WIND ENERGY

The shipping industry still has a long way to go before it can truly leave the fossil fuel era behind — but wind power can help with the change, says Matthew Smith

of Airseas

Matthew Smith Commercial Director, Airseas

WINDS OF CHANGE

In August this year, the shipping industry hit what may in the future be deemed an important milestone. Maersk announced that it has ordered up to 12 new methanolpowered vessels — including a new facility to produce the roughly 10,000 tonnes of carbon neutral e-methanol required to power one vessel annually.

It is a step that simultaneously shows how far shipping has come in terms of the evolution of its fuel supply chain, shining a light on what is feasible in terms of truly transitioning from shipping’s fossil fuel era.

However, it also illustrates just how far the industry needs to go in terms of scale. Maersk Line’s announcement will mean it saves less than 3% of the company’s 33m tonnes of CO2 per annum, while the facility, although a milestone, will only produce fuel for one vessel, and it will be expensive.

According to industry expert Martin Stopford (a director of Clarksons plc), the fuel “could cost $1,000 a tonne, and it takes two tonnes of methanol to do the work of one tonne of heavy fuel oil (HFO) — 19.7MJ/ kg compared with 41.8 MJ/kg for HFO — which pushes the ‘real’ price up to $2,000 a tonne, so shippers must expect to pay a lot more for ‘green transport’.”

Given the scale of the climate emergency, this is a price that the shipping industry, and global economy, increasingly recognises it must find a way to pay.

At the same time, however, it demonstrates the need to look beyond fuels alone as a means of decarbonisation. Currently, much of the regulatory weight of initiatives such as FuelEU, or the International Maritime Organization’s EEXI and CII, incentivises either a gradual switch to cleaner fuels, or vessels to de-rate engines and slow down to save fuel. The industry should be asking itself, “why not transition in parallel with a free and zero carbon propulsion source, such as wind?”.

A risk of focusing solely on fuels is that it minimises the important role of efficiency technologies, such as wind propulsion, hull

coatings, air lubrication, hull, propeller optimisation, and other fuel-saving solutions. The ships of the future will need both alternative fuels to power their engines without emitting carbon, and clean technologies to ensure that they burn as little fuel as possible. Not least when a vessel burning 10,000 tonnes of “old money” fuel will face a bill for $20m per annum in fuel expenditure.

The immediate benefits of clean technologies are obvious: ships need to burn less fuel to achieve the same result, which cuts fuel consumption and costs, as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

For example, our Seawing, an automated power kite capable of towing commercial ships, reduces the engine effort by an average of 20%, and — when applying the savings to one of the new Maersk vessels, for example — could cut fuel costs by $4m per year.

Whether it’s methanol, hydrogen or biofuels, all alternative fuels are likely to be more expensive than the industry’s primary fossil fuels currently used, and have a lower energy density. The doubling of required fuel volume on the vessel in the instance of methanol, for example, will replace valuable cargo space.

Having Seawing installed on such a vessel would reduce the need for such large additional fuel tank capacity, thus softening the operational and commercial impact of moving to alternative fuels.

Additionally, demand for marine fuels is expected to rise as the global fleet grows to meet the demands of the global economy, which will most likely drive prices up, and the alternative fuels may not meet the demand in terms of quantity.

Adopting cleantech is not as steep a hill as many may imagine. Many wind propulsion systems, for example, are easy to retrofit and do not interfere with cargo operations. Automation also greatly facilitates the transition, by removing the need for costly training or additional crew members.

For example, Seawing combines kite technology with an automated flight control system developed and proven in the aerospace industry. The kite can be easily deployed at the push of a button, and automated systems ensure its optimal operation. The same system also acts as a safeguard for Seawing when conditions are unfavourable.

Crucially, installing clean technologies will allow ships to remain compliant in the years to come, thereby buying their owners vital strategic decision time. With Seawing, companies will benefit from being able to maintain their fleets in compliant operation for additional years so they can monitor the emerging industry trends.

Just as in the auto industry, we are likely to see hybrid transport as standard in many countries within the next decade. Shipowners, shipyards and naval architects can accelerate this energy transition — and make it easier for all involved — if we start to think of efficiency technology as a fundamental part of the solution.

“Seawing combines kite technology with an automated flight control system developed and proven in the aerospace industry”

RETROFITS OFFSHORE

Making ships that service the offshore wind sector greener and more eco-friendly is the goal for a co-operation agreement between CSM Energy and technical consultant Hydrus Engineering.

CSM Energy and Hydrus will be assessing and retrofitting offshore support vessels (OSVs) involved in offshore installations and operations in order to transform them into hybrid ships powered by battery and fuel. This will result in fuel savings, a reduction in emissions and a cut in diesel generator maintenance costs, the companies believe.

Retrofitting existing vessels will be far quicker and much more costeffective than building greener OSVs from scratch, they maintain .

“Building new vessels with a substantial or even an all-green profile will be significantly expensive and take several years before they are ready for service,” says Kyriakos Tsangaris, technical director at CSM Energy.

“The current order book for new OSVs has declined since 2016, with fewer than 50 vessels ordered since the beginning of 2020. Given that OSVs already in operation are likely to run for another 25 years, retrofitting them is the best option for ensuring vessels in the offshore wind farm sector are eco-friendly,” adds Lambros Nakos, a partner at Hydrus Engineering.

The OSV market has struggled in recent years because of the oversupply of vessels and the declining need for oil. But demand for these ships is expected to grow as investment in the offshore wind market — now worth US$65bn compared to the offshore oil and gas sector, which is valued at $45bn — continues to rise.

“The offshore wind market is driven by moving away from fossil fuels and, as such, the green profile of the stakeholders involved is critical,” Nakos says.“Thus, in several cases, OSV market growth is closely related to the environmental profile of the vessels deployed for such services, especially for the offshore wind farm projects, where the need for green vessels operating on alternative fuels is solidified.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mark O’Neil, CEO of Columbia Shipmanagement and president of InterManager, said: “This co-operation targets delivering innovative turnkey bespoke services for upgrading the green profile of the existing fleet servicing the offshore industry.”

SAIL POWER

Mitsui OSK Lines announced recently that MOL, MOL Drybulk, Oshima Shipbuilding and Iknow Machinery have reached an agreement on joint research and development of the Iknow Delta Sail Crane, a sail that can be mounted on ships’ cargo handling cranes and similar equipment to boost propulsion force.

The joint R&D project aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vessels while underway by using the sail.

Many MOL Drybulk-operated vessels are equipped with cargo handing cranes, and the company plans to study the installation of the Delta Sail on a broad range of ship types, such as bulkers, wood chip carriers, and multipurpose vessels.

MOL has already placed an order with Oshima Shipbuilding for construction of the first vessel to be equipped with the sail — a coal carrier, slated to start operation in 2022 supplying Tohoku Electric . BLADE EXPANSION

Siemens Gamesa is planning to expand its offshore blade factory in Hull with an investment of £186m. The expansion is set to be completed in 2023. Manufacturing of nextgeneration offshore wind turbine blades will be undertaken at the facility.

“Since our offshore blade factory opened in Hull in 2016, Siemens Gamesa has served as the catalyst for the powerful growth the area has seen,” says Marc Becker, chief executive of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.

“The rapid development of the offshore wind industry — and continued, strong, long-term support provided by the UK government for offshore wind — has enabled us to power ahead with confidence when making these plans.

“We’re committed to unlocking the potential of wind energy around the globe, with solutions from Hull playing a vital role.”

Clark MacFarlane, managing director of Siemens Gamesa UK comments: “The UK government has provided strong and consistent support for offshore wind, having committed to a further 30 GW installed this decade, three times the current installed capacity.”