It's no more threatening to autonomy or remote operating centres than manned vessels -- there are different threat vectors because you have the remoteness and stuff like that, but as long as these are addressed, I don't think the threat level changes significantly.”
There is certainly an argument, then, that remote vessel operations might not be the leap they initially seem, and a crew could operate just as effectively from shore. The technological barriers to a remote setup like this one have less to do with a vessel’s autonomous decision-making capabilities, and much more to do with a stable VSAT connection. “If one had unlimited, reliable and ubiquitous communications capacity, one could envisage replicating all the information available on an on-board bridge to a remote bridge using sensors… however, even if ship connectivity is continuously improving, the quality required for safely navigating a ship by remote control has only been put to the test in areas with significant communications capacity,” DNV determines in its position paper.
In terms of replacing human eyes and ears, the data
n UECC car carriers, and product tankers owned by Rederiet Stenersen were involved in the Via Kaizen project, concluded this month
demand of the various shipboard sensors and inputs would be considerable, and the bandwidth capacity for exchanging this data with shore – “…as much as several tens of megabits per second depending on the sensors used” -- would be costly, rivalling land-based wired connections.
“Although it is possible to handle such a capacity even through satellite communication, it is difficult to scale this to many ships, given the current state-of-the art communication systems,” said DNV, with the caveat that compression – akin to the WinRAR or 7zip archive files exchanged between desktop computers today – could lighten this load somewhat. “Post-processing of the information as well as augmentation to aid the situational awareness of the operator will likely take place at the location of the operator or by means of cloudbased solutions.”
“When we talk about [remote control] operation, it is about the cybersecurity, the comms resilience and robustness; you have to have processes in place if you have a dropout,” explained Boylen. “Which level of autonomy owners choose to operate on will be dynamic depending on where they are, and what type of operations they've got.
“A lot of the technologies are there, done. What we have to do is ensure that robust processes are put in place, and in essence, the assurance of what is done is there. It's not necessarily that the capability is wrong. We just have not pushed through and matured the testing regime enough to demonstrate the safety levels. Once the confidence and evidence base is there, then the follow-on vessels will be more remote operation-focused, and the crew will be transient on the bridge -- doing other tasks, or slightly reduced in number; all those benefits.”
Hurry up and wait
“In my opinion, assurance and regulation are the biggest challenges,” Boylen explained. “Class is providing the evidence base for the regulators and the regulators support them by providing the regulation, but they're inextricably linked because they haven't got the ability to regulate on their own. Regulators haven’t got the skill sets, or the evidence base to make the judgement to say ‘yes, do whatever you want,’ especially on larger vessel types.”
Even differences between cultures can be a factor, with attitudes to automation varying between countries. “For example, in Japan, they are eager to augment the human, because they have a real shortage of crew, are haemorrhaging personnel, and age profiles are going up a lot. So their need for autonomy is quite strong compared to other countries.
“There are lots of voices going on in the IMO – everyone has to have their say -- so this bogs down the process, and blocks those who do wish to take on the technical challenges of development,” he added.
The human regulators who for the time being govern the shipping industry are no more immune to bias than the general population – making one of automation’s biggest hurdles not technological, but based on the decidedly human and nebulous factor of reputation, Boylen explained.
“I see the level of risk as very similar between manned and unmanned vessels,” he said. “But because of the nature of autonomy, there will be a much more intense scrutiny. We are seeing this already -- if an autonomous car kills somebody we hear about it on the news, but not about the people every year who die on the roads in the UK. In that sense, autonomy has to be seen to be an order of magnitude safer.”
Not that laissez-faire approaches to automation in other sectors are likely doing shipping any favours in this regard. “Tesla has a novel approach,” said Boylen, describing the ‘beta’ testing process of its full self driving (FSD) feature,
which has been responsible for 736 crashes and 17 deaths according to recent reports.
“There are a lot of individuals volunteering to be a guinea pig. Elon Musk has managed to persuade a lot of people to pave his development pathway. Not a pathway I’d personally recommend… I wouldn't be taking my hands off the wheel as often as he alludes to.”
But it is difficult to build up a regulatory framework for ship automation without vessels on the water, and shipping, developing comparatively slowly in contrast to automotive and particularly aerospace, will benefit from some of their experiences. “We just started the digitalisation pathway fairly recently. There’s a long way to go. The autonomy path and remote operation, would be a very quick and dynamic change to the sector compared to what has gone before.
“Is their knowledge any help to us? Yes. I've been involved with the Department for Transport funded work with the University of Warwick looking at cross-domain safety assurance, which we have been heavily committing to and supporting. There are distinct areas where there will have to be differentials, yes – but there’s opportunity for commonality in some approaches, and we should aspire to be common where we can.”
n DNV's cybersecurity notation didn't protect it from intrusion in its own systems this year
n Norwegian ports could provide shipowners with zero-carbon hydropower - if any of them wanted to use it
Shipowners are shifting towards hybridised and electrified vessels as they slow down and adopt clean technologies. This takes them further towards full electrification, with many options along the way
Some recent Wärtsilä projects demonstrate the variety of hybridisation solutions available to shipowners. Three new Finnlines roros have 2-stroke engines, shaft generators, PTO/PTI, thrusters with controllable pitch propeller as well as an energy management system, power management system and automation system. The vessel can manoeuvre on battery power, avoiding emissions close to port.
Four new SAL Heavy Lift vessels will feature variablespeed 4-stroke Wärtsilä 32 twin main engines capable of operating with methanol fuel. The hybrid system includes energy storage, PTO/PTI, and a multi-drive converter driving a controllable pitch propeller. The energy storage will significantly reduce fuel consumption during crane operations, as this is done by batteries.
Total power demand is an important consideration, and the more flexibility plays a role, the more hybridisation is a benefit, says Grant Gassner - Director, Integrated Systems and Solutions at Wärtsilä. Electrical systems onboard make it possible to use smarter propulsion control systems, and he says the market is continuously shifting towards more hybridisation and therefore more electrification.
The variety of solutions can include a basic 2-stroke engine with PTO/PTI and a small battery, single or multiple four stroke engine in a mechanical CPP arrangement with a PTO/PTI and battery or complete electric propulsion with multiple four-stroke generating sets and battery. “New decarbonization technologies, including future fuels, new energy sources and energy saving devices can greatly influence both the power demanded from the engines and power production characteristics of the system, leading to a significant uptake in interest for more flexible propulsion power systems that can more easily be integrated with future decarbonization technologies and maintain high system efficiency across a wide range of operational conditions.”
Torsten Büssow, Director for Ship Electrification at Wärtsilä, adds that total separation of electricity production and consumption obtained in a fully-electric power system is very good for staying flexible for future power sources like new fuel engines, fuel cells or bigger batteries. Electric propulsion systems are also sailing efficiently at a range of speeds, including slow steaming, and for catering for energy saving devices such as wind-assist technologies.
“Electric propulsion will perform better than mechanical propulsion in many scenarios, because the engine load factors when applying traditional single main engine mechanical propulsion become extremely low when combined with new decarbonisation technologies and operating conditions,” he says. “Electric propulsion with four stroke generating sets has a very flat efficiency curve across the entire vessel speed and power spectrum.”
Electrical systems including shaft generators and shore power connection represent the first phase towards electrification for deepsea vessels and are already commonly included in orders today. Future concepts are investigating
increasingly electrified and hybridised solutions to ensure the needed flexibility in introducing new decarbonization technologies. Büssow predicts that eventually every vessel will be hybrid and will have multiple power sources.
A series of new LNG-hybrid car carriers for NYK Line showcase WinGD’s advanced battery-hybrid system to date. The configuration comprises WinGD’s latest 7X62DF-2.1 twostroke engines coupled with shaft generator, DC-link, batteries and bow thruster drive. The vessels also feature the most comprehensive installation to date of WinGD’s ecosystem of solutions including WinGD’s X-DF2.1 iCER (Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling), WiDE (WinGD integrated Digital Expert) and X-EL Energy Manager.
By integrating the two-stroke main engine control into the electrified vessel power system, X-EL Energy Manager widens the range of vessels that can benefit from electrification as shipping seeks to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
X-EL Energy Manager steers the operation of all energy resources onboard to achieve optimum system efficiency as a whole. Based on its in-depth knowledge and access to data of main engine performance, WinGD optimises the energy flow, running the main engine at its optimal point, avoiding suboptimal energy production. WinGD General Manager, Sustainability Solutions, Stefan Goranov, says that it’s important factor in the engine control in the overall system energy management. “Knowing the limits of the engine we can extend its efficient operational range with shaft generator without triggering undesired behaviour, such as, such as knocking, preignition, or even tripping,” he says. The X-EL energy manager can also maintain optimum load sharing between the shaft generator and the gensets so that system efficiency is maximised. “These vessels highlight our most comprehensive representation to date of our ecosystem of solutions. They represent significant firsts and milestones for WinGD.”
n The car carriers will also feature WinGD's WiDE engine monitoring and diagnostics.
Inset: Stefan Goranov: “Knowing the limits of the engine we can operate it in a way that minimises the risk of knocking or tripping from gas to diesel”
In an embarrassing episode for P&O Ferries, its two latest Chinese-built ferries, Pioneer and Liberté, came under scrutiny from the British press after it was reported that there would not be sufficient grid capability in Dover to charge up their batteries using shore power, thereby making the cleaner energy technology unavailable to the battery-hybrid ferries
The source of the confusion likely stems from the differing operating profiles of a plug-in hybrid car and its maritime counterpart. P&O will still be able to operate these vessels 40% more efficiently than a conventional diesel electric propulsion setup without ever plugging in.
Nevertheless, sources told the UK’s Daily Telegraph that P&O did not consult with authorities at Dover and Calais over charging points. “In light of current shore power capacity, our new hybrid ships were never designed to operate on a complete zero-emission basis and be ‘charged up’ in-port,” a P&O spokesperson said, appearing to contradict previous marketing materials which suggested the ships would decarbonise fully with the help of shore power.
Despite the fact that it is based on technology predating the diesel age, it is this sense of confusion that has come to characterise the slow rollout of shore power. A British government report referred to shore power as an established technology; meanwhile at Singapore’s new Tuas super-port, boasting all-electric cranes and equipment, questions about shore power were met with bewilderment. “It was as if they hadn’t even heard of it,” a source told The Motorship
In September last year, shore power pioneer the Port of Los Angeles had to backtrack on its efforts to mandate the use of shore power and prevent ships from plugging in, when a heatwave saw peak power demand rising beyond the point at which the local grid could provide for ships’ hotel load. And on a recent press visit to the Port of Drammen, operators of Norway’s main car terminal revealed that since their installation, its four shore power stations – an investment of around NOK25m (EUR2.1m), over a third of which was provided by Norwegian state funds through ENOVA -- had never been used. This, despite the fact that the cars coming through the port, bound for the Norwegian market, are primarily electric.
“While the shore power is operable, ships need to be adapted to use it, and it would be rational for shipowners to do so,” said Port Director Arne Fosen. “Ultimately, this will be the push needed to reduce pollution at the waterfront.”
The Port of Oslo has similar complaints. From 2024, it will likewise have the ability to offer clean power from the Norwegian grid, over 95% of which is powered by renewables. But Heidi Neilson, the port’s head of Planning and Environment, said that shipowners were “reluctant” to convert their fleets, “despite a relatively low cost to retrofit,” of around EUR45,000.
“Shipping companies are reluctant to invest… in their aging fleets,” she added. “We can assist using our expertise with shore power and applications to Enova for financial support. We only need one or two container ships to convert to shore power to move forward… then the barrier is broken, and others are likely to follow.”
Full-electric vessels have been mooted for feeder trades,
as one strategy for overcoming the IMO CII’s hostility to the operating profile of these smaller vessels. But to do this, they would need to ‘charge up,’ as was suggested for Pioneer and Liberté, and this power demand will pose an even more daunting prospect for national power grids.
But this is only one respect in which the popularity of shore power is set to spiral. Up until this point, shipowners have been reticent to plug in in some locations, citing the high wholesale cost of electricity; something from which Germany, Denmark and Belgium, with particularly high cost of electricity have traditionally suffered.
This was the case even before the onset of the RussoUkraine war, which has caused a near-trebling of energy prices, on average, across the EU. Despite this, considerable port electrification drives are underway in these countries: the ports of Hamburg, Kiel, and Antwerp Bruges today all offer shore power; ferry-sized systems are available in Copenhagen and Stockholm, and in Bremen, two shore power units are scheduled to come online by the end of this year. (Norway’s energy costs, meanwhile, soared by more than 80% last year in response to higher export prices in interconnected UK and Germany.)
But the IMO’s CII, a measure of transport work done versus fuel burned, takes into account ships’ emissions while in port, meaning that burning fuel in auxiliary generators alongside while no work is being done could have a dramatic and disproportionate impact on a vessel’s rating. Meanwhile Europe has prefigured IMO with its own vigilante environmental regulation, FuelEU, which demands that containerships plug into shore power while alongside, whether they like it or not.
Two newbuild boxships under construction in China for intra-European trade under charter to North Sea Container Line(NCL) will combine Berg Propulsion’s direct-drive solution with the use of methanol fuel.
By David TinsleyBesides the efficiency gains promised by the particular blend of engineering arrangements, the MAN two-stroke, dual-fuel main engine installation offers a pathway to carbon-neutrality through operation on ‘green’ methanol.
The project for the 1,300TEU-capacity, geared vessels is distinguished by long-term commitments on the part of the multiple interests involved and a common, ultimate goal of decarbonisation.
The shipbuilding contract was awarded to Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering of China by Oslo-based MPC Container Ship s(MPCC), on the strength of 15-year charters to Norwegian logistics company NCL. The agreement with the container line is in turn backed by contracts of affreightmen t(COAs) from various parties, including a 15-year deal with Norwegian industrial group Elkem.
The ships have been laid down at Taizhou Sanfu’s facilities on the banks of the Yangtze River and are expected to start shipments originating in Elkem’s Norwegian plants during the first half of 2025. Chinese-owned, Oslo Stock Exchangelisted Elkem has a 40% stake in NCL. Ownership of the two newbuilds will be vested in MPCC to the tune of 90.1%, with the 9.9% balance of shares held by Topeka MPC Maritime. The latter is a joint venture of the Wilhelmsen Group’s zeroemission shipping arm Topeka Holding and MPC Capital.
output of 9,540kW. The particular model, at 500mm-bore size, has the longest service record within the methanolcapable two-stroke offering, having provided the first references for LGIM technology by way of installations in chemical/product tankers ordered for worldwide trade in methanol cargoes in 2016.
Although operation on methanol requires a pilot fuel, be it HFO, MGO or MDO, as an ignition enhancer, and while an LGIM engine running on fossil fuel-based methanol achieves a substantial reduction in noxious emissions and a CO2 abatement of at least 10%, the opportunity such a plant offers in meeting decarbonisation goals is a fundamental attraction. “These state-of-the-art vessels will further increase our efficiency through increased capacity and can potentially cut net CO2 emissions from 45% up to 100% through the use of ‘green’ methanol,” stated charterer Elkem’s CEO Helge Aasen.
As part of its climate project portfolio, one avenue of Elkem’s studies is an investigation into the potential for capturing CO2 from its Norwegian production plants and turning the CO2 into methanol for downstream use.
Configured with bridge and superstructure forward, and affording self-sustaining properties by virtue of two centreline-mounted deck cranes, the new-generation carriers will be technically-husbanded by Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management. Run from Hamburg and also Rhoon, in the Netherlands, and focused on container ships, the company’s shareholders are the Wilhelmsen Group and MPC Capital. The project will place the firm in the vanguard of managers to gain experience and competence running boxships on methanol as the main fuel.
The primary role of the new vessels will be in enhancing the short-sea logistics of Elkem, a leading manufacturer of silicon-based materials, transporting goods on liner-type services linking north, mid and west coast Norwegian outlets with ports in the Netherlands and Germany. With a design dimensioned to carry a maximum of approximately 18,000t of containerised cargo, the newbuild pair will supersede three existing diesel-engined vessels in the NCL fleet.
Each will be powered by an LGIM-series, methanol dualfuel engine developed by MAN Energy Solutions. The sixcylinder S50ME-C9.6-LGIM type has been specified at an
While the two-stroke engine affords flexibility in fuel usage, NCL is unequivocal as to operational intent: “Methanol will be default choice, and if our customers want to go the slightly cheaper route, using diesel, they will have to explicity state that.”
For the selected onboard powering solution, achievement of full CO2-neutrality could feasibly entail substitution of the pilot oil fuel by any renewable alternative, such as biofuel or Power-2-X diesel.
Berg Propulsion of Sweden is supplying each vessel’s directly driven controllable pitch propeller, type MPP 1410, and the interposed PTO/PTH shaft generator. The Berg shipset also comprises an MTT-series 1,200kW fixed-pitch bow thruster and 800kW FP stern thrust unit, a DC hub with a bank of batteries for peak-shaving, and complete electrical package including the energy management system.
The fact that today’s lauded environmental, social and governance (ESG) aims figure prominently in the corporate strategies of the project’s stakeholders has had a signal bearing on grant funding allocations for the fleet investment. An award of NOK13.7m ($1.3m) has been made by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment agency Enova, and NOK60m ($5.6m) has been forthcoming from the Norwegian business sector’s NOx Fund.
Methanol will be default choice, and if our customers want to go the slightly cheaper route, using diesel, they will have to explicity state that
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ABB has introduced ABB Dynafin™, a new cycloidal propeller concept with individually controlled blades. The operating principle allows the unit to utilize a trochoidal blade path which is analogous to the movement of a whale tail
Based on modelling and pre-launch studies, the ABB Dynafin™ concept is expected to achieve an open water efficiency level of up to 85%. Translating the open water efficiency into a fuel savings, ABB expects to be able to deliver a fuel consumption saving of 15-22%. The first full-scale prototype is estimated to be available for pilot installation in 2025.
The new propulsion concept features a main electric motor that powers a large wheel rotating at a moderate 30-80 rounds per minute. Vertical blades, each controlled by an individual motor and control system, extend from the wheel. The profiled blades project outward from the bottom of the ship. Each blade can rotate both around the global axis of the main wheel and around its own local axis, which acts as a pivot point for enforcing a prescribed pitch motion.
The combined motion of the wheel and blades generates propulsion and steering forces simultaneously, enabling high levels of operational efficiency and precision without the use of a rudder. The propulsor can also change thrust direction almost instantaneously, increasing vessel manoeuvrability. In contrast, an azimuth thruster, where a conventional propeller is rotated around the vertical axis to direct its thrust, is slower and thus less efficient in manoeuvring the vessel.
The main wheel is equipped with four to six identical blade modules, consisting of a blade, a direct-drive motor, and a frequency converter to control the torque and rpm. The direction of rotation of the main wheel is kept the same under all operational situations, so the amount and direction of thrust is managed by a combination of adjusting the movement of the blades and rpm of the main wheel.
“It’s actually a very simple structure. There’s no separate gears. There’s no gearbox or complicated power transmission. It continues as a shaft through the bearings and then we have put the motor directly on the shaft without any extra complexities,” says Janne Pohjalainen, Global Product Line Manager for ABB Dynafin™, ABB Marine & Ports, “The unique thing is that we are adjusting the blade trajectory along the way while it is rotating. Within the one revolution of the total wheel, we are actively driving the blade in different angles of attack.”
The ABB Dynafin™ can also be operated in ‘rudder mode’, meaning that all the blades are controlled like conventional rudders. This feature can benefit double-ended vessels and sail-assisted vessels, and it also increases redundancy in failure situations, providing partial steering capability. “If a vessel hits an object and somehow damages a blade, a propeller becomes more or less useless for any practical purposes, but here by the nature of the concept, if there is damage to one or more blades, we can stop the main wheel and control the angle of the remaining blades to still create steering forces,” says Pohjalainen.
The propulsor’s rectangular shape, larger than the circle of a
same-sized screw propeller, means that it has a larger propulsive area which lowers the loading of the blades and results in a low thrust loading coefficient (CT). The lower the CT, the higher the ideal open-water efficiency of a propulsor. Additionally, the wheel diameter is not limited by the ship’s draught as conventional propellers are, so ABB Dynafin™ propulsors are particularly well suited to shallow-water vessels with limited draft.
Screw propellers with rotation axes parallel to the inflow induce rotational losses in their wake. This is avoided in the cycloidal propulsor, as there are no major rotational components in the wake flow. The absence of rudder and shaft struts also means less drag than traditional propellers.
The high aspect ratio of each blade (blade span divided by chord i.e., the longitudinal dimension of the cross-section of blade) significantly increases the lift/drag ratio of each blade compared to a conventional screw propeller.
Each blade is individually controlled by an electric motor, frequency converter, and control logic, without mechanical restrictions. This enables the imitation of a high-efficiency fishtail movement and adjustment of the blade movement (eccentricity, advance ratio, and angle of attack) depending on different vessel operational situations, maximizing efficiency and thrust in both transit and DP modes.
In addition to having a direct electrical power train for both the main wheel and the blade modules, construction of the concept allows powering of the main wheel mechanically via a bevel gear. This feature enables the ABB Dynafin to be connected directly on to a main engine in vessel segments where electrical power trains are typically not used.
The propulsion concept is built upon the strong legacy of ABB’s Azipod® propulsion system, and from that perspective, much of the power and control technologies driving ABB Dynafin™ are based on those already perfected by ABB.
The concept has been extensively tested, and a scale model has been tested in lake trials. Propulsors were retrofitted to a platform support vessel hull so that a direct
comparison could be made with Azipod® units in the same power range. The final phase of concept-proof was to confirm manoeuvrability in lake trials using a test matrix based on IMO manoeuvring parameters. This was the first time such tests have been carried out with a trochoidal propeller.
Ensuring the practical reliability of the design has been ABB’s unique design success compared to other trochoidal designs proposed in the past, says Pohjalainen. “It has to be simple enough to really work in real life for 30 years, and I think that’s the radical and unique thing here. We have put something on the table that can do that.”
The improvements that ABB Dynafin™ brings to vessel efficiency will lead to lower power demand and the possibility of reducing the size of installed engines, optimising the size of fuel tanks and energy storage systems to meet lower power demand requirements. Pohjalainen says that the compressed footprint of the unit, and the comparatively limited requirements for auxiliary units, also allows naval architects to optimise cargo capacity within a given vessel envelope.
ABB Dynafin™’s instant control of thrust and direction, including for DP, supports operational safety and flexibility even in demanding sea conditions. Its responsiveness means faster port approaches and departures, better resilience to weather and therefore a wider availability window as well as lower fuel consumption, says Pohjalainen. “We want to offer a wider operating window. We are not necessarily offering brute force, instead it’s quicker reaction to the environment and then actually using less power there.”
The system’s low rotational speed minimizes cavitation, pressure pulses, noise, and vibration. The lower levels of underwater noise enable operation in sensitive sea areas.
The number of components in ABB Azipod® units has been reduced compared to competing azimuthing thruster systems, and the ABB Dynafin™ minimizes the total amount of components even further by combining the functionality of the propulsor and steering units in one single package and by having a direct electrical power train for both the main wheel and the blade modules.
In addition, the absence of wear-sensitive gears and the moderate rpm of the main wheel minimizes wear on components. Construction of the unit also allows access inside the main wheel, enabling inspection and replacement of many components inside the vessel, improving the ability to monitor components and increasing the availability of the vessel. The unit’s modular structure and higher degree of standardisation also serve to improve the availability of spare parts.
“We want to sell ABB Dynafin™ on its total cost of ownership,” says Pohjalainen. “Initial investment will be higher, but we are absolutely convinced that when the shipowner looks at the total cost of ownership – both fuel costs and maintenance – its’ really a winning formula.”
Target market
He says: “We are looking at the ferry and car passenger segments, mid-sized cruise vessels, as well as the offshore and energy segments. Other vessels, like yachts and research vessels are also possible, but we are focusing on unit power of one to four megawatts, initially.”
In terms of developing higher capacity units, Pohjalainen noted that there were no inherent limitations that would restrict the scope of the propulsion concept, but added that higher capacity units might require the deployment of new technologies and materials to overcome existing technical constraints.
As part of an electric propulsion power system, the concept is fully compatible with zero-emission battery and fuel cell technologies. Pohjalainen envisages that vessels will have ABB Dynafin™ pairs, but rather than being a physical necessity, it reflects the redundancy that features in passenger vessel designs. A pair at the stern and a pair at the bow is a possibility for vessels requiring a high level of manoeuvrability, and in this case bow thrusters would not be required. “We already see that we are generating a lot of creative thinking about ship design possibilities.”
Pohjalainen is not yet ready to announce development plans with specific owners and class societies, but fruitful discussions are on-going.
n ABB’s expertise in advanced, full-scale CFD simulations played a significant role during the concept development phase
If a vessel hits an object and somehow damages a blade, a propeller becomes more or less useless for any practical purposes, but here by the nature of the concept, if there is damage to one or more blades, we can stop the main wheel and control the angle of the remaining blades to still create steering forces
A new chapter in the annals of the cross-Channel ferry business is about to unfold through the imminent entry into service of the first of P&O’s much-vaunted Fusion-class ro-pax vessels, writes
David Tinsley
Ranking as the world’s largest double-ender, the 230m P&O Pioneer combines the company’s long-crafted UK operating expertise, advanced Nordic design, engineering and propulsion technology, and Chinese construction, so as to build long-term viability in one of the most competitive spheres of short-sea shipping. P&O Pioneer and sister newbuild P&O Liberte, currently fitting out at the premises of contractor Guangzhou Shipyard International, promise to raise the bar in cost efficiency, service dependability and long-run sustainability on the shortest UK/Continental link, the Dover/Calais run.
With the capacity to carry a maximum 1,500 passengers during peak periods, a freight payload intake corresponding to some 2,600 lane-metres, and a rapid turnaround capability, the vessels have been crafted for year-round high utilisation and productivity on a vital seabridge route between the British Isles and continental Europe. Coupled with the changes in crewing arrangements dramatically enforced by the company last year, the introduction of the new generation should have a resounding effect on the economics of P&O’s flagship route.
The hybrid power and propulsion system, using electrical energy from an 8.8MWh aggregation of batteries and four 9,600kW diesel generators, is expected to cut fuel consumption by 40% on the Dover/Calais run, yielding a corresponding carbon emission saving. The battery installation is sized to provide full power for harbour manoeuvring and port turnarounds. Moreover, overall manoeuvring time on each sailing and attendant fuel consumption will be reduced as a consequence of the adoption of a double-ended configuration with two bridges, obviating the need for the ship to turn in port.
The modular design of the ship facilitates future modifications that can open the way to a zero-emission future once the requisite electric shore charging infrastructure becomes available. In particular, this foresees the removal of individual generators and replacement with additional batteries. P&O’s decision to focus on increasing electrical energy assimilation rather than take the energy transition path by way of LNG dual-fuel prime movers, gives a distinctiveness to the company’s strategy.
The four gensets are driven by 16-cylinder models of the Wartsila 31-series engine in its diesel version, rated in each case for an output of 9,600kW at 750rpm. The widelyacclaimed medium-speed platform features two-stage turbocharging, rendered by ABB’s Power2 system, exerting a fundamental abatement influence on fuel usage and NOx emissions, in the order of 5% and 60% respectively.
The compact form of the W31 also chimes with a doubleender’s technical parameters, making for relative ease of accommodation in the engine rooms forward and aft. In normal conditions and scheduling, it is anticipated that only
three of the four gensets will be fired-up, the fuel used being ultra-low sulphur marine diesel oil.
The 10,625kVA diesel generator aggregates feed electrical energy to the motors encapsulated within the Azipod azimuthing propulsion units, two at each end of the hull. The chosen DO1600 type, delivering 7,500kW of thrust in any direction, incorporates a 4m-diameter, fixed-pitch propeller and a steering module sufficiently compact so as to sit beneath the main deck of a ro-ro vessel.
ABB’s open-water DO design serves applications requiring speeds up to 22 knots, and melds the best features of the Azipod C type and the high-power XO range. It employs hybrid cooling of the propulsion motor, combining direct cooling to the surrounding sea water and an active air cooling system. The arrangement of the thrusters in the P&O vessels entails an axis of rotation that is slightly tilted from the vertical, for optimum hydrodynamic effect, and an 11m spacing between each pair.
The underwater hull lines in conjunction with the specific nature of the rudder-free propulsion and steering arrangements have been developed so as to maximise hydrodynamic performance, course keeping and manoeuvrability on the narrowest stretch of the heavily-trafficked English Channel, where passages have always to be made across a strong tidal current.
The energy storage system comprises a total of 1,160 batteries installed in four battery rooms amounting to a total capacity of 8,816kW. All surplus energy generated by the main power plant will be stored in the batteries, imbuing a charging function, and providing the means for load-levelling and for manoeuvring in harbour. The installation is suited also to charging from ashore while alongside, although neither Dover or Calais is presently equipped with the necessary facilities. Besides further investment in the battery installation, the corporate goal of fully carbon-neutral operations in the future is reliant on the development of electric shore charging stations.
The lithium-ion batteries were supplied by XALT Energy, part of German-owned Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, and are encapsulated in multiple cabinets forming part of the company’s XRS-2 configurable rack system. Meeting the
n Bringing new form, hybrid power and Azipod propulsion to the cross-Channel market, P&O Pioneer
strictest regulatory criteria, the racks have been designed to minimise weight and size and to give protection against the corrosive marine atmosphere.
ABB’s scope of supply included the proprietary Power and Energy Management System(PEMS), integrated with the onboard electrical infrastructure, and optimising use of the ship’s genset and battery power resources.
Heat recovery will help to further reduce fuel consumption and carbon footprint. The system will raise steam for the ultra-low sulphur fuel oil heaters and tanks, fuel oil/lube oil purifier heaters, and HVAC(heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system reheating.
As with P&O’s previous newbuilds, the 2011-commissioned, 213m Spirit of Britain and Spirit of France, the Fusion-class is equipped for double-level ro-ro access and egress at both Dover and Calais, ensuring expeditious working of the intensive, all-year traffic in commercial vehicles to the two freight decks. The centreline casing divides both decks into four lanes either side, while open, fixed ramps on both sides of the vessel fore and aft lead to an upper vehicle deck with space for 182 cars and sufficient headroom for vans and camper vans. On the main(No3) deck, the watertight, sidehinged inboard doors are located behind the side-hinged, clamshell-type main doors.
Although symmetrical in profile, the two ends of the hull are not totally identical, because of the need to suit slightly different linkspans at Dover and Calais. In particular, the upper ramp loading platform at one end is wider than that at the other end of the ship.
The adoption of separate navigation bridges, with duplicated controls and other equipment, at each end of the ship provides the complement to the mechanical and structural means of dispensing with the need to go about at each end of the run, which offers a seven-minute saving on both outbound and return voyages. When the ship is operating on the engines rather than battery power, this promises as much as a one-sixth reduction in the entire fuel burn for the entire 21-mile crossing.
The vessel boasts a high level of automation, with over 12,000 alarm points built into the various systems, all overseen from one engine control room and two wheelhouses. Moreover, overall ship control can be transferred from one wheelhouse to the other by means of a simple changeover switch located in each, while a shift from propulsion in diesel mode to battery power and vice-versa can be achieved equally as easily and quickly.
While the long-term value of the investment is founded on the technical and operational attributes of the newbuilds, based on a concept design emanating from Danish consultancy OSK-ShipTech, the companion bid to enhance the passenger travel experience and thus income means that both exterior styling and interior design have commanded significant attention. From an aesthetic standpoint, the small size of the funnel casings and exiting exhaust pipes is salient.
The passenger capacity is 500 less than on the Spirit-class, but the layout and range of facilities is of a high standard, with more attention having been given to open deck spaces relative to other new cross-Channel ferries. Each of the Fusion-class has 1,550m2 of outside deck area for passengers, and double-height windows on the port and starboard sides amidships along decks 8 and 9 will give panoramic views of both the French and British coastlines, including one of the most famous landmarks, the White Cliffs of Dover.
Significantly in terms of long-run operating costs, the
PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS - P&O Pioneer
Propulsion
Propulsors 4 x 7,500kW Service speed, on 6.7m draught 20.8kts Eco speed, at 12,250kW, on design draught 17.8kts Class Lloyds Register Class notations
+100A1, Passenger/ Vehicle Ferry, IWS, L1, +LMC, UMS, Hybrid Power, NAV 1, IBS, CAC2 Registry Limassol, Cyprus
ferries have been designed and equipped to allow adjustments in the extent of passenger facilities available. In accordance with reduced demand during off-peak sailings and the winter period, up to two-thirds of the passenger spaces can be closed. The ‘intelligent’ power management system uses special software to turn off lighting and ventilation in areas unused.
The Finnish-built Spirit of Britain sisters had the distinction of being the first passenger-carrying ferries ordered worldwide to comply with IMO’s Safe Return to Port(SRtP) requirements, and also featured lifesaving arrangements based on shipsets of six marine evacuation systems(MES) and liferafts, but no lifeboats. Each of the new ships carries four lifeboats as well as four MES and multiple rafts.
Options not taken up Schulte Marine Concept(SMC) provided project management support through technical consultancy and plan approval services, plus construction and outfitting supervision at Guangzhou. For the shipbuilder, the completion of P&O Pioneer adds to an already extensive reference list of export contracts in the ro-pax domain. P&O Liberte is expected to be ready towards the end of 2023. At the time of the EUR260m contract award in 2019, options on third and fourth vessels were appended to the deal, but these have not been exercised.
P&O Pioneer made her positioning voyage from Guangzhou to the English Channel by way of Cyprus, where the ship is registered and where she took on bunkers at the owning group DP World’s Limassol Terminal. P&O Ferries’ decision to register the newbuilds in Cyprus, as has been the case for some while with its existing cross-Channel fleet, is testament to the country’s favourable Tonnage Tax System and its government’s efforts to make the Cyprus flag more competitive. Ownership of P&O Pioneer is vested in DP World France, while shipmanagement is effected by P&O Ferries Holdings of Dover.
Unfortunately, the arrival in UK waters was followed by a lifeboat mishap during crew familiarisation and equipment testing procedures when at anchor off the Isle of Wight. The vessel subsequently sailed to Dunkirk, where she arrived on April 4, for investigative and potential rectification work.
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The June 1973 issue of The Motor Ship took a hard look at the British shipbuilding industry, a cause which the publication had long championed.
The leading editorial took a critical view of the Booz-Allen Report, commissioned by the UK government, which it said made “dismal reading”. Indeed, several experts, including The Motor Ship, questioned the accuracy of its observations. Our predecessors recalled the Geddes Report into British shipbuilding some seven years previously, which had made many miscalculations leading to some dubious governmental actions. The saving grace of the later report seemed to be that it concluded that it was possible to make substantial improvements with a concerted effort by the UK industry with support from the government for the medium term.
The pessimism was somewhat countered by a British Shipbuilding supplement to the June issue which painted a much rosier picture, with a 60%-plus rise in orders and a recent programme of modernisation in the yards. Both naval and commercial shipbuilding appeared to be flourishing, along with a healthy repair industry, engine building and even steam turbines doing well.
One vessel which featured strongly was the largest ship built by the Appledore yard, the 4653 dwt Manchester Vigour container ship. In size, the vessel was classed as a feeder ship – with capacity of 316 TEU minute by today’s standards - but design and construction were such that it could operate worldwide, including in ice on the St Lawrence Seaway. In common with the trend at the time, a single medium speed engine provided propulsion power, this being a Crossley-Pielstick 12PC2V of 6000 bhp output.
The popularity of medium speed engines was underlined by a feature on Japanese builder Mitsui’s V60M engine which incorporated an automated ‘mechanical handling’ system to reduce overhaul time and effort. The engine was designed for a projected 35-knot 3000 TEU container vessel requiring 250,000 bhp through four propellers. This would be provided by 188 V60M cylinders, each producing 1500 bhp, which would cause something of a headache for routine overhauls. Mitsui’s solution involved a system of hydraulically separating the two-piece connecting rod and withdrawing the piston, placing it on a rail-mounted piston transporter which carried it to a stacker crane, where it could be transported to the overhaul workshop. The crane then transported a refurbished piston back to the engine. The same crane handled other items such as inlet/exhaust valves and main bearings, which also had special hydraulic tools for removal and replacement. Other tasks, such as removing cylinder covers for class inspections could be carried out using special hydraulic tools. Such a complex system, while undoubtedly a tribute to Japanese ingenuity, must have contributed to the continuing adoption of the traditional low speed engine, which although large in size, made overhaul and maintenance somewhat more straightforward.
One article which caused raised eyebrows on re-reading was headed ‘The energy crisis – a problem of high cost and consumption’. The fears came from the US, from where a global shortage of crude oil was being forecast. 50% of energy consumption worldwide depended on oil, and the US, despite having 6% of the world population, consumed 40% of available energy. Although the US was the largest oil producer, it still imported 30% of its total needs. The Middle Eastern oil fields mainly fed the European and Japanese markets. However, despite fears that the oil supply could be exhausted, the problem was seen as high demand outstripping the supply network, forcing prices sky-high. The article looked forward to realising the full potential of the North Sea oilfields.
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