A Clean-Burning Bulker for the High Seas: Lossless Design Makes LNG Power Practical for Long-Haul Bulk Carriers

Formed and led by Athens, Greece-based Arista Shipping, Project Forward gathered together a Round Table of innovation consisting of classification organization ABS, engine maker Wärtsilä, ship designer Deltamarin, containment system builder GTT and energy major Royal Dutch Shell. ABS provided classification and advanced design evaluation services; Wärtsilä brought its DF Series dual-fuel engine technology; Deltamarin offered an 82,000-dwt kamsarmax hull as the starting point of the design spiral; GTT came with its LNG containment system; and Shell signed on to deliver the LNG bunkers globally. Their joint aim was to develop a commerciallyviable long-haul LNG-fueled dry bulk carrier capable of complying with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) 2025 standards and stringent new Marpol

“In the end, we developed an LNG-fueled ship that is longer, has greater capacity and is competitive on fuel consumption when compared against standard vessels. Now, what does that really mean?” he continues. “We have reduced costs, reduced emissions and satisfied all regulations in a way that makes transportation less expensive for the

“The road getting here was a very, very long one,” he recalls. “Many things had to be accomplished in those years, and none of it was very straightforward. It took a lot of trial and error to find the best solution. There are many aspects of the design in which we can all take great pride,” Antonis Trakakis, Technical Manager of Arista Shipping, says, “but I am most proud of the collaboration, that so many leading international organizations embraced this project and worked together with us to finally remove the barriers to application of this new fuel.”