The Motorship December 2020

DECEMBER 2020

Vol. 101 Issue 1187

Regional focus: Japan shipyards

Following winds:

Wind-assisted propulsion

WinGD hybrids:

Stefan Goranov interview

BWMS feature: Deadlines loom

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Cybersecurity | Fuel Cell Feature | Magnetic gearing | CO2 carrier design

CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2020

8 NEWS 24 DFDS FC project

10

DFDS is participating in a project to introduce a PEM fuel cell powered ropax ferry on the overnight service between Copenhagen and Oslo.

26 HHI-EMD shaft generator

HHI-EMD completed a first demonstration test for a 1.3MW Direct On shaft generator on 5 November.

10 Shipyard Report

Consolidation in Japan’s shipyards continues amid mounting pressure from Asian competitors.

36 Bi-Nut Type C tank

The first orders of HB Hunte’s new Type C bunker tank are under construction in Germany for Bredo Dry Docks.

36 REGULARS 8 Leader Briefing

The draft MARPOL Annex VI amendments agreed by ISWG-GHG 7 represented an 11th hour compromise brokered by the committee chairman.

36 Design for Performance

Høglund Marine Solutions and HB Hunte Engineering have developed a high-capacity bi-lobed cargo tank for liquefied CO2 transport.

38 Ship Description

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

Social Media Linkedin Facebook Twitter YouTube

30

FEATURES

12 Hybrid solutions

Stefan Goranov, Program Portfolio Manager – Digital & Hybrid at WinGD outlines the engine designer’s new system integration solutions.

18 Ammonia SCR option

MAN ES is planning to apply an SCR solution using ammonia as a reductant to meet Tier III emissions targets in its AEngine project.

24 BWTS deadlines loom

MEPC 75 belatedly adopted commissioning testing while the US EPA struggles to meet standards deadline.

26 Poles apart

Advances in magnetic gearing in other industries offer the possibility of significant reductions in gear losses, Stevie Knight hears.

30 More heat than light

While interest is picking up, significant obstacles remain before fuel cells can take their place in the power mix in commercial shipping.

Grimaldi’s new ro-ro trailerships combine MAN 9S50ME-C9.6 engines with a host of energy efficiency measures.

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DECEMBER 2020 | 3

NEWS REVIEW

DFDS IN DANISH-LED PEM FC-POWERED ROPAX PROJECT

VIEWPOINT NICK EDSTROM | Editor nedstrom@motorship.com

It is traditional in December issues of The Motorship to provide an overview of the most noteworthy developments seen during the year. I will focus on commercial developments, as we discuss MAN ES’s continuing development of an ammonia engine, as well as fuel cells, which remain at an early stage of development but are attracting interest, elsewhere in the issue.

The continuing expansion of LNG production capacity in the Middle East and the Russian Federation is driving investments in gas carrier capacity. A long-anticipated agreement of orders for LNG carriers with Korean and Chinese yards is expected to provide a pipeline of orders until the late 2020s. The expansion of LNG supply in northern Russia is leading to the expansion of orders of specialist Arc7 gas carriers. The production of HiMSEN engines in Saudi Arabia under licence has begun.

Significantly, we have seen major charterers in bulk commodities, such as BHP and Anglo American, place long term charters for LNG-fuelled Capesize vessels. The orders were significant and indicate the Capesize market may expand as a market for DF engines.

As the Anglo American charter covers the front-haul route from Brazil to East Asia, it will be monitored by other Brazilian exporters.

We have also seen a number of high-profile advances in LNG combustion technology, in both the 4-stroke and 2-stroke markets.

WinGD achieved a significant advance in combustion technology when it released its X-DF 2.0 engine technology, offering fuel efficiency improvements of 3% in gas mode and opening the door to further advances in brake mean effective pressure (BMEP).

MAN Energy Solutions has also been active in developing solutions, adding an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) option to its upcoming low-pressure ME-GA engine platform before launch that will also offer significant methane slip reductions.

Significant advances have been achieved in the 4-stroke market, where HiMSEN and MAN Energy Solutions in Augsburg have announced significant advances in methane slip reduction. MAN ES expects the development of new methane oxidation catalysts (oxicats) by 2025 to lead to a 70% reduction in methane slip compared with its first generation of dual-fuel engines.

Hybridisation We have reported on a number of short-sea newbuilding projects incorporating energy storage systems over the course of the year.

While the economics of investments in energy storage systems (ESS) has become supportive for tugs, dredgers and DP2/DP3 vessels, the weight and cost of an ESS have represented barriers to adoption for larger vessels.

However, in-depth modelling suggests the introduction of a modest ESS can offer significant fuel efficiencies for a range of vessels. WinGD’s Stefan Goranov explains how the system will work, alongside an interview covering WinGD’s new expansion into system integration, which we cover in this issue of The Motorship.

While other suppliers have previously introduced battery systems into deep-sea shipping, WinGD’s step into the area represents a potentially significant development.

We wish all our readers “Happy Holidays”, and a healthy and prosperous 2021.

4 | DECEMBER 2020

Credit: Knud E Hansen

Technology holds the key

DFDS, the Danish ferry company, has teamed up with partners with the aim of introducing a PEM fuel cell powered ropax ferry with a capacity of 1,800 passengers and 2,300 lane metres of vehicle deck space on the overnight service between Copenhagen and Oslo via Fredrikshavn.

Partners in the project include ABB, fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power Systems Europe, consultant naval architect firm Knud E Hansen, wind power generator Orsted, Lloyds Register and Danish Ship Finance.

While attention will focus on the power and propulsion system, Europa Seaways also includes a significant increase of lane metre capacity to 2,300m compared to the two cruise ferries that operate between Copenhagen and Oslo at the moment, said Mads Willeso, senior manager of innovation and partnership at Copenhagen based DFDS. The fuel cell propulsion plant is at an early stage of its development, but Willeso noted that its projected 23MW output is far higher than the 1MW to 5MW which are currently on the drawing board or on order. The fuel cells will produce electricity from hydrogen that is stored in tanks onboard the vessel and replace the conventional diesel engine power plant, including auxiliaries, and the systems required to support them.

Weight of the new type of installation is one of the key

8 The ambitious PEM fuel cell powered RoPax project will require a number of technological advances

aspects in the design, because hydrogen tanks will need to be placed on the weather deck aft of the accommodation block as they would take up a lot of valuable space under deck. The weight of the tanks plus the 40 to 50 tonnes of hydrogen that will be stored in them needs to be factored instability calculations of the ship, Willeso told The Motorship. The composite tanks will be supplied by tank manufacturer Hexagon Purus.

Although diesel engine installations are quite heavy, Willeso said that the new type of power plant will probably weigh roughly as much as a conventional one: converters and battery packs that will be needed in the hydrogen based system are very heavy as well.

Consequently, the projected ship’s deadweight will be roughly the same as if it had been fitted with a conventional power plant.

DFDS intends to bunker the vessel only at Copenhagen, which means that the compressed hydrogen tanks will have to contain enough fuel for the round trip, which is about 700 nautical miles and takes 48 hours, which will also affect the size of the tanks. Willeso said that their exact size will also depend on the design speed of the vessel, which will be determined later.

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NEWS REVIEW

HHI ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL TEST OF 1.3MW DIRECT ON SHAFT GENERATOR HHI-EMD (Hyundai’s Engine Machinery Division) announced the completion of a demonstration test for a new Direct On shaft generator on 5 November.

The test of the new 1.3MW engine-mounted shaft generator was observed by representatives from SK Shipping and classification society DNV GL. The successful test was the first for a Direct On shaft generator on a large-scale engine in South Korea, the company noted. The test covered the shaft power generator’s performance, durability, and stability.

The new Engine Mounted Generator (EMG) will be installed on a 24.5MW main engine, which is destined to be installed on a 318,000 dwt VLCC for SK Shipping.

8 The shop test of HHI-EMD’s new Direct On shaft generator was observed by representatives from SK Shipping and classification society DNV GL

The new EMG product has been developed by HHI-EMD. The system, which is directly mounted on the front-end engine structure, is expected to reduce the length of the shaft generator

by around 40% compared with conventional shaft generators, reducing the impact on engine room length.

In order to ensure synchronisation with the gensets,

the EMG will use an inverter. The EMG system will also use the rotor as a tuning wheel.

The Direct On system is also expected to help with the torsional vibration control function of the propulsion shaft system.

The product underwent an independent performance test at Hyundai Electric on 7 May. The company noted that it expects this will improve the economics of EMG installations as the shorter length will minimise cargo capacity reductions. HHI-EMD plans to promote the product to shipowners internationally.

TALUSIA UNIVERSAL RECEIVES REVISED NOL FROM WINGD Total Lubmarine’s cylinder oil TALUSIA UNIVERSAL (57 BN, SAE 50) has received a revised No Objection Letter (NOL) from Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD). The revision adds DF Validation for WinGD’s range of dual-fuel engines and confi rms the validation across WinGD’s.

The NOL, which is valid for two years, was awarded following the successful completion of extensive field tests comprising more than 8,000 hours - including

BRIEFS First LT LNG charter

U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation (U-Ming) signed a ten-year charter agreement for four LNG-fuelled Capesize bulkers with Anglo American, the mining company. The four dual-fuel newbuildings will be constructed at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS). The vessels are expected to be delivered throughout 2023. The four 190,000 dwt Capesize vessels will be powered by MAN ES’ ME-GI engines.

6 | DECEMBER 2020

4,000 hours performed onboard a vessel with a 6X62DF engine burning LNG. The DF validation adds to the existing TALUSIA UNIVERSAL NOL, issued on 3 March 2020, for use in WinGD X, WinGD X-DF, WinGD RT-flex, WinGD RT-flexDF, Wärtsilä RTA, Wärtsilä RT-flex and Wärtsilä X engines, as well as in Sulzer 2-stroke engines operating on fuels with a sulphur content in the range of 0.00<S<1.50 % m/m. WinGD’s latest NOL for TALUSIA UNIVERSAL means the cylinder oil is seamlessly compatible and

proven for any IMO 2020 compliant fuel, including LSFO, VLSFO, ULSFO and LNG. TALUSIA UNIVERSAL BN 57 offers excellent performance with a unique chemistry that ensures optimum engine cleanliness and efficient acid neutralization that perfectly maintains the ring pack status and minimizes cylinder wear. It extends the operational efficiency of ships’ engines offering long-term OPEX advantages.

TALUSIA UNIVERSAL single oil solution makes the onboard operation, supply and

management of lubricant easier as operators and engineers no longer need to match different BN lubricants to different fuel types, avoiding complex BN management and CLO switching.

This new NOL from WinGD for TALUSIA UNIVERSAL follows the previously awarded NOLs earlier in the year by WinGD and MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES).

Total Lubmarine noted field tests were successfully completed on several MAN B&W engines, including 10K98MC-C6, 12K98MC-C6, 12K98ME-C7 and 6S70ME-C7 engines.

Coastal hybrids

HHI epoxy paint

MTU automation lift

Wärtsilä has been selected to supply a fully integrated Hybrid Solution package for three 5,000dwt bulk carrier newbuildings. The solution will permit the 90 metre-long ships to sail in and out of port, and to perform cargo operations, completely emissions-free. The vessels are being built at the Colombo Dockyard in Sri Lanka for Misje Eco Bulk. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in October 2020, and includes an option for three further vessels.

Hyundai Heavy Industries has developed an environmentally friendly, solvent-free coating for water ballast tanks that only requires one coat.

Classification society ABS completed the Product Design Assessment. The system offers ship owners equivalent corrosion prevention performance and reduced costs, when compared to traditional two coat systems, while ensuring compliance with international regulations.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems has acquired Servowatch, a UKbased international supplier of integrated marine automation solutions for commercial vessels. The acquisition will significantly expand MTU’s ship automation division within Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems business. Servowatch automation systems monitor and control the propulsion system, as well as sub-systems such as heating, ventilation and power supply, on a number of large ships.

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LEADER BRIEFING

SHORT-TERM MEASURES WILL NOT DELIVER DECARBONISATION Lars Robert Pedersen, deputy secretary general of BIMCO assesses MARPOL Annex VI amendments approved at the 75th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee Speaking before MEPC 75 approved the technical and operational measures, how prepared do you feel your members are for the introduction of Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and an operational Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) measures?

Because EEXI is basically EEDI applied to existing ships, its mechanics should not come as a surprise to members. However, some important differences apply.

Firstly, because we are talking about existing ships, documentation for speed in the reference condition may be missing. Members should thus start preparation of the basis for EEXI certification of ships by digging out from their documentation those aspects which can be used in the process, such as sea trial documentation for speed and power - if it exists.

Secondly, power limitation may become the tool many ships will rely on to bring them into compliance with the EEXI requirement. Limiting power may cause operation within a barred speed range for a main engine and operation at a load point different from what currently is the norm. These aspects need investigation.

The Carbon Intensity Indicators (CII) is a different issue.

Ships will need to comply with mandatory limits for their operational efficiency. This is a novel piece of regulation. To our knowledge, this has not been attempted in any other industry before. Members are certainly not prepared for this.

And they can’t be prepared at this stage, because the metric for calculating the mandatory CII is still unknown. We simply do not know how the CII shall be calculated and thus which variables will be available for influencing the CII. The metric will also determine if an improved CII will lead to a reduction of total GHG emissions from the shipping sector.

This is not necessarily the case if for example the CII variable to improve it is to reduce the cargo intake of ships.

Q

A

Unlike the EEXI rules, the Carbon Intensity Indicators (CII) that are being proposed have not been clearly defined. Should we be considering emissions per tonne mile of cargo?

The decision on the metric for the CII holds the answer to, whether improved CII over time will lead to a reduction of GHG emissions from the fleet. What the metric will be, will also determine how soon it can be enforced by the regulation. This is because data is needed to calculate the starting point for each ship (the baselines). If the EEOI is chosen as the CII (which is g[CO2]/cargo ton*mile) we do not have data yet to derive baselines. The IMO Data Collection System (DSC) does not hold data on cargo mass carried. This means several years will need to be spent collecting this data before baselines can be calculated.

On the other hand, the DSC holds data to calculate baselines for AER (g[CO2]/DwT*mile). If this becomes the CII, the introduction can start early. The downside is that the only variable ships have an influence on in this metric, is the fuel used. In effect, slowing down or reducing cargo capacity are

Q A

8 | DECEMBER 2020

the readily available options for owners. Especially the latter option would require more ships to carry the same cargo, and may therefore lead to increased overall emissions from the fleet.

As I said before, regulating operational efficiency is a novel art, and we must be careful that this is not counterproductive to industry’s and IMO’s long term ambition - to decarbonise.

8 Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General of BIMCO

Do you feel that EEDI reference lines calibrated by DCS or MRV fuel consumption data are appropriate as a basis for reduction factors?

The EEDI reference lines are merely lines representing the average technical efficiency of ships of same size within each ship type. Importantly, the scatter of the data from which the average is derived is large. The same goes for

Q A

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LEADER BRIEFING operational efficiency - the scatter is large. Whereas the scatter is not a variable for each ship under EEDI, it is very much so when it comes to the operational performance. It varies greatly from one year to another for the same ship. It all depends on its commercial utilisation, the weather conditions it is subjected to at any given time, how much ballast voyage is performed in a year, if the cargoes need energy for heating or cooling, and there may be many more variables involved.

Only a few of these are under the control of the ship itself.

I think the above answers the question - we do not think this methodology is appropriate. It can be done, but it leaves ships subjected to something which is largely arbitrary.

Despite criticism of the ISWG 7 proposals from some quarters, it will introduce significant energy efficiency requirements.

EEXI will improve the technical efficiency for existing ships.

In effect, it will limit ships ability to speed up and thus overall keep the speed in the fleet down for the years to come.

CII may, or may not, lead to real improvements. It may even lead to more ships used to carry the trade and thus inefficiency overall. This depends entirely on how efficiency is defined for the individual ship.

Do you feel that the necessary technical solutions are available for different vessel types?

In general, yes. There are issues for some ship types where the EEDI formula has been manipulated to express something which is no longer a correlation of power over speed. Such ship types may have to resort to alternative means to comply with the EEXI. For CII, it all depends on the metric.

Q A

‘‘

Ships will need to comply with mandatory limits for their operational efficiency.

This is a novel piece of regulation. To our knowledge, this has not been attempted in any other industry before Finally, how do you see the effect of additional pressure from regional schemes, such as the proposed extension of the EU’s Emissions Trading System to cover emissions from shipping, affecting moves to meet IMO decarbonisation targets?

Regional schemes to address GHG emissions from ships are doomed to be merely distractions, in the sense that such regional measures while costly to the industry, will have only marginal effect on total emissions from ships - if at all. There is only one way to make the shipping industry transition to a low carbon future, and that is by allowing the IMO to accomplish the ambition set out in the IMO initial strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.

In this regard, the present focus on short term measures and how much they may be, or may not be, aligned with the overall ambitions is misplaced. Short term measures cannot deliver the long-term goals anyway.

Q

A

with electric and hybrid technologies Green ship technology

Innovative design

marine@barillec.fr

barillec-marine.com

Worldwide service

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DECEMBER 2020 | 9

SHIPYARD REPORT

YARD RESTRUCTURE GATHERS PACE IN JAPAN

Credit: MHI

Consolidation is a central theme in the Japanese response to the marshalling of shipbuilding forces and new market forays by its Asian competitors, writes David Tinsley

A further stage in the re-drawing of the Japanese shipbuilding map is anticipated through the planned alliance between Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU). However, actual realisation of the agreement has already been deferred on two occasions this year due to foreign concerns over the market implications of the creation of a yet more powerful entity, as Imabari already has a commanding share of Japanese production.

Initially anticipated for 1 October 2020, the deal would see Imabari acquire a stake in JMU and concurrently set up a joint commercial shipbuilding venture under the name Nihon Shipyard. But consecutive postponements, first to 1 November and then to 1 December, have been announced, and attributed to “reviews and approval processes related to competition law that are still ongoing overseas”.

Imabari is a dynamic force in the industry, having accounted for about one-third of Japanese newbuild output in 2019 by the measure of gross tonnage, and just over 8% of the world total. Company acquisitions have consistently formed a key part of its growth strategy, complemented by a vigorous R&D policy and investment in facilities, most significantly expressed in the 2017 opening of the huge No3 building bock at the Marugame complex.

The rationale behind the intended alliance with JMU is to strengthen both companies’ competitiveness in the face of the intensified challenge from abroad, where shipbuilders

10 | DECEMBER 2020

8 A market niche: ro-pax ferry launch at Mitsubishi’s Shimonoseki yard

are becoming more integrated. Recent and prospective such developments in China and South Korea are the main issue, aggravated by the market downturn brought on by the global pandemic.

The terms of the agreement call for Imabari’s acquisition of newly-issued JMU stock and the establishment of the joint marketing and design entity Nihon Shipyard, plus production co-operation in block construction, large-scale outfitting and working to unified specifications. Nihon Shipyard would have 51%/49% respective holdings by Imabari and JMU, with a workforce of 500 assigned from the partners. Its remit will be the marketing, planning and development of all types of merchant ships except LNG carriers. Imabari has indicated that a straight merger is not the immediate consideration.

JMU serves as a microcosm of the passage of restructure of shipbuilding in Japan over the decades. The company was formed in 2013 out of the consolidation of IHI Marine United and Universal Shipbuilding. IHI Marine had been the outcome of the 2002 merger between the IHI/Sumitomo naval joint venture Marine United and one-time commercial shipbuilding industry leader IHI. For its part, Universal had been created in 2002 from the melding of the shipbuilding divisions of Hitachi and NKK. JMU’s wherewithal comprises seven domestic yards at Ariake, Kure, Tsu, Maizuru, Innoshima, Isogo (Yokohama) and Tsurumi(Yokohama), and technical research centres at Tsu and Yokohama.

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SHIPYARD REPORT Imabari’s name derives from the location of its founding shipyard facing the Kurushima Strait on the Seto Inland Sea. Such has been the phenomenal rise of the organisation, which has absorbed many of the country’s medium-sized builders, that the group today controls 10 shipyards. The philosophy of continual reinvestment was highlighted by the commissioning of the No3 drydock at the Marugame headquarters three years ago, hoisting both construction scope (ultra-large boxships of 20,000TEU, very large ore bulkers, VLCCs and LNG carriers) and productivity. During the 2019 fiscal year ending 31 March 2020, the group delivered a record 97 newbuilds.

JMU and Imabari thereby give expression to the much wider process of consolidation that has been taking place in Japan for some years now, and the two groups’ bid for a close relationship has come at a time when commanding figures in the industry elsewhere in eastern Asia are aiming to build global muscle and longer-term resilience through integration.

China’s two state-owned groups CSIC and CSSC are now a single force, while a new South Korean behemoth is sought through the merger of the shipbuilding interests of the Hyundai group with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. The long-mooted Korean development is facing extended screening by European anti-trust authorities. Hyundai is reported to be discussing concessions with the EU regulators to allay concerns over the potential market impacts of a merger, but the South Korean will to achieve objectives, and its track record in that regard, should not be under-estimated.

In its annual report for the past fiscal year, Mitsui E&S Group(MES) recorded the decision that merchant shipbuilding business at the Chiba yard should end by 31 March 2021, and that discussions were in hand for an eventual transfer of commercial newbuild construction at the Tamano yard to MHI. It was subsequently reported during July that talks had been initiated with a view to Tsuneishi Holding taking a minority stake in Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding (MES-S), following the June 2018 pact on technical and R&D cooperation.

Towards the end of last year, one of the country’s hitherto most prolific constructors of LNG carrier and large LPG tanker tonnage, the Koyagi complex of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) at Nagasaki became the subject of formal discussions that could lead to the yard being sold to Oshima Shipbuilding. The latter is pre-eminent in the bulkship category, accounting for 16% of bulker production worldwide as of December 2019.

Although the Koyagi plant has ranked as MHI’s main facility for large newbuilds over a period of more than 40 years, and despite capital investments to raise productivity and streamline the organisation, the move has been precipitated by consideration of long-term market conditions in the sector deemed to necessitate additional fundamental measures, including disposal. At the same time, MHI is looking to strengthen business at the nearby Tategami yard in Nagasaki.

MHI is not seeking a complete withdrawal from shipbuilding, but intends to concentrate resources on what it describes as “ships for which it can provide added value”. To achieve this, the strategy to be pursued by the group plans includes a greater emphasis on engineering capabilities and the development of cutting-edge technologies, competitively differentiated equipment, and diversification of the business model to encompass technology licensing and support in fields such as gas carriers. It also embraces modernisation of the Tategami plant and also the Shimonoseki yard in western Japan, which is a leading light in long-distance coastal ferry and other specialised vessels.

Significantly, and notwithstanding its previous, unprofitable foray into luxury cruiseship construction, MHI is again

contemplating a return to the sector in both a repair and newbuild capacity. The new initiative is in the context of a goal to establish Nagasaki as a centre for cruise vessel maintenance, repair and operation, under a project conducted with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

For the Japanese shipbuilding industry as a whole, the LNG carrier orderbook is on the wane, with the contract inflow having dried up this year. The fact that Qatar has reserved building slots in South Korea and China for a huge fleet expansion programme that it is contemplating has further depressed Japanese prospects. However, the completion by Kawasaki Heavy Industries of the prototype liquefied hydrogen carrier Suiso Frontier, as a technology demonstrator with a diminutive 1,250m3 cargo capacity, could prove seminal, in paving the way to a generation of 160,000m3 vessels to transport LH2 from Australia to Japan.

This draws on in-depth Japanese expertise in LNG tanker design, construction and operation.

An unerring drive for productivity gains, coupled with a focus on continual refinement of designs crafted for series production has seen Japan’s shipbuilding industry retain a very high profile in bulker construction. Applied across the bulkship spectrum, including Capesize, Newcastlemax, Panamax, Kamsarmax, handymax and handysize types, this approach translates into incremental improvements in ship efficiency and performance at minimal price premium.

Rather than relinquish what some might view as a less sophisticated sphere of the market to China and potentially other low wage-cost shipbuilding countries, Japan has shown its mettle in developing new designs conducive to standardised production while encompassing systems and features that play to heightened environmental standards and efficiency expectations. The raft of LNG-fuelled versions proposed across the bulker categories by all the main players is intended to give an edge over the eastern Asian competition, assuming acceptable price differentials. Imabari has added to the mix by proposing an LPG dual-fuelled Capesize bulker.

The fleet engaged in Japan’s extensive network of longdistance coastal ferry routes has seen constant renewal over the years, fulfilled exclusively by domestic yards. Demand for ro-pax and ro-ro vessels to serve the sector has been given further impetus by other than commercial factors, notably the bid to reduce CO2 and other emissions from national transport by fostering a shift to the seaborne mode coupled with societal changes that have led to a shortage of longhaul truck drivers.

The incoming generation of ships offer increased capacity as well as technological modernity. The various projects yield valuable propulsion system contracts typically entailing twin or multiple medium-speed engine plant and attendant high power concentrations transmitted through twin drivelines, to ensure the high speeds and service reliability demanded of schedules entailing coastwise and inter-island transits. A new technical chapter is unfolding whereby LNG dual-fuel installations based on the Wartsila 31 engine platform have been specified for a pair of 200m ro-pax newbuilds booked

by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding from Mitsui OSK subsidiary Ferry Sunflower. Due in 2022 and 2023, the vessels are to be laid down at the Shimonoseki yard fronting the Kanmon Strait.

A comprehensive maritime industrial cluster, an unerring commitment to R&D and to longstanding customers, together with the culture of continuous improvement, remain strong cards in the hands of those Japanese shipbuilders ready to confront the greater-than-ever challenges posed by regional competitors.

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DECEMBER 2020 | 11

TWO-STROKE ENGINES

WinGD OPTIMISATION STRATEGY PRODUCES CLEAR EFFICIENCIES

Credit: WinGD

WinGD is developing what it says is unmatched optimisation technology that is providing excellent results for shipowners

“The control configuration, fully integrating the main engines, is the key contributor to our value proposition,” says Stefan Goranov, Program Portfolio Manager - Digital & Hybrid at WinGD. “We consider the whole energy system onboard as one. The hybrid control system is monitoring the current states of all the active components and their constraints to find the system’s optimum operating point.

Our value proposition is the holistic energy management, with the main engine as a central component.” x Following requests from their customers, WinGD has undertaken feasibility studies for a range of newbuildings, including a hybrid feeder container ship. In this case, the vessel has an X-DF low-pressure main engine and diesel auxiliary gen-sets. With a battery of 0.8MWh and a shaft generator of 1.3MW, CO2 emissions (calculated from the fuel burned, using a conversion factor) are estimated to be reduced by around 8% per annum, sailing and manoeuvring in various conditions.

WinGD’s hybrid controller aims to minimize the operating hours of the gen-sets while maximizing the energy production of the two-stroke engine running on LNG. The results suggest a reduction in diesel consumption of 68% balanced by an increase of 22% in gas consumption of the main engine. This would bring operational savings of about $250,000 per year.

Generally, the inclusion of an appropriately sized battery pack brings the opportunity to remove one of the gen-sets while improving the system transient capabilities, availability and redundancy, says Goranov.

The CO2-equivalent emissions are expected to be reduced

12 | DECEMBER 2020

8 WinGD’s next target is to introduce continuous optimization to its real time energy management controller

by 8% on a PCTC design also fitted with a WinGD X-DF main engine and three dual-fuel gen-sets by adding a battery capacity of 750kWh and a 1.3MW shaft generator. The 8% related to sea-going and manoeuvring operations and was accompanied a methane slip reduction of up to 23% from the ship during her outwards voyage. With the power demand profiles under investigation, the main engine performed better in methane emissions than the four-stroke auxiliary engines.

“In this particular case, the diesel consumption savings of around 18% were not significant when looked at in tons, because it is pilot diesel oil only. In terms of megawatts however, we expect up to 54MWh reduction of the gen-set’s energy production. Considering prices of $450 per ton for diesel, $275 per cubic meter of LNG and gen-set maintenance $10 per megawatt hour, we can expect an annual expenditure reduction of around $200,000,” says Goranov. “What we can achieve in terms of LNG consumption reduction, on average for the whole year, is around 5%.”

In the case of a chemical tanker with a coastal sailing pattern, WinGD propose an 800kWh battery pack and a 1.3MW PTO as well. “Here, we included a clutch between the propeller and the shaft generator so that the main engine can be used as an electrical energy producer only. What our study shows is a reduction of around 13% of the CO2 emissions and 92% of the diesel consumption. The gen-sets are also diesel in this case, and again we achieve a reduction of around $200,000 in operational expenditure per year.”

WinGD is currently working on a study for a bigger container ship with diesel main engine and diesel auxiliary

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

TWO-STROKE ENGINES engines. Goranov says the numbers are significant. “We are aiming here, with our energy management system, to reduce fuel consumption by between 3% and 5%, but more details cannot be disclosed yet.”

The development of these solutions began in 2018, and their deployment involve three phases: feasibility and system architecture, detailed engineering and then inservice support for the vessel. During the feasibility studies, the power demand profiles are examined for sea-going, in and out of port manoeuvring and also berthing and cargo operations. Then generalisations are made based on the most common operational scenarios in order to find the best operational strategy for the vessel, considering certain constraints. The solutions are not limited to X-DF engines and are component agnostic.

Goranov explains the focus on full-system simulations.

“During the first phase, feasibility and system architecture, we answer the questions of the customer: What is the best matching hybrid system topology and is hybrid a good investment in this particular case, because some ship types or some configurations are more favourable than others. We answer the question quantitatively, providing a very comprehensive picture of the operational expenditure and the savings that they can assume with such a system. We will also provide plausible numbers on the investments that they need to make; generally, we would enable them to make educated decision on their future ship or fleet of ships.

Additionally, we consider the deterioration of the main engine margins imposed by hull and propeller fouling over time, typically for the period between dry docks.”

The second stage is the detailed engineering and design of the conceptualized system. “Here, we also run simulations but with detailed component models. The physics of each sub-system is modelled, and we can fine-tune the complete system and verify our initial choice. Normally, the choice of components is quite precise in the first step, but what the detailed component models contribute to is fine-tuning of the system control strategy by imposing more dynamic operational modes,” says Goranov.

“This gives us the opportunity to virtualize the system and reproduce the transient behaviour of a real engine in the virtual environment. Once the topology is verified and the control strategy is defined, we deploy the control software to the hardware and run a final validation on a hardware-in-theloop to make it ready to be installed on the real ship. This is our hybrid control system which sets new standards in vessel energy optimization.”

WinGD has enhanced its engine simulation platform to be capable of virtualising the completely integrated hybrid system including all components and verify the efficiency of the integration. “This is really a crucial point, in our view, when we start discussing such a hybrid installation, because the component sizing and the control strategy selection matter a lot.”

As an example, it is important not to over-size the battery.

At a certain point, the benefits of increased battery capacity become marginal. Alternatively, an under-sized battery could age prematurely or even cause safety issues, for example, due to a potential inability to provide the spinning reserve required for blackout prevention.

The same is true for the shaft generator. It is important not to overload the main engine or to leave an unutilized margin, but under-sized, it would not offer the full benefits of hybridisation.

The configuration is designed to minimize fuel consumption and optimize battery lifetime. “The battery is a crucial component in the system, and we don’t want it to degrade prematurely.”

WinGD could work with any battery supplier that fulfils the requirements of the installation and classification. Key constraints are obviously capacity, size, weight, charging and discharging rate, and cost but the cooling system can also be important, as some clients have clear preferences for either liquid or air-cooled batteries. Normally, the aim is a 10year lifetime, but Goranov notes that the end-of-lifetime for a battery actually means that the battery has 80% of its capacity. This doesn’t mean the battery needs to be replaced, but it will not operate at its peak capacity and therefore the efficiency of the system will drop.

“We have developed our platform to be capable of virtualizing the whole system, maintaining parameters for each component so that we can actually run the system in a virtual environment. As an input of that system, we use the power demand of the propellers for propulsion and electrical power on board. This differs greatly from ship type to ship type; it is a key parameter. We are looking to find the 20% of the operational patterns assumed for the ship lifetime that will bring 80% of the benefits.” The power demand profiles can be either measured from a similar ship, the company has WiDE (its WinGD Integrated Digital Experts) deployed on many ships now, or it can be built specifically for the ship in question.

Currently, WinGD is only offering the solutions for newbuildings. A retrofit can be difficult if the vessel doesn’t have a shaft generator. “However, we have actually developed quite a flexible business model offering our solutions commercially, starting from advisory for system integration and energy efficiency analyses and scaling up to the end-to-end of delivery of a complete hybrid power pack.

So, if we have a request to provide advice for a retrofit project, we are happy to do that.”

Goranov cautions on focusing too strongly on a ship’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) when it comes to an integrated battery-hybrid ships. “It is rather a static index and probably not the most accurate indicator for quantifying the efficiency of a hybrid installation. The real advantages of a hybrid system occur during operation by setting up the control strategy that ensures the optimal utilization of the energy resources. In terms of EEDI, obviously if we remove one of the gen-sets and install a shaft generator we have a better figure; if we downsize the main engine, we have a better figure. But now the question is, and this is a discussion ongoing in the industry, is that the right indicator to judge the efficiency of a hybrid system? We don’t believe that it is.”

WinGD is actively participating in CIMAC discussions on recommending a more appropriate indicator for the efficiency of such systems.

The company is also continuing to develop its digital capabilities including ding a set of optimizers to further boost efficiency that take e into consideration various boundary conditions. ons. These are, for example, the hull ull and propeller condition, actual cargo capacity utilization, weatherr and actual sailing area. These will be e interfaced with the real time energy gy management controller. The optimizers timizers will have predictive capabilities ties and will use artificial intelligence ce to evaluate the large datasets obtained ained from vessels in operation. “What at we are aiming for is continuouss optimization.

We call it dynamic mic energy management. Thiss is the next milestone.”

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

8 Stefan Gora Goranov, Program Portf Portfolio Manager - Dig Digital & Hybrid at WinGD Win

DECEMBER 2020 | 13

TWO-STROKE ENGINES

A HYBRID CONUNDRUM: OVERALL SAVINGS EXCEED SUM OF PARTS For hybrids, system control integration isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s a necessity, writes Stevie Knight

8 Integration is no longer about optimising individual components

What is a well-established engine manufacturer doing by getting involved in ship integration?

The answer lies really in the technology - and the fact that it’s “no longer about individual components”, says Stefan Goranov of WinGD. Troublingly, while recent advances - such as the huge jump in fit-for-marine battery developments - can yield substantial savings, they can also leave ship owners with a higher fuel bill and potentially worse off than before.

For example, power-take-off (PTO) devices “are a low hanging fruit” says Goranov, as it’s already been demonstrated for decades that the big two-stroke engines can provide power for auxiliary systems without starting up the fourstroke gensets at sea.

However, he adds that simply coupling the main engine to a power take-off and battery without an accurate control strategy, including precise accounting of conversion losses, “and there is a good chance that the ship will burn more fuel than it did before”.

In Goranov’s view, the main engine is still “the beating heart of the ship”... but to stretch the analogy, it’s now apparent it needs both circulatory and nervous systems to handle elements such as fast-switching electronics, marine DC networks and of course, the range of potential battery chemistries and alternative configurations.

However, it would be a far tougher call if there hadn’t also been an exponential growth in available data, along with new methods of embedding it in a connected system.

Certainly, WinGD’s relatively recent investment in

14 | DECEMBER 2020

advanced computing hardware has paid off, by allowing the company’s digital control system, WiCE, to evolve “from an engine control and data collection system to a system-wide hybrid control platform”, says Goranov.

It’s a pretty steep climb that indicates how fast things are changing: WiCE itself was only released a year ago. “But now,” he says, “We can do more than put our engines on it, we can securely interface other components: the ship’s power management system, the PTO/PTI, batteries and so on.”

It should prove extremely useful. First of all, “there’s a narrow band” for sizing various onboard elements, points out Goranov. For example, hybridising a typical DF ship by applying a PTO and a battery pack to the main engine and dropping one of the auxiliary gensets could give you a bit of a rise in the main engine’s LNG, rationalizing the gensets action. Overall, both fuel and GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent) reduce “because the main engines are better at handling methane slip and are generally more efficient”, he adds.

But getting as much bang for your buck as possible is a tricky business. Increasing, even doubling battery capacity might not automatically confer much of an advantage if not aligned with the operational requirements, while a fractional increase in shaft generator scale could potentially - in certain situations - raise fuel savings of the ship as a whole by several percent in exchange for just a little more consumption from the main engine.

Although correct sizing can lead to significant CAPEX savings, simulation analysis has arguably more impact on the control strategy. “Considering that there are conversion

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

TWO-STROKE ENGINES losses at each stage, you should be able to tell when you’d be better off raising the load and transferring the extra energy to a battery for future use, and when it’s more effective to allow partial loading of the generator,” explains Goranov. That applies doubly when spikes and troughs in demand are pitched against spinning reserve: for example while manoeuvring using the bow thrusters. Ideally, he adds, integration “in most cases should result in safe, no-auxiliary operation for ocean transits and optimal energy production including auxiliary gensets for manoeuvring”.

It’s also essential for getting the most out of an integrated system. For example, a solution currently being supported by Goranov and his team promises greater efficiency for peak shaving applications - a reasonably common engine support mode that sadly often suffers from inefficient implementation.

“This is built upon additional data exchange and handshake signals which will tell the system when peak shaving is appropriate and to what extent,” says Goranov, adding: “We’re very keen to see the results.”

Interestingly, WinGD’s new simulation capacity can also fill in the information gap commonly suffered by newbuilds. If the power demand profiles used as an input aren’t available, “we can now construct them by scaling from a differently sized ship with a similar trading pattern”, explains Goranov.

Sim-based testing doesn’t stop there. Following the modelling and running the virtual system, “we emulate the mechanical side of the system components and put the controller hardware in the loop to see how it behaves”, he says. To make sure there’s nothing lost through reproduction, “these PLCs are the very same ones we install onboard”.

Importantly, it should give WinGD confidence in their installation, delivering predictability and robust safety margins right across the operational range for the owners.

“We can really push the boundaries, testing how the system behaves in not just several, but hundreds or thousands of conditions,” he adds.

NOT WORLD DOMINATION Given the creation of WinGD’s new digital and d hybrid team (with strengths in both thermodynamic modelling ng and control analysis), it might be assumed the organisation iss set for taking on the world fleet single-handed... but that’s not ot the aim.

Given IMO targets, environmental and cost ost pressures, merchant ship hybridisation “needs to step up p but we’ve all been struggling with the pace - it simply isn’t ’t as fast as it should be”, says Goranov. Therefore the idea ea “isn’t to do everything”, he says: “We’re open to collaborating ng to increase that pace.”

Therefore the new offerings are arranged “on a flexible model, from advisory analysis and reports right ght through to procurement and full system integration”, he explains. The philosophy is to share the new, detailed information mation - albeit under the appropriate licence - but surprisingly, gly, there don’t appear to be many, if any, hard-line boundaries, aries, even for erstwhile competitors.

So, if someone else gets the carrot, no hard feelings.

WinGD’s team is “component agnostic” he e underlines, adding: “We’ll work with other systems integrators, tegrators, and

provide all the interfaces and logic that they need to implement our engines in their eco-system.” In fact, selected WinGD data is even about to be made available to academia which typically has a tough time getting hold of accurate models. Is it really just an altruistic act? Perhaps not, as this move could potentially allow the company to benefit from future work by postgraduate and doctoral students... and, he points out, “spreading the word” about the realisable benefits resulting from hybridising two-stroke main engines.

WinGD’s move into integration is a big deal, and the company is gathering assets for a significant roll-out... both here and on the other side of the world. While the bulk of the development team is staying in Switzerland, the company is looking to embed its hybridisation resources in Asia. “We have strong support in China, and we are already building up a team close to both the yards and end customers there,” he says.

Despite all this, Goranov admits that the lack of references might be an issue “as although we’re established engine manufacturers, we haven’t proved our capability in the integration arena,” he points out: “We are only just starting.”

However, he believes that situation won’t last long: “We’re already in discussions with a couple of customers,” he says, predicting the company will break into the integration space next year.

TOMORROW So, what’s next? It seems that operational development isn’t being left behind. “For a given ship design today, you’ll get the best propulsion system - but tomorrow, we see there’ll be potential for dynamically adapting the power strategy to various conditions,” adds Goranov.

This promises to take WinGD even further from its straightforward engine OEM roots.

“We’re looking to adapt the system operation to boundary conditions, such as cargo capacity utilisation and hull and propeller condition, but going further including actual weather condition and area of sailing; it makes a difference if you are transiting the Suez Canal or moving through the Bay of Biscay in winter,” he explains. “So, So, at the moment, we are conceptualizing predictive algorithms and model-based control.”

He concludes: “The technologies are already here, we just need to combine them appropriately. ” 8 Stefan Goranov, WinGD

‘‘

You should be able to tell when you’d be better off raising the load and transferring the extra energy to a battery for future use, and when it’s more effective to allow partial loading of the generator For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

DECEMBER 2020 | 15

TWO-STROKE ENGINES

ISM CYBER SECURITY RACE STARTS ON 1 JANUARY Cyber security will take a big step closer to becoming mandatory at the beginning of 2021, writes Paul Gunton At first sight, the 2017 IMO resolution behind the change - MSC.428(98) - seems vague and undefined: in its crucial sentence, it “encourages administrations to ensure that cyber risks are appropriately addressed in safety management systems no later than the first annual verification of the company’s Document of Compliance after 1 January 2021.”

One class society that offers a cyber security class notation, DNV GL, acknowledges this lack of detail on its website where, as well as the revised ISM Code, it refers to IMO’s Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management (MSCFAL.1/Circ.3) that were released in July 2017. “As both leave much of the interpretation to the company responsible for the safety management system, there are still many uncertainties of how to handle the requirements,” it remarks.

When The Motorship spoke to Jarle Coll Blomhoff, DNV GL’s group leader for cyber safety and security, in late November, his reaction underlined its apparent subjectivity.

Shipowners will make their own risk assessments about how important cyber risk is to them which, at one extreme, could involve a full overview of all systems on board and involve every department in the company, he said.

On the other hand, an owner might consider a ship to be low risk if it is not connected to any external networks and those coming on board are restricted about how they use their own devices. In that scenario, some training and regular risk assessments would probably be accepted as a compliant response.

The Motorship also suggested to him that the resolution’s use of the word ‘encourages’ implied that it was not mandatory, but he insisted this was not the case. Because it has been incorporated into the ISM Code, which is mandatory, “this is also mandatory,” he said.

Although the ISM Code does not apply to manufacturing companies, they should consider the risks and potential actions that ship managers will have to consider as a result of this amendment and review how they can support their customers, Mr Blomhoff said during a webinar about cyber security shortly before our conversation.

During his presentation, he described three levels of risk, representing them as three concentric rings and describing the potential cyber risks of each one. There should be protection between each ring, he said.

His outer ring represented physical access to systems such as USB ports - while the middle one illustrated the risks from system integration. For example, if someone connects an infected device to the system, how far can its malware reach? It should not be able to reach the engine control system, he advised. The inner ring reflected the need for barriers for individual systems, for example by using encryption and passwords that are only known by those who need them.

Yet he told the webinar’s attendees that this goes beyond what the revised ISM Code will require, which can be satisfied addressing only physical security, he suggested. “Over time, IMO will look into more technical measures,” he predicted.

16 | DECEMBER 2020

So when DNV GL developed its cyber security class notation it looked beyond the ISM Code to an existing standard issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). IEC 62443 covers networked control systems in many industries and “is probably the one that engine manufacturers should look towards,” he told The Motorship.

For its own notation - which was launched in July 2018 and revised in February 2020 - DNV GL selected relevant parts of that standard and is now working with machinery manufacturers with a view to issuing them with certificates to confirm that they have incorporated suitable cyber security barriers to make their systems secure.

Mr Blomhoff offered readers some practical advice to improving cybersecurity for machinery installation: “never connect your engine control system to the IT or crew zones,” he said. “And if there’s a connection where you take out data ... you should have a boundary control or a firewall [that] controls communication towards it.”

These are requirements in DNV GL’s notation, along with a requirement for an audit log of security-related events so that if something happens, it is possible to discover why it happened and improve the system afterwards.

Although the ISM revisions are only now coming into force, many ship operators have already incorporated cyber security strategies into their management systems. Tanker owners, in particular, have responded to the commercial implications since OCIMF added cyber security to its Tanker Management Self Assessment (TMSA) programme in January 2018. This puts them ahead of other sectors in meeting the revised ISM requirement, Mr Blomhoff said.

8 The scope of the ISM Code is likely to eventually extend to more technical measures, according DNV GL’s Jarle Coll Blomhoff

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

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TWO-STROKE ENGINES

NOVEL AMMONIA SCR SOLUTION FORMAN ES NH3 ENGINE PROJECT MAN Energy Solutions is considering introducing a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) solution using ammonia as a reductant to meet Tier III emissions targets in its ammonia engine project MAN ES provided an update on the progress of its research into new ammonia-fuelled engine, which builds on the existing architecture of the MAN B&W ME-LGIP engine, in a recent white paper.

Research into the combustion and heat release characteristics of ammonia is ongoing. However, the results of engine tests due to be held in Copenhagen in 2021 would influence eventual design choices.

AFTER-TREATMENT One area of focus is the emissions released by the combustion of ammonia in a two-stroke engine. While ammonia is carbonand sulphur-free and generates almost-zero CO2 or SOX during combustion, it does release NO and NO2.

The solution also needed to minimise emissions of ammonia from the engine (so-called ammonia slip). One of the solutions under consideration would be to equip MAN ES engines with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology using ammonia as the reductant. This technology was introduced in the 1990s aboard four bulk carriers, and would eliminate the need for urea storage aboard.

Using ammonia rather than urea in the catalytic reaction, results in the conversion of NH3 and NOX to diatomic nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O). This minimises emissions of unburned NH3 (ammonia slip) and the potential formation of nitrous oxide (N2O), a more potent GHG gas. However, the potential increase in SCR volume and ammonia consumption required to achieve Tier III compliance needs to be investigated.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS Returning to design considerations, MAN ES noted that significantly lower calorific value of ammonia compared with propane (LPG) is likely to require modifications to the fuel injection system.

The Motorship previously reported that significantly higher pilot fuel ratios were required to overcome ammonia’s combustion characteristics, MAN is experimenting with other means of reducing the emissions associated with pilot fuel ratios of up to 20%.

The current design allows for an injection pressure of between 600-700 bar, while the fuel supply is expected to be at around 80 bar. However, both values may be optimised following engine tests in 2021.

FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM The fuel line comprises of a fuel supply system to take ammonia from the storage tanks, and ensure the required temperature, pressure and fuel quality on the engine.

A small proportion of the ammonia fuel is recirculated to the FSS via the recirculation system. This eliminates the risk of contaminating fuel storage tanks with oil. The recirculation line also separates and bleeds off nitrogen from the recovered ammonia fuel.

When the engine is not in dual-fuel operation, the fuel valve train ensure the isolation of the engine. The FVT uses a

18 | DECEMBER 2020

8 The ammonia engine builds on the existing architecture of the MAN B&W ME-LGIP engine

double block-and-bleed approach to isolate the fuel inside the engine from the fuel line when the engine is not in dualfuel operation.

The system includes a nitrogen purging system, which will be maintained at a pressure higher than the service tank pressure.

The ammonia fuel systems and piping will also feature the double-wall ventilation system previously used in other MAN B&W dual-fuel designs. If any ammonia fuel leakage is detected, it is directed away from the engine room to a separate ammonia trapping system.

However, MAN ES will not specify its ammonia supply system until after it holds its first engine tests at its Research Centre Copenhagen (RCC) in 2021.

RETROFIT AND AMMONIA-READY OPTIONS MAN noted that the safety and reliability of the FSS were key aspects to the development. The engine designer has performed three hazid investigations observed by representatives from the classification societies, shipowners, yards and component suppliers.

MAN ES is continuing to work towards installing the first ammonia engine in a vessel in the first half of 2024. The company plans to introduce a dual-fuel, modular retrofit solution for existing electronically controlled engines by early 2025.

Finally, MAN ES has also added the possibility of selecting an ‘ammonia-ready’ option for new engine orders placed before the ammonia engine is added to MAN’s portfolio in 2024. The option is likely to appeal to shipowners concerned that assets may become stranded in the future if regulatory initiatives, such as CO2 or GHG taxes, are introduced, as MAN ES believes likely.

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BWMS

CONVENTION CLEARER THROUGH REVISED G8 GUIDELINES The entry into force of the G8 guidelines under the IMO ballast water management convention (BWMC) at the end of October 2020 proved less disruptive than feared, Samantha Fisk hears

Credit: Alfa Laval

8 Alfa Laval’s PureBallast 3 was the first ballast water treatment solution to receive IMO revised G8 approval

The original IMO BWMC was out of step with the US Coast Guards (USCG) own regulations for ballast water treatment and it was expected that changes would need to be implemented to bring them more in-line with each other and for the industry to be able to meet with the regulation requirements. At the time it was unsure which way that this would go.

However, with the revised G8 guidelines that have now been adopted into the IMO BWMC these revisions have brought the BWMC more in-line with the USCG’s requirements for the treatment of ballast water. The effect that this has caused for some has seen some systems have to be retested to meet with the latest and tighter standards of the convention.

The revisions of the convention include that:5 Ballast water treatment systems installed on or after 28 October 2020 must be type approved according to the IMO revised G8 requirements.

5 Ballast water treatment systems without IMO revised G8 type approval are not permitted for global use if installed after 28 October 2020.

5 For ballast water treatment systems installed before 28 October 2020, the existing type approval remains valid.

“The new guidelines, with stricter requirements, has meant a change in performance for the majority of the systems Type Approval”, comments Peter Sahlen, Head of PureBallast, Alfa Laval, “The new guidelines means increased transparency, where the SDL (system design limitations) are to be clearly stated, showing limitations in salinity, temperature, UVT (Ultraviolet Temperature) and hold time.”

Alfa Laval says its PureBallast 3 was the very first ballast water treatment solution with IMO revised G8 approval.

Providing compliance without limiting vessel operations has always been the focus for Alfa Laval, it was a high priority to be ready before the IMO revised G8 implementation date,

20 | DECEMBER 2020

the company also highlights. Tests with marine, brackish and fresh water were completed under the new IMO G8 regime as early as Q3 2017. PureBallast 3 received its updated certificate in February 2018 - with no changes to its hardware or power consumption.

One of the main challenges that is still facing the market is the adaption of systems to both different types of vessels and set-ups that the systems will be working in. Alfa Laval has said it has listened to the market and has configurated the system for different vessel types. For instance, Deckhouse solution for tankers and Bulker-fit configuration for bulkers.

Since the BWM convention has been ratified there has been an expectancy in the industry of a big rush to install ballast water treatment systems which will incur bottlenecks at ship repair yards and drydocks. However, this may not necessarily play out as originally thought.

“As the installation to a large extent is connected to the IOPP (International Oil Pollution Prevention) date, the volumes are relatively evenly distributed, but for example de-coupling has created a shift, where volumes from earlier years have been pushed forward”, explains Sahlen.

‘‘

As the installation to a large extent is connected to the IOPP (International Oil Pollution Prevention) date, the volumes are relatively evenly distributed, but for example de-coupling has created a shift, where volumes from earlier years have been pushed forward For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

BWMS

‘‘

DNV GL also has similar thoughts about when the industry could now see more of a demand at yards to have treatment systems installed. Martin Olofsson, senior principal engineer, DNV GL - Maritime comments that out of the approximately 7,500 relevant vessels in the DNV GL fleet, some, 3,250 still need to have a ballast water treatment installed.

Olofsson also highlights that as the IOPP renewal survey date for some vessels were moved to the summer of 2017, previously. This will mean that in five years from that period, in 2022, we will likely see a peak in ballast water treatment systems being installed.

One cautionary note that Olofsson brings to table regards the date of the initial survey (date installed) of the BWTS stated on the International BWM Certificate for a particular vessel.

He notes one project where a system was brought onboard a vessel in September, but will not have its initial survey completed until December.

“A BWTS that is brought onboard before 28 October is to comply with the original G8 Guideline (MEPC.174(58))”, he comments. DNV GL has in this case contacted the flag state to document when it was actually brought onboard.

Xavier Deval, Business Director at France based BWTS designer BIO-SEA also commented that commissioning testing may be a challenge for some manufacturers. “This will result in shipowners carefully assessing the performance and reliability of each BWTS prior to making any purchase decisions. We have already successfully completed several system commissioning tests under the new rules”, he said.

At the IMO MEPC 75 it was agreed that a commissioning test of the ballast water management system (BWMS) based on BWM.2/Circ.70/Rev.1 (revised at this session) will be required for the initial survey or when performing an additional survey for retrofits.

“The commissioning test analysis undertaken may be indicative and will not apply to ships that already have an installed BWMS certified under the BWMC. Some flag administrations are requiring commissioning testing ahead of the BWMC amendments entering into force”, Deval adds.

Deval also notes that a new tick box for management methods other than D-1, D-2 and D-4 has been added in the International Ballast Water Management Certificate. This is meant for vessels using alternative approaches, such as reception facilities (B-3.6-7). The amendments will enter into force on 1 June 2022.

The revision of guidelines has seen some manufacturers have to retest their systems to meet with the requirements.

Mark Riggio, head of marine, Filtersafe comments: “The main challenge is having to retest and recertify the equipment.

Credit: BIO-SEA

The main challenge is having to retest and recertify the equipment. The costs of testing and retesting continues to be a burden as well as the timing involved in conducting the tests.

From the standpoint of actual performance, there is little if any impact to the test protocols for the new guidelines. It often feels like it’s just retesting for the sake of retest...

The costs of testing and retesting continues to be a burden as well as the timing involved in conducting the tests. From the standpoint of actual performance, there is little if any impact to the test protocols for the new guidelines. It often feels like it’s just retesting for the sake of retest...”

However, Rasmus Folsø of DESMI notes that before the G8 guidelines came in the market already had to comply with both the IMO and USCG which was stricter. “For our Type Approval in 2014 we were already looking at the USCG requirements”, said Folsø.

Folsø notes that the latest revisions to the convention will also not be a challenge for those manufacturers who were already testing and meeting the requirements of the USCG in the past.

There is also another factor that may have been missed with the latest impact from the pandemic in that due to the COVID impacts at shipyards and the delayed installation of systems in early 2020, “we are expecting an increased enforcement regime looking at vessels that may have passed their IOPP renewal dates without installing systems”, comments Riggio.

It seems that other ballast water treatment manufacturers are also expecting more activity in the near future, as Deval comments: “It does seem that some shipowners have postponed their BWTS installations, until later in 2021 and 2022. We do anticipate a rush beginning at the start of 2021 for which we are well prepared. We have units on the shelf ready to go.”

Deval also notes that during this time good drydock planning from the shipowners side will be crucial in order to ensure installations are commissioned and performed according to the requirements in time.

One sticking point of the convention still seems to be the requirements of sampling and what the requirements are for the procedure. Sahlen comments that: “At present, commissioning sampling is not mandatory for the vast majority of vessels. Nor is it expected to become a global requirement before May 2022. Nonetheless, there is already immense confusion on the market regarding the purpose and procedures for it. There is a meeting planned for the 20th of November, and we expect that more clarity will be brought to this topic.”

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

8 BIO-SEA systems have already successfully completed several system commissioning tests under new commissioning rules

DECEMBER 2020 | 21

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BWMS

BWMS DEADLINES LOOM FOR FOR US AND IMO STANDARDS More than a year after they had been submitted to IMO, amendments to the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) requiring commissioning testing for ballast water management systems (BWMSs) have been adopted.

Meeting remotely in November - more than seven months later than scheduled - delegates at the 75th Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75) adopted amendments that had already been approved at MEPC 74 in May 2019. Under IMO’s tacit acceptance process, parties to the convention have until 1 December 2021 to object to the amendments and, unless more than a third of them do so, it will enter into force on 1 June 2022.

However, the resolution invites parties “to consider the application of the amendments to regulation E-1 with regard to commissioning testing as soon as possible to ships entitled to fly their flag,” and, in a summary of MEPC 75’s outcomes, class society DNV GL advised that “some flag administrations are requiring commissioning testing ahead of the BWMC amendments entering into force.”

It does not name them, but a white paper published by BWMS maker Alfa Laval in March this year listed Australia, The Bahamas, Cyprus, Panama and Singapore as early adopters and it expected others to follow.

Once it is in force, an initial survey will be required before a ship receives its International Ballast water management certificate to confirm that a commissioning test has been conducted “to validate the installation of any ballast water management system to demonstrate that its mechanical, physical, chemical and biological processes are working properly.”

Although the amendment’s text does not specify the form that this test should take, MEPC 75 also approved revised guidance for commissioning testing that had been developed by the seventh meeting of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 7) in February this year and issued as BWM.2/Circ.42/Rev.2.

Those guidelines say that “a sample may be collected during ballast water uptake to characterise the ambient water, by any means practical” and that at least 1m3 must be analysed and the test is successful if the “indicative analysis” indicates that the discharge samples meet the D-2 standard.

For shipowners operating into the US, the potential impact of the US Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) should be high on their agenda. It was signed into law on 4 December 2018, just two weeks before the 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) was due to expire.

For the moment, the VGP remains in force but VIDA requires the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop national standards of performance similar to those covered by the VGP by 4 December 2020.

Yet the EPA only issued its proposed rules on 6 October and opened them for public comment on 26 October, with a response deadline of 25 November. As that deadline passed, the EPA’s website declared that it was “working as expeditiously as possible” to meet its deadline. The USCG

24 | DECEMBER 2020

Image: Star Bulk

MEPC 75 belatedly adopted commissioning testing while the US EPA struggles to meet standards deadline

will then have two years to develop corresponding implementation, compliance, and enforcement regulations.

This is already causing concern among shipowners. In late March, for example, Star Bulk told shareholders in its annual report that “the new regulations could require the installation of new equipment, which may cause us to incur substantial costs.”

Shortly before MEPC 75, another important ballast treatment deadline passed: since 28 October, new BWMS installations on ships that will trade outside of US waters must fit systems that have been type-approved to IMO’s revised G8 standard, which brings IMO’s requirements closer to those of the USCG. Existing installations are not affected by this change.

A critical detail is the definition of ‘installation date’ and in May this year Lloyd’s Register issued notes on its website that clarified it as referring to “the contractual date of delivery of the BWTS/BWMS to the ship” or “the actual date of delivery of the BWTS/BWMS to the ship.”

Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, yard schedules have been disrupted for many projects and LR drew attention to IMO’s circular letter 4204/Add.7, which was issued in April and offers guidance about the effect of unforeseen delays in ship deliveries. Although it does not specifically refer to BWMS installations, it is worth noting its advice that “if a ship’s delivery date occurs on or after the delivery date specified for a particular set of regulation amendments” those amendments will apply unless the administration has accepted that the delay was “due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the shipbuilder and the owner.”

The USCG also issued guidance in April, specific to BWMS installations. Its Marine Safety Information Bulletin MSIB 1420 details installation date extensions for vessels with compliance dates before 1 April 2021 that have been impacted by the pandemic.

8 Star Bulk has warned shareholders about the potential cost of meeting VIDA’s requirements

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The new regulations could require the installation of new equipment, which may cause us to incur substantial costs For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

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THRUSTER & PROPULSORS

MAGNETIC GEARING OFFERS EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS

Photo: Magnomatics

Even for the latest motor developments, gear losses are just one of those unavoidable realities. Or are they?

It’s possible to gain high-torque, direct drive at medium or slow speeds where traditionally a motor and gearbox combination would have been necessary. How? By adding permanent magnets to the machine instead of gears.

And without metal touching metal - the engaging elements stay just a few millimetres apart - it avoids normal friction issues “so you have very low losses” explains David Latimer of Magnomatics, adding “neither do they wear out”.

Surprisingly, despite the air gap these motors can yield a continuous torque density several times greater than their straightforward permanent magnet counterparts. Possibly most interesting for marine applications is that replacing metal teeth with magnets builds a certain ‘forgiveness’ into the system: unlike mechanical gears, magnetic fields have a damping effect on both electromagnetic ripples and sudden torsional loads.

SO, HOW DOES IT WORK? First of all, take two concentric rings of permanent magnets with alternating poles, the innermost being connected to the output shaft. Rotating either one at this point would just move the other at the same speed - they’re simply locked together.

“If you then put electrical windings round the outside to create a stator, you’d have a permanent magnet motor turning in step with the field circulating around the coils” explains Latimer.

However, the all-important next step in creating a Pseudo Direct Drive (PDD) is to sit another circle containing electrical steel segments (called pole pieces) between these two rings: this modulates the field on the inner shaft.

Putting it simply, these act a little like a stroboscope: “If you could see the field from a vantage point on the hub, the impression would be similar to old films where wagon wheels appear to be slowly turning backwards”, says Latimer. The result is a lower speed rotation on the output shaft - and as in the movies, it’s in the reverse direction.

Further, it can be tailored in interesting ways because the

26 | DECEMBER 2020

8 The magnetic drive: large scale tests are convincing

number of magnets on each circle, combined with the number of pole pieces, defines the gear ratio.

While deepsea ROVs may sit at the smaller end of the scale, the results have been dramatic: “Our thruster motors for remotely operated underwater vehicles are around 92% efficient,” says Latimer: “This is more than double than that of the hydraulic thrusters they replace.” Moreover, it answers one subsea operation concern around deeper waters: the drive’s characteristics make it suitable for depths of 6,000m.

But what about larger applications? The technology is already being trialled “up a pole in the middle of the sea in dynamic conditions” says Latimer, explaining that the latest 10MW-plus wind turbines are on course to be the first largescale implementation. What grabbed the sector’s interest were initial results indicating very high efficiency for moderately low-ratio systems: Magnomatics’ PDD comes out a substantial 7% to 10% ahead of the current tech at full load, reaching a huge 98% efficiency on a 10MW output drive.

Although these work to translate the shaft rotation from the slowly turning propellers into electrical energy, he points out “the principle is much the same... and so is the size”.

THRUSTERS AND PODS Even the most efficient of vessels have a problem when it comes to thruster operation, as though it’s an electrical drive, physical loads still have an impact explains Milinko Godjevac of Future Proof Shipping.

The power generation usually necessitates a 90deg translation through a bevel gear, and the result for azimuthing thrusters “is around 5% loss even in design conditions”, says Godjevac. However, it can worsen given off-design loads, because the effect is to subtly change the geometry of the meshing teeth.

A proportion of that efficiency can be regained by replacing that bevel gear with a PDD. But podded propulsors face yet another challenge: “The gears are often almost submerged in lubricant,” Godjevac explains. This oil bath is far more viscous than air and the machinery within has to churn

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

THRUSTER & PROPULSORS

‘‘

If you then put electrical windings round the outside to create a stator, you’d have a permanent magnet motor turning in step with the field circulating around the coils

FUTURE But these are just the first few steps into the industry, and the field is wide open for all kinds of exploration.

At the moment this lies in the realm of speculation, but it is possible that with work, magnetically geared PM motors might just prove suitable for larger, power take off (PTO) applications: these are gaining more interest of late, as large two strokes can produce power far more effectively than starting up the onboard gensets. Certainly, the neat footprint of these magnetic motor-generators could make it attractive for retrofits. But most importantly, PTOs have to cope with a variety of difficult conditions - including sudden torsional loads and “hammering from shaft and engine interaction”, says Godjevac.

Given this, magnetic gear machines possess a very interesting characteristic: they are somewhat elastic in nature and so the gears are naturally imbued with vibration damping and torque protection, slipping and then automatically realigning without damage either to themselves or other components. Moreover, these characteristics can be further tailored to suit a particular application.

Photo: Magnomatics

SPLITTING A twist of this magnetic transmission technology might even be further developed to help maritime engines stay inside their own particular happy place. While the MAGSPLIT was first developed for the automotive market, it appears to have crossover potential.

8 Magnomatics’ PDD comes out a substantial 7% to 10% ahead of the current tech at full load

Photo: Magnomatics

through it. By contrast, the PDD’s negligible lubrication demand sidesteps most of the issue.

Further, the compact size of these magnetic machines can substantially reduce a pod’s outline. A design collaboration focusing on a 2.5MW unit - which saw Magnomatics partnering with Rolls-Royce and Wolong Laurence Scott showed it could significantly reduce the diameter and lower hydrodynamic resistance: taken together, Latimer predicts “an improvement of between 7% and 10% in fuel consumption over current technology”.

This replaces the PDD’s fixed ratio gear with something that can be altered on the hoof, enabling a variable speed output - right down to the more problematic partial loads where normal gearing losses tend to be amplified.

It works by adapting that three ring system. Firstly, by reducing the number of magnets on the outer circle to four, and secondly, by allowing it to rotate at a variable speed, controlled by altering the flow around the stator. The engine rotation is tied to the pole-piece set, and the output to the shaft.

It’s a very neat trick. If the outer ring is stationary, the device will revert to its baseline gear ratio which, (like the PDD), is defined by the number of pole pairs to pole pieces.

But when the outer is rotated in the reverse direction, say by half the rpm of the engine, the effect is to halve the input speed. This changes the relative gearing: take the example of a 1,800rpm engine hitched to a device with an intrinsic ratio of 3:1 (normally reducing the speed to 600rpm). Running the outer ring at 50% against the engine rotation leaves it with an output of 300rpm: an effective ratio of 6:1. Likewise, moving the outer ring faster than the engine has the opposite effect, increasing shaft speed.

Despite the parasitic load from the stator, the fact that it can change ratios - smoothly - without the losses associated with multiple mechanical gear combinations makes it an extremely useful alternative for all kinds of onboard installations, including pumps and other variable speed applications. But there may also be potential for allowing a greater propulsion control range than is normally comfortable for main engines.

Further, there’s an added bonus. The MAGSPLIT can divide the power between different mechanical and electrical pathways, raising efficiency for hybridised systems.

Essentially, the same three ring process transfers a variable proportion of the energy to the shaft, while the rest of the power flows around the circuit to a second motor generator, some being diverted to or released from the battery depending on charge and demand. This could allow the (occasionally painful) gaps to be filled between various operational modes: instead of distinct boundaries and load steps between battery and engine or main and auxiliary power, this kind of magnetic device would create a smooth transition - and even potentially open up new ways of combining available energy sources at the shaft.

On the whole, it seems it is not a question of ‘if’ PDD systems will be utilised in the marine industry, but when... and where.

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

8 A magnetically geared drive has no metal touching metal - the engaging elements stay just a few millimetres apart, but it yields surprisingly high torque

DECEMBER 2020 | 27

THRUSTER & PROPULSORS

AZIPOD PROPULSION SETS COURSE FOR GREENER SEAS

Credit: Viking Line

Viking Line’s ferry newbuilding features the first installation of ABB’s Azipod® propulsion in a passenger ferry of its type, combining manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency benefits

As the latest addition to Viking Line’s fleet of environmentally conscious Baltic Sea cruise ferries, Viking Glory will be the operator’s greenest passenger vessel yet - and one of the greenest in the industry. The cruise ferry will also be the first of its kind to deploy Azipod propulsion.

Detailed simulations have already shown by how much the inclusion of twin Azipod units and consequent hull optimization can enhance the vessel’s hydrodynamic performance, as well as its manoeuvrability in port.

“We’re getting ready to welcome the most efficient cruise ferry operating in the Baltic, if not the world,” explains Viking Line’s newbuild project manager Kari Granberg. “Water resistance was lower by around eight percent when measured against a traditional shaft line propulsion system.

Meanwhile, the ship’s manoeuvrability increases to such an extent that we expect time saved in port to allow us to reduce service speed by one knot, which corresponds to an energy saving of about 2MW while keeping the ship’s schedule.”

Fuel efficiency was a key consideration in the selection of Azipod propulsion, according to Marcus Högblom, head of ABB’s passenger vessels segment. He describes it as a remarkable breakthrough for Azipod on three fronts: with Viking Line; for a cruise ferry; and for a Chinese-built passenger ship with Azipod XO propulsion system.

As part of the integrated scope, ABB is also supplying ABB Ability™ 800xA automation, power management, bow thruster motors and remote diagnostics services.

8 The Viking Grace will be the first passenger ship of its kind to utilise Azipod propulsion when it enters service in 2021

owners save up to $1.7 million in annual fuel costs per vessel while cutting emissions by around 10,000 tons,” says Högblom. The study simulated transit on seven existing ferry routes and found that a ferry equipped with twin 10MW Azipod units consumed less fuel compared to a similar vessel powered by a traditional shaft line propulsion system.

“This level of fuel efficiency was very high in the considerations of Viking Line - a company that places great importance on sustainable operations.”

Viking Line’s dedication to protecting the environment has already been demonstrated in Viking Grace, a cruise ferry for which ABB previously supplied a complete electrical power plant and shaft line propulsion system alongside ABB energy-management advisory software. “Viking Grace is still recognized as one of the most climate-smart vessels in its class,” says Granberg. “Viking Glory will be powered by liquefied natural gas-fuelled engines and will be larger than 8 Installation work of the Azipod units was supervised

by ABB’s service team in China, with remote support from the Finnish colleagues

FUEL EFFICIENCY QUANTIFIED “Last year, an independent study by the marine consultancy Deltamarin found that Azipod propulsion could help ferry

28 | DECEMBER 2020

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

Credit: ABB Marine & Ports

THRUSTER & PROPULSORS

Viking Grace but, in terms of efficiency, is expected to achieve a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption.”

Unparalleled environmental performance is only one of Viking Line’s targets for its new flagship. The innovative vessel will also provide a unique passenger experience. Large panoramic windows will offer uninterrupted views, while stylish interior design and furnishings will capture the essence of Scandinavia and the Baltics. “Guests on board the ship being able to enjoy these surroundings in supreme comfort is also partly thanks to Azipod, which minimizes vibrations and noise pollution,” says Viking Line Captain Ulf Lindroos.

Vessel handling will also benefit from Azipod propulsion, as demonstrated by simulation trials last year completed by Captain Lindroos. The captain, who will command Viking Glory, has virtually navigated a ferry to berth in the most safe, efficient, and sustainable manner.

“The system is easy to manoeuvre, easy to use, and you don’t need to use a rudder,” says Captain Lindroos, reflecting on the benefits of the Azipod propulsion.

MADE IN EUROPE, DELIVERED IN CHINA Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co., (XSI) where Viking Gloryy is currently under construction, started the Azipod installation llation works early September. The Azipod units were built in Finland inland and subsequently delivered to China for installation.. With global travel restrictions, ABB deployed its highly skilled regional workforce to support the shipyard in bringing ng the installation to a successful completion.

Zeng Zhenyu, Vice Chief Engineer and Project Manager ager at XSI, explains: “Since ABB’s Europe-based commissioning ioning specialist were unable to travel to China, the company mpany deployed local ABB Marine service team for Azipod installation llation support, as well as a welding specialist from ABB Marine rine & Ports unit in South Korea. The relationship between n ABB, Viking Line and staff at the shipyard has proved to be highly collaborative, with the installation executed faultlessly.”

“Our scope on board Viking Glory is significant and impacts mpacts large portions of the ship. This meant that we had to work ork as a team in methods that we have not been accustomed tomed previously,” said Hanna-Kaisa Yrjänäinen, ABB’s Project Manager for Viking Glory. “Coordinating across our different fferent product areas as well as employing the latest digital technology meant that our global commissioning engineers ineers were supported by the best technical minds regardless ess of travel restrictions. I am proud on how our team was able ble to adapt to global challenges and deliver our solutions to o both XSI and Viking Line.”

“The impact of pandemic was unexpected, especially ally on the staff deployment. With remote support from our Finnish colleagues, ABB Marine & Ports China team handled ed the llation situation proactively and finished Azipod installation y, ABB successfully. It is a good proof that as a global company,

8 Azipod propulsion simplifies hull construction, which lower the water resistance by 8%

has the full capability of cooperation and coordination to fulfil our commitments to customers,” says Robin-Yang Shen, Operation Manager, ABB Marine & Ports China.

PROPELLED TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE Viking Glory is set to embark on its maiden voyage in 2021.

When she does, the agreement between ABB and Viking Line also includes an automation contract for additional efficiency gains and is part of robust relationship between the two parties. “As well as having supplied Viking Glory’s predecessor Viking Grace, we recently delivered shore connection technology for Viking Line’s high-speed passenger ferry Viking XPRS,” says Marcus Högblom. “We are honoured to support the company as it continues its journey towards greener cruise and ferry operations in the Baltic Sea.” Viking Line’s Granberg believes the new addition will be warmly received. “Environmental responsibility and passenger experience are two cornerstones of our work, and Viking Glory will reflect those principles more than any Viking ship before it. This is, in no small part, down to the Azipod system, which will be the driving force behind Viking Glory’s unmatched efficiency and sustainability.”

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

8 Captain Ulf Lindroos will take the helm of Viking Glory

DECEMBER 2020 | 29

THRUSTER & PROPULSORS

LEADING LIGHTS BACK FUEL CELL RESEARCH Research into fuel cells for marine applications has been largely inspired and underpinned by publicly-funded schemes, at both national and EU levels, and has provided a considerable knowledge base. But as yet negligible use of fuel cells in commercial shipping belies the extent of R&D resourcing of the technology. A recent acceleration in projects initiated by the industry, and in some cases without a call on public financial sponsorship, has strengthened the prospect of a take-up of viable systems.

Of course, the environmental case for such alternatives or supplements to time-served marine power plant has to be balanced by both efficacy and affordability, albeit on the basis of a longer-term and highly circumspect assessment of cost effectiveness.

As well as producing fewer or no missions (zero emissions if fuelled by hydrogen), and minimal noise and vibration, fuel cells are claimed to offer efficiency across the load profile.

The absence of moving parts implies reduced maintenance and fewer points of potential failure, and the modularity favours decentralised power output and thermal energy management, plus more freedom as to shipboard location.

Nonetheless, the initial investment cost is high in relation to conventional systems. Many issues as to the availability and cost of fuel, procedures for fuel handling and bunkering, and regulatory aspects have still to be fully addressed, approved and set in place. Much of the activity has been focused around South Korea, which has embraced fuel cell technology for stationary applications, and is currently the world’s largest market for the technology.

The Motorship reported in September that Samsung Heavy Industries was planning to launch a 174,000m3 LNG carrier new building by the end of 2022 powered by 30MW of LNGfuelled solid oxide fuel cells, based on US developer Bloom Energy’s technology.

The world’s largest, independently-owned tanker pool operator, Singapore-based Navig8, has given extra weight to endeavours to bring fuel cells into the mainstream powering scenario by entering into an agreement with Doosan Fuel Cell Co. Building on the South Korean firm’s prominent role in stationary FC systems, joint development work will be implemented to devise solutions suited to the merchant shipping industry.

A prototype installation of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is provisionally planned for a 50,000dwt petrochemical tanker ordered by Navig8. The plant would serve as a technology demonstrator. LNG is likely to be the fuel of choice in the first phase of development, to be followed by investigations into ammonia and hydrogen.

In a newly-signed joint development project, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering will review the feasibility of substituting one of three diesel gensets typically found on a VLCC by an SOFC. As a further endorsement by influential South Korean shipbuilders of the scope offered by fuel cells in combating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Samsung Heavy Industries has obtained approval in principle from

30 | DECEMBER 2020

Credit: CERES

Upscaling and affordability are vital if fuel cells are to become part of the power mix in commercial shipping, writes David Tinsley

DNV GL for an Aframax crude carrier type in which the characteristically high auxiliary power requirement is met not by gensets but by SOFCs running on LNG. HYDROGEN-FUELLED DEVELOPMENT A number of European developments are focusing on hydrogen-fuelled technologies. There surely has hitherto been no marine fuel cell project as ambitious as the recently announced collaboration which foresees a hydrogen PEM FC installation producing 23,000kW to propel a Nordic ro-pax ferry by 2027. The power rating is around five times greater than the largest PEM FC systems currently available.

Implementation of the scheme is contingent on the Danishled partnership securing financial support from the EU Innovation Fund, such are the development cost implications of the upscaling and fast-track timeline.

Adopting a compressed hydrogen fuel system reduces the potential range of the vessel compared with liquefied systems, but sidesteps technological, safety and regulatory challenges around cryogenic containment and innovative bunkering infrastructure. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) FC system would be sufficient to power a vessel dimensioned for 1,800 passengers and 120 trucks or 380 cars on a single Copenhagen/Frederikshavn/Oslo rotation.

‘Green’ hydrogen would be bunkered in Copenhagen, produced by electrolysis using offshore wind energy.

DFDS has already this year obtained a grant from the Danish Maritime Fund to test fuel cell technology aboard one of the fleet’s ro-ro freight vessels, the 195m Ark Germania, during the course of her regular North Sea schedule. The ship’s electrical infrastructure will be upgraded for the evaluation of plant of up to 1MW. Containerised plant will be carried on the weatherdeck, plugged into the ship’s net, and connected to the fuel source.

8 Samsung Heavy is aiming to launch a 174,000m3 LNGC powered by 30MW of solid-oxide fuel cells by the end of 2022

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

EU money from Horizon 2020 coffers has been allocated this year to a collaborative R&D study, the HySHIP project, to promote hydrogen as a fuel for merchant shipping. A key element of the endeavour will be the design and construction of a demonstration ro-ro vessel fitted with a 3MW PEM hydrogen fuel cell and 1,000kW battery bank, to be operated

by Norwegian company Wilhelmsen. Horizon 2020 funding has also been approved for the cross-industry ShipFC project, whereby the world’s first ammonia-powered fuel cell will be installed on a Norwegian offshore supply ship.

Salient to the group’s prolific construction of luxury cruise ships, Fincantieri is constructing an experimental vessel of about 25m in length embracing a hydrogen FC system. Giving form to the Zeus project involving Italian industry and academia, and co-funded by the Ministry for Economic Development, the nascent vessel will be fitted with two diesel generators and two electric propulsion motors, supplemented by a 130kW FC system and battery pack to render a zeroemission sailing range of eight hours at up to 7.5 knots.

Applying technology already used in submarines, the hydrogen fuel will be contained in multiple hydride cylinders.

The power rating is similar to that of the hydrogen PEM FC which Royal Caribbean has nominated for its Icon-class generation of 200,000gt cruise ships, the first of which is due to be handed over by Meyer Turku in 2023. Viking Cruises also has the goal of adopting a hydrogen fuel cell on a newbuild similar to its Fincantieri-built Viking Star class.

The flurry of investments in demonstration projects illustrates continuing interest in exploring the possibilities of different fuel cell technologies. The demonstration projects

Credit: SHI

THRUSTER & PROPULSORS

themselves do not guarantee feasibility for maritime applications as the rejection of molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) as a potential technology demonstrated. Commercial prerequisites for the uptake of the technology in commercial shipping, and most especially so as to propulsion applications, include a far more extended product range as regards potency, lower capital cost, increased compactness, and ready availability of the energy carriers (fuel).

8 Doosan Fuel Cell is investing to expand production of SOFC fuel cells, based on technology licensed from UK developer CERES

Guarantee compliance by selecting the best www.ballast-water-treatment.com @bio biosea For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

-uv.com

DECEMBER 2020 | 31

DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE

DRIVEN BY A STEADY WIND As a steady stream of wind-assisted propulsion projects begin to enter service, Stevie Knight takes stock of the different technologies available “We developed a technical standard a year ago, and we’ve been overwhelmed with enquiries for certification options, AiPs, and early-stage risk analysis,” says Hasso Hoffmeister of DNV GL. It helps that break-even has now been reached for a number of segments, “the OPEX savings now roughly balance the extra CAPEX at current fuel prices”, adds Hoffmeister’s colleague Uwe Hollenbach.

“We’ll probably have 13 larger wind-assisted cargo ships in the water by the end of this year,” says Gavin Allwright, secretary general of the International Windship Association.

That might not sound so many, but he goes on to count over 30 more due to arrive before the end of 2022, adding “there’s now a strong, rapidly maturing pipeline”.

A sea change is indeed underway: “The owners, the shippers, they’re not just customers, they’re stepping forward and getting directly involved - take MOL, that’s partnered with Oshima Shipbuilding to drive the project through the AiP and on into detailed design,” says Allwright. Even more interestingly, “Neoline is teaming up with people like Manitou, Renault and Beneteau”, he comments.

It’s significant that the IWSA is no longer just a technology group, members include three major shipping companies, two class societies “and we’ve a shipbuilder on our executive committee”, he adds. Further, Wärtsilä is to integrate Anemoi’s rotors within its Propulsion business: this shows where wind tech properly belongs, says Allwright: “It’s not just an additional ‘efficiency’ measure.”

Early commercial take up has so far favoured towers “with their fairly small footprint for delivered power”, says Hoffmeister. There are now seven Flettner assisted vessels, including a tanker, a bulker, ro-ro, general cargo vessel and a couple of ferries: the technology achieving a Magnus effect - a pull, more or less perpendicular to the wind - by using low power motors to rotate a cylinder against the airflow.

But as Hollenbach points out, “since efficiency is related to size”, there’s a clear driver for scaling up.

For example, Norsepower’s 2014 installation onboard MS Estraden a 9,700dwt ro-ro operating between Holland and Teesport installed a pair of 18m tall, 3m diameter flettners, reducing the ships’ average fuel consumption by 6.1% around 400t per year.

Not bad, but compare that with the 2018 installation of two 30m by 5m diameter rotor sails last year on the LR2 tanker Maersk Pelican - which made verified savings of 8.2%. Further, a recent Norsepower contract for the SC Connector (installation at time of writing), has taken it up to 35m high and the estimates are that these two should save around 25% in fuel overall. The sixth project - this time on a bulk carrier promises to be at least as large.

Likewise, Anemoi’s installation onboard Blue Planet Shipping’s 64,000dwt, MV Afros are 16m tall, but in a big step forward there were four of them, arranged down the starboard deck. And there’s growth in all directions: the company now offer a 35m-high, 5m wide rotor sail.

A related, but distinct development is the aspirated tower which achieves a similar result without rotation. Instead, it uses suction and a slightly wing-shaped profile to help magnify the wind effect.

32 | DECEMBER 2020

These units are generally a little smaller - but Econowind has aimed straight at lowering the bar for a wide range of vessels: for example, a modest, containerised version held in place with standard twist locks has been trialled on a DFDS ferry and lately, on a research vessel. There’s also a 10m pair of its Ventifoils being fitted onboard the 6,477dwt MV Frisian Sea. However, even though these device are more modest overall, scaling up is still on the cards: a commercial installation onboard MV Ankie, a 3,600dwt general cargo vessel, has recently been raised from 10m to 16m by adding extensions. Further, Econowind is “in conversation” about 20m Ventifoil contracts.

8 Neoline is offering more than a single ship - it’s a full, transatlantic link

SAILS So where are the sails? While they’re a well-known sight in the racing world, Hollenbach says they’ve “not yet made it to commercial reality” onboard big cargo ships.

This is about to change, as sail rig ships appear set to fly ahead, lifted by “significant commercial backing” from the specialist ro-ro market “among others”, says Allwright.

Take VPLP/Ayro’s Oceanwing: this has just gained its first commercial ship contract onboard Canopée, the Ariane 6 rocket transporter. These narrow, fully rotating and reefable soft sails generate extra thrust by dividing the sail area in two, the slot accelerating the airflow and pulling the turbulence to the following edge.

Of note is the vast, 22-fold jump in scale between the first 65m2 sails onboard the Energy Observer research craft and these 30m-high versions. Together these will provide a surface area of 1,452m2, delivering 30% fuel savings between Europe and the launchpad in French Guiana.

Then there’s the Neoliner ro-ro: despite its 4MW of onboard diesel-electric propulsion, this is primarily a wind ship - and it looks like one. This has a slender, 136m long, 24m beam with a long, fine bow and a 6,500t capacity: above are cross-linked pairs of folding masts which hold automatically deploying, triangular soft sails. These extend to offer a 4,200m surface, from which it’s hoped to gain up to 80% of the vessel’s propulsion energy.

Notably, Neoline is offering more than a single ship - it’s a full, transatlantic link which will transport both Beneteau’s

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DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE boats and Manitou’s machinery to the US. Further, Renault has recently signed a cargo-based agreement for a pair of cross-Atlantic ro-ros to start car deliveries in 2022.

But Hoffmeister notes, “we are getting a lot of enquiries for bigger, long-range bulk vessels above 10,000dwt, especially ore ships and tankers”. That factor alone is enough to push up the size. For example, Drax, operator of the UK’s biggest power station (and a huge decarbonisation project in its own right) is interested in the potential 20% savings from fitting a 229m, 67,657dwt biomass carrier with six, steel and aluminium FastRig wingsails, together yielding a 2,628m2 surface.

Despite derailment by Covid-19, the Smart Green Shipping Alliance still hopes to get the demonstrator launched inside the next few years.

Stepping up again, a MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding partnership is looking to bring its Wind Challenger bulk carrier off the table and into the water around 2022. This initial 80,000dwt design has just one stiff sail which telescopes down to reduce wind surface, reducing fuel and GHG emissions by 8% on Japan-North America west coast transit.

However, it won’t stop with a single rig: there’s already an 180,000dwt bulker concept, the nine sails yielding a total area of 9,000m2.

Finally, following a China Merchants Energy Shipping trial of large twin rigid sails onboard New Veracity, the company has now a 307,000dwt wingsail ship on order from the Dalian yard for 2022 - details are hard to come by but the rigs stand to be substantial.

KITES Kites, which utilise stable, high winds between 100m and 300m above the sea surface, are also re-emerging.

It has to be said, the tech has had a somewhat patchy history: little came from the planned commercial installations a decade or so ago - market forces of one kind and another played a part in tripping up development. However, there’s been one technical sticking point in particular: getting the kite back in the box. Autonomous retrieval took “all our combined maritime and aerospace know-how” to accomplish says Airseas’ Matthew Smith.

Now they’re back, and scaling up “to address the biggest vessels on the market”, he adds. Again, there’s deep commercial ties: the first 500m² Seawing will be installed on parent company Airbus’ Ville de Bordeaux ro-ro next year, while the second bulker installation on a will double that at 1,000m2 - the AiP being achieved through a joint project with K-Line.

This might help kites spring far ahead of the pack in terms of contracts: Smith says alongside ongoing “commercial discussions” with more than 20 other ship owners, K-Line is also considering orders for a further 50 units.

WIND FORCE There are, however, challenges for ships with a higher ratio between wind surface area and vessel displacement, especially as the most-quoted expected average - not peak - efficiency for sail rigs is around 30%, which inherently requires extended, larger wind contribution.

Take food giant Cargill and BAR Technologies’ strategic project with naval architect Deltamarin. This will see BAR’s WindWings - large, solid sails that measure up to 45m in height - fitted to Cargill’s ships.

According to Deltamarin’s Esa Jokioinen, some deck strengthening is necessary: the forces are “comparable to a bulk carrier deck crane” he explains, so positioning of the rigs where they gain existing structural support means additional steel can be minimized. But even these big installations leave heel and stability under control.

However, he says “the biggest optimization task is the steering and propulsion arrangement” as with increased thrust from the sails, “propeller load will reduce... as will the flow to the rudder and therefore the steering force”.

It’s a challenge for all these vessels, and various solutions are on the table. For example, Neoliner’s design incorporates a slender shape and removable fins to help counteract drift, while Hollenbach adds that Enercon’s four rotor project cargo vessel E-Ship 1, has a conventional rudder positioned in the propeller slipstream, “but also two big sailing rudders at the sides”. Nico Van der Kolk of wind integrators Blue Wasp also points out that introducing an extended, low-aspectratio keel “will help keep course stability” in conditions where the potential benefits are high.

There’s a further layer of consideration for more general carriers. Rather than being a specialist service vessel, the Detamarin/BAR development is a traditional, 40,000dwt medium range product tanker. This constrains the design: “We want to maintain the standard main dimensions and layout to ensure it can still trade at different terminals,” says Jokioinen.

The details of the solution are still under wraps, but it hinges on very careful steering and hull optimisation says Jokioinen, adding that “it wouldn’t even be possible” without the CFD and simulation tool advances of the last few years.

Interestingly, Eco Marine Power (EMP) should be launching a trial next year of a stiff sail that will harvest both wind and solar energy, integrating this with energy storage via its onboard Aquarius management system.

Further, with higher wind ratios, the position of these devices “can have a dramatic influence”, adds Van der Kolk’s colleague Giovanni Bordogna. “Put them in the wrong place, and you might find you’re continually compensating with the rudder,” he underlines.

8 Vindskip turns the hull into a sail

UPWARD Sheer size promises to present more of an issue as time goes by. Wallenius Marine’s Oceanbird, while not under contract as yet, is an automotive ro-ro with a 7,000 car capacity: this could be equipped with no less than five 80m wing rigs to allow sailing on wind alone with diesel engines retained only for manoeuvring and backup.

The idea is to reduce emissions by up to 90% but for ships like this, the only way forward “is to design an entire vessel from the base”, comments Hollenbach. Movable fins will help correct drift angle and so on but the 200m design has also added an extra 10m or so to its beam along the way, to help compensate against the forces generated by the vast sail area.

“If you are looking at savings anywhere near that magnitude, then you have a number of tremendous sailing forces to counteract,” says Hollenbach, including side forces generated by the wind rigs.

Even lesser wind effects could still create undesirable heel

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DECEMBER 2020 | 33

DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE for certain ship types: “We’ve already seen some projects where a ballast water system has been discussed to help produce righting moment,” explains Hoffmeister. “In general that’s better than fixed ballast, but stability criteria have to be fulfilled - even if the wind suddenly changes direction and you get caught with the ballast on the wrong side. So, you need to counteract the change of wind fairly quickly with fully redundant measures.”

One salient point here: while this heeling issue may be somewhat lower for rotors, it doesn’t apply to kites, “as the traction is at deck level, allowing vessels to sail as usual” says Smith.

TWEAKS Commerciality isn’t only about fuel efficiency; there are other factors. One shipowner went on record saying the requisite height and space would “inhibit” wind power onboard bulkers - so a lot of work has gone into answering the issue.

For example, Anemoi’s four-rotor installation was only possible because the company has worked hard on both a folding rotor and a rail system that can move the units around the deck transversely or longitudinally. Anemoi’s COO, Nick Contopoulos, commented that “Anemoi’s deployment systems have been installed and proven to work on globally trading bulk carriers, reducing the operational impact for vessel owners and stakeholders.”

Notably, Norsepower and owner SeaCargo have also partnered up to develop a folding solution - and most of the wind rigs telescope or collapse. It seems to be the way forward: Norsepower’s CEO Tuomas Riski adds the ability to lower during bulk cargo operations as well as navigating height-restricted routes “has already opened up markets”.

SIGHTLINE There are other points to consider: “One challenge for the Deltamarin tanker is that the sails will result in a 20deg blind spot across the main deck from the wheelhouse,” explains Jokioinen, adding the only answer may be a camera and sensor combination on the bow.

However, towers don’t necessarily avoid scaling-up challenges. “While these first smaller installations are fairly narrow and present no line of sight, no radar blind segments and no navigation issues”, says Hoffmeister, that might not continue to be the case with the larger, multiple installations.

Again, it’s worth noting that kites manage to avoid a number of these issues. Seawing, for example, can be installed “in a very compact system on the foredeck” says Smith - and kites are probably the only solution for retrofit onboard box ships as their container stacks eclipse the wind flow.

ANOTHER WORLD Some are taking the need for an entire ship redesign very seriously. For example, Vindskip’s concept has the hull itself generating pull. The automotive carrier’s form rises high out of the water, translating an apparent wind angle of around 40-degrees to a low-pressure effect at the bow. It doesn’t just provide auxiliary propulsion; this also reduces the typical aerodynamic drag by up to 75%.

Further, the below-water shape yields a great deal of stability. Compared to a similar 6,000 capacity car carrier which requires 5,000t of ballast, the Vindskip can do the job with only 400t, says CEO Terje Lade. This “gives a great advantage” for hydrodynamic resistance he adds, reflected in lower fuel consumption.

Overall, Vindskip estimates it will emit 63% less CO2 than similar capacity car-carrying vessels currently in service, and it’s developing a solution that combines wind and LNG “to

34 | DECEMBER 2020

achieve the lowest possible emissions in its market segment” says Lade.

VOYAGE PLAN “Speed has a big impact on viability,” says DNV GL’s JanHenrik Hübner.

“If you ask ‘can I save 90% of the fuel with a conventional vessel sailing at 18kn’, the answer is simply no, but at 10kn, it’s very much yes.” For that reason alone, some vessel types aren’t that suitable for wind assist, including the high-paced gas carrier or fast ferry segments.

Schedule flexibility is central. If the loading or unloading at the port has to be tightly managed, then there’s limited potential. However, “if you can allow plus or minus five or seven days, you can leverage wind’s advantages to a greater extent”, says Hübner.

It’s a point underlined by James Mason: he’s been involved in voyage optimisation (VO) development for the University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre. While it might be worthwhile motoring out to “catch a good wind” says Mason, he adds that “altering the route at a constant speed provides a lot more power from the sails, but you actually consume more in total than if you spent the same time slowing down”.

These wind ships will most often find a useful pairing with VO, “which can make less than optimal routes efficient”, says Mason. However, it does lean on a high degree of automation, as much of the time efficiency will require a complex, threeway trade-off between speed, efficiency and route.

For example, the Vindskip project incorporates an advanced weather routing system from Fraunhofer CML and something Lade describes as “cruise control”, which keeps the ship moving at a constant pace even if the wind varies. In fact, the automation is so central to the design that Høglund Marine Solutions has taken a two-thirds stake in the company.

INVESTMENT Wind assistance is on the cusp of being more cost-effective than traditional propulsion, but “the whole finance system is not fit for purpose”, says Diane Gilpin of the Smart Green Shipping Alliance, adding banks are averse to accepting unfamiliar tech onboard ‘their’ asset. Allwright notes a mechanism to shift the initial investment burden towards OPEX, possibly through payas-you-save schemes or even rental units would help, especially when backed by verified savings.

Further, being able to treat wind assist units as both modular and flexible could make a lot of sense, as cargo ships do change route. Interestingly, Anemoi has made another vessel, MV Axios, the first ‘wind ready’ design by incorporating elements such as the railing system. The idea is that windready ships could do more than yield easy retrofits; they may also allow owners to switch units between their fleet.

NOT ALL ABOUT SIZE Despite the drive for size, bigger is not always better and some are looking at hitching efficiency up a couple of notches at the smaller end of the market. Take Econowind’s recent TwinFoil development, soon to be installed on the 88m, 2,400dwt MV Tharsis.

These have gained efficiency from an extra ‘flap’ to direct the air current, but they are very lightweight. The requirement for Tharsis has been to stay under 2,500kg: that’s necessary to retain cargo capacity in low water river transits. Econowind’s folding versions can be put on dedicated stanchions or a lightweight ‘flatrack’ that can be lifted away from the hatch covers. Importantly for this particular ship, these folded, flatracked units are light enough to be raised by the vessel’s onboard gear.

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SHIP DESCRIPTIONS

LNG-FUELLED TANKER DESIGNED FOR LOW COST CO2 CARRIAGE The companies are targeting the growing number of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects slated globally, and the design is based on technology proven in the LPG & LEG market, a cargo the tanks and tankers are also designed for with only minor modifications to the cargo handling system.

While transported CO2 is already used by the food and drink industry, David Gunaseelan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Høglund, anticipates that, in the near term, the bulk of the captured CO2 will be shipped will be sequestered underground, probably offshore as part of carbon, capture and storage chains. “With the global economy facing more pressure to reduce its carbon emissions, we must develop the technology for a viable CCS chain and new ways of solving the complex challenges that come with upscaling CO2 transportation,” he says.

Currently, the maximum capacity for transporting liquefied CO2 by ship is approximately 3,600cbm, or roughly 1,770 tonnes, in dedicated CO2 tankers predominantly operated by specialist shipping company Larvik Shipping. However, as CCS chains develop, maritime transportation capacity needs to increase significantly, requiring innovation in tank design and cargo handling systems, says Gunaseelan.

At this stage, Gunaseelan doesn’t believe the market is focussing on using the CO2 as feedstock for new industrial processes due to the potential impurities, including particulates, oxygen, nitrogen or other impurities, that could be in the gas captured from existing manufacturing plants.

However, designing the tank and cargo handling system for both CO2 and LPG alleviates any concerns about impurities in the CO2, as LPG tankers are designed to carry a range of cargoes, including compressed natural gas, propylene and ammonia.

DOUBLING TANK CAPACITY Norway-based Høglund is an automation, gas, hybrid and system integration specialist, and Germany-based HB Hunte Engineering offers marine design and engineering services.

The companies have worked together on a range of projects in the past, and this time they are collaborating on the gas handling system, onboard cargo handling, integration and automation for an 8,000cbm CO2 storage tank.

This new bi-lobe single-shell Type C cargo tank system more than doubles the current vessel capacity for transporting liquid CO2 without the size, weight and stability concerns that would have come from an equivalent capacity mono-lobe setup, says Gunaseelan. The tank shape has already been manufactured in Asia and Europe and used on sailing LPG, liquid ethylene gas (LEG) and LNG tankers. The project partners undertake the detailed design, then work with tank manufacturers to conduct inspections. IGC Codecompliant tanks can be made from steel alloys P690, VLF550 or A645 using existing fabrication processes. This allows the production of a solution which is substantially lower cost and risk than conventional very large diameter cylindrical tanks of the same capacity, he says.

36 | DECEMBER 2020

Image source: Høglund

A new CO2 tanker design by Høglund Marine Solutions and HB Hunte Engineering aims at low OPEX by combining a high-capacity bi-lobed cargo tank with LNG-fuelled propulsion

Key to the 37-metre long, 2.4-metre diameter tanks designed for the new tanker is the pressure required to keep the CO2 in a liquid state. The CO2 needs to be kept at around -35C and 15 bar, and this can necessitate very thick tank walls in a mono-lobe design. The bi-lobe design avoids this and at the same time, the 663-ton tanks assists in vessel stability, reducing or eliminating the need for ballast water to keep the vessel stable.

The tank design requirements differ from those for LNG which can be kept in a liquid state at lower pressures, for example in a Type C tank at 3.5 bar. “If you’re transporting CO2 at around 15 bar, you need to have a safety margin. So, the tank is designed for 19 bar, and when you increase the pressure like that, the thickness of the tank increases,” says Gunaseelan.

Operational safety has been paramount in the design process. Pressure differences that could occur during cargo handling as the result of a leak or release could be great enough to cause CO2 gas to freeze (sublimate) and form dry ice that then blocks pressure relief valves. “In the worst-case scenario, a whole tank could turn into ice,” says Gunaseelan, referring to the catastrophic failure of a 30cbm, 6.5-meter long and 2.6-meter diameter CO2 tank at a citrus processing plant in Germany in 1988. Three people were killed and another 10 injured. Tank fragments weighing over 100kg were thrown over 500 metres from the explosion site. The failure was attributed to an over-pressure resulting from an internal heater failure, the failure of a relief valve as it was blocked by ice and the absence of an over-pressure alarm.

The cargo handling system developed by Høglund is designed to prevent ice formation and to enable cargo

8 The bilobe tank has a capacity of 8000cbm and more than doubles the transportation capacity of liquid CO2 over current vessel capacity without the size, weight and stability concerns that would have come with a higher capacity ”monolobe” design

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discharge even in the unlikely event that the tank’s two deep-well pumps were to fail. The tank is insulated with about 200mm of sprayed polyurethane, and the company has developed a smart pressure and temperature monitoring system and ensured full redundancy for all safety valves.

Vessel owners can monitor the system remotely in real time.

“It’s basically a digital twin,” says Gunaseelan.

The bi-lobe tank design is available for use in existing tanker designs and a new 130-metre long, 19-metre wide tanker vessel design developed by the project partners after discussions with experts from Larvik Shipping about their operational experiences transporting CO2 since 1988. Larvik’s CO2 vessels are currently trading in European, Baltic and Mediterranean waters and are all pressure vessels specially converted for transporting CO2 at food grade quality.

Indeed, the partners’ new tanker design, featuring two bilobe tanks, has been matched to the operating profiles of Larvik’s vessels, and the shipowner is anticipated to be involved in operating newbuilds with the new tanks in the future. No specific plans have yet been made public.

LNG-FUELLED TANKER DESIGN The new tanker has been designed to burn LNG as fuel and has twin LNG tanks on deck. A heat exchange system enables the much cooler LNG to be used to maintain optimal temperature conditions for the CO2 tanks, with a smart management system that can be monitored remotely automatically controlling operations.

Additionally, Høglund offers its Ship Performance Monitor (SPM) software which is designed to help improve vessel and fleet efficiency by providing operators with accurate live data on fuel consumption, emissions and vessel performance. The system offers a web portal for presentation of fuel reports through the company’s partner Norway-based Yxney Maritime, and it offers automatic data export to DNV GL’s Veracity platform.

Low CAPEX and OPEX Gunaseelan says the project partners are discussing a number of projects involving the tanks and/or tanker newbuildings, but details are yet to be made public. Through the projects, they are working with all the major class societies to obtain approval in principle for several different tank configurations.

“We have designed a ship that is CAPEX competitive as well as being a low OPEX design,” says Gunaseelan. “It’s completely modern, and at the same time a reliable vessel that is already in operation in the LPG market, so it’s proven technology.”

BI-LOBE DESIGN FOR LNG BUNKER TANK The partners have concurrently been conducting hydrostatic pressure testing for their novel bi-lobe LNG bunker fuel tank design “Bi-Nut” which will be available for newbuildings and

Picture courtesy of Stahlbau Nord GmbH

SHIP DESCRIPTIONS

retrofit on ships being converted to dual-fuel. The product name “Bi-Nut” is a combination of the expressions “Bi-Lobe” and “Peanut” deriving from the tank’s unique cross-sectional shape.

Høglund is providing the entire Fuel Gas Supply Systems (FGSS) including dedicated automation, and the Bi-Nut tank design has already been approved according to DNV GL rules as an IMO Type C tank.

Frerk Brand, Managing Director of HB Hunte Engineering, says a major challenge in retrofit projects has been to optimize the tank size for the various geometries of the available space on board different ship types. For a lot of ships, especially cruise and passenger ships with restricted deck heights, a conventional cylindrical or bi-lobe Type C tank would not achieve optimal space utilisation, he says.

“We decided to come up with something new, creative and extraordinary. Our innovative Bi-Nut design uses the available space much more efficiently than normal circular geometries would do. According to our investigations, such a tank shape has never been designed or built before.” Depending on the severity of the shape, operational pressures of up to 10 bar are feasible with Bi-Nut. Three tanks have been ordered through Bredo Dry Docks and are under construction at Stahlbau Nord GmbH&Co.KG. Both companies are located in Bremerhaven, Germany, and are members of the HEINRICH RÖNNER company group.

After the hydrostatic pressure test of the first tank was completed, further outfitting and foam insulation was applied at Stahlbau Nord.

Christoph Flaig, Head of Calculations and Tank Design of HB Hunte Engineering, says: “Our Bi-Nut tank combines the high safety and performance of a Type C pressure vessel with a much higher utilization of available space, a combination Type A and B tanks cannot provide. We are now much more flexible in respect to different breadth-height ratios of the tank hold space, which is also a very interesting feature for further conversions and newbuilding projects we are looking into at the moment.”

8 The new Bi-Nut containment system

8 The solution is readily available for use in existing tanker designs and represents a vital step forward in the development of maritime transport solutions for the expanding CCS market

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DECEMBER 2020 | 37

SHIP DESCRIPTIONS

GREEN INVESTMENT UNDER THE TRICOLORE

Credit: Grimaldi

Grimaldi has set out to create a new paradigm in ‘sustainable’ vessel design and operation with its GG5G trailerships, writes David Tinsley

From its Naples headquarters, the Grimaldi Group has steered continual modernisation and expansion of a versatile fleet built around the ro-ro system, and has concurrently championed the cause of short-sea shipping, backing national and EU endeavours to achieve a modal shift in favour of waterborne transportation.

The latest stage of Grimaldi investment gives an added edge to its long-term strategic intent by marrying a considerable uplift in cargo carrying scale with a raft of energy saving and environmental protection as yet new to the intra-Mediterranean trading arena. Commissioned during October as the first unit in a 12-ship programme, the 238m ro-ro trailership Eco Valencia is distinguished not only by capacity for 7,800 linear metres of rolling cargo but also by a hybrid propulsion arrangement, solar panels and an underhull air lubrication system.

Introduced into coastwise service between Italy and Spain on a Livorno/Savona/Barcelona/Valencia rotation, the new vessel brings to realisation the Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) design conceived by the owner’s technical department in cooperation with Copenhagen consultancy Knud E. Hansen.

Such is the extent of the ‘sustainability’ measures embodied in the design and specification that classification authority Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) has seen fit to award its Green Plus notation. The grading signifies that the design solutions, onboard systems and operational procedures voluntarily put in place enhance environmental performance beyond the minimum levels set by legislation.

Construction of the 12-ship Grimaldi series was entrusted in two tranches to Nanjing Jinling Shipyard (formerly CSC Jinling), part of the China Merchants Group, and commanded an overall order value of US$800 million-plus.

The Italian trailership leads nine identical newbuilds for Grimaldi Euromed’s Mediterranean route network. The three other vessels in the contract will embody a modified version adapted to the needs of Grimaldi-owned Finnlines and its year-round Baltic traffic. While retaining all the ‘green’ features of the GG5G type, the Finnish ro-ros will have a reduced trailer

38 | DECEMBER 2020

8 Much increased scale at a new eco standard for western Mediterranean coastwise trade

intake of 5,800 lane-metres, 600-car capacity on dedicated decks, 300TEU slots on the weatherdeck, and 1A ice class.

Eco Valencia has two 500mm-bore two-stroke propulsion engines, complemented by an exceptionally large outfit of lithium batteries to deliver carbon-free electrical power during the ship’s frequent port stays. On passage, the RINA-certified under-hull bubbling system reduces resistance, contributing to energy savings and lessened environmental impact.

Direct drive to twin controllable-pitch propellers is effected by a pair of nine-cylinder S50ME-C9.6 engines built

by MAN licensee Hyundai Heavy Industries. Each diesel is rated in this application for an output of 12,780kW, and is fitted with an MAN model TCA66 axial turbocharger.

Through the nomination of the Promas Lite system, each propeller and rudder forms an integrated whole to optimise hydrodynamic efficiency. A hub cap on the propeller streamlines the flow on to a bulb appended to the rudder, reducing flow separation immediately abaft the screw. The 25,560kW primary power concentration, in conjunction with the underbody lines and specific nature of the propulsors, provides for schedule-keeping and recovery at speeds up to nearly 21 knots.

Ecospray in-line, open-loop scrubbers ensure the requisite SOx and PM reduction from heavy fuel oil combustion during navigation. To avoid exhaust and noise emissions when alongside in port, electrical energy for the shipboard grid can be delivered by the substantial battery installation, which has a power-equivalent rating of 5,000kW. At sea, the batteries will be recharged through shaft generators and with the aid of a 600m2 solar panel array on the uppermost deck.

In-port zero-emission durations of up to eight hours are promised by the energy storage system, and the batteries will also yield benefits to engine running at sea through the practice of peak-shaving.

Kongsberg Maritime was engaged to deliver the hybrid propulsion elements including the supply and integration of shaft generators, frequency drives, and energy management system together with the Leclanché energy storage

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SHIP DESCRIPTIONS installation. The Leclanché system was manufactured at its factory in Switzerland, drawing on cells produced by the company’s German plant.

The newbuild class provides a further showcase for the air lubrication solution developed by London-based Silverstream Technologies. The system produces a thin layer of micro bubbles to create an air carpet along the flat bottom, reducing frictional resistance between the water and the hull, and thereby improving energy efficiency with a corresponding environmental gain. Simplicity of maintenance and a lifespan that is said to correspond with the vessel’s service lifetime are claimed for Silverstream’s proprietary technology.

Depending on ship type and design, Silverstream reckons that its system yields fuel savings in the order of 6-10%. The hull has been optimised with a ‘reverse bulb’ design, and treated with a non-toxic, low-friction silicon coating.

The 7,800 lane-metre or 500-trailer load capacity of Eco Valencia is double that of Grimaldi’s Eurocargo Genova-class ro-ros built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) a decade ago.

At equivalent speed, the GG5G type will burn the same quantity of fuel as the earlier ships, inferring a 100% increase in efficiency calculated on the basis of consumption per lane metre of freight transported.

The entire cargo reception and despatch process is effected across the stern, by way of two ramps enabling simultaneous handling of vehicles and rolling cargo. In conjunction with the configuration of the decks and internal ramps, the arrangements provide for expeditious turnaround with all manner of wheeled freight on Mediterranean itineraries. The forward half of the 6.8m-high, No3 main deck

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS – GG5G class Eco Valencia Length overall 238.00m Length bp 229.75m Breadth, moulded 34.00m Depth, to main deck 9.30m Draught, summer 7.20m Gross tonnage 67,311t Deadweight 18,128t Ro-ro decks 5 Ro-ro laneage 7,800m Trailer capacity c.500 Main engines 2 x 12,780kW Service speed 20.8kts Main generators 3 x 1,540kW Battery pack power 5,033kW Crew + passenger berths 45 Class RINA Class notations +AUT-UMS, Batterypowered, BWM-T, Dangerous goods, DMS, Green Plus, InWaterSurvey, Star-Hull-NB, +SYS-IBS, +SYS-NEQ-1 Flag Italian is equipped with two hoistable car decks, each just under 900m2 in area, to give added load versatility in a five-level cargo layout. The Jinling yard has a well-established reputation among European and other foreign shipowners for ro-ro and vehicle carrier construction, underpinned by Chinese price competitiveness.

MOTORSHIP

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50 YEARS AGO

JAPAN ON THE RISE

MOTORSHIP

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INSIGHT FOR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

The international magazine for senior marine engineers EDITORIAL & CONTENT Editor: Nick Edstrom editor@mercatormedia.com News Reporter: Rebecca Jeffrey rjeffrey@mercatormedia.com Correspondents Please contact our correspondents at editor@motorship.com Bill Thomson, David Tinsley, Tom Todd, Stevie Knight, Wendy Laursen

The editorial leader in The Motorship, December 1970, sounded a pessimistic note, albeit one which later appears to be justified.

First, our predecessors noted that despite a surge in orders - notably for the Dutch Stork-Werkspoor company - medium speed engine builders seemed to be in a weak financial position, and some mergers and consolidation seemed inevitable. Then, somewhat paradoxically, they looked at the trend in Europe to merge shipbuilders into single large government-controlled entities, and questioned whether merging ailing companies would ever produce an instantly viable giant group. The only really profitable British companies 50 years ago were the independent Austin & Pickersgill, with its successful Liberty Ship replacement, and specialist builder Appledore.

Following the success of its uprated 980mm super-large bore low speed engine range, Danish designer B&W had been expected to undertake a similar exercise with its 840mm bore family. Instead, the company had introduced a completely new design, the 900mm K90GF to supersede the K84EF. With an MCR of 3410 bhp/cylinder, the new design offered a much greater output than its predecessor within a similarly-dimensioned overall package.

B&W’s German competitor MAN had demonstrated its powerful 32,000bhp eight-cylinder KSZ 105/180 two-stroke and the medium speed 18-cylinder VV 52/55 of 17,500bhp at its Augsburg works. Both types were destined for container ships, demonstrating the diverse thinking behind the designs for this emerging ship type.

Most of the ships reported on from British and European yards were small to medium-sized specialised vessels. One such apparently logical design that never caught on was for a twin-hulled trailing suction dredger, offering good stability at minimal draught.

But most of the larger orders then went to Japanese yards. The rise of Japanese shipbuilding or the ‘enigma’ as it was referred to at the time - was covered in a special supplement to the December 1970 issue. The new, large, well-equipped yards were proving capable of handling very high throughputs of steel with relatively few workers compared to European yards. The high cost of labour was being offset by increased automation in the

42 | DECEMBER 2020

8 Trident Amsterdam, first of a class of multi-purpose liners for Europe/South America services

building process, with one or two forecasters predicting the emergence of the ‘unmanned shipyard’ - an unthinkable idea in Europe.

However, it was not just in basic shipbuilding where Japan was poised to dominate. Several articles in the supplement pointed to the rise of Japanese marine equipment, particularly in the field of automation and computer control.

The title of ‘world’s largest motor ship’ seemed to have been held on several occasions by Norwegian owner Bergesen. The latest contender was the 280,420 dwt tanker Berge King. Needless to say, the newly-delivered 342.9m long vessel had been built in Japan, at Mitsui’s Chiba yard. Powered by a Mitsui-B&W 9K98FF engine of 34,300 bhp, the ship was good for a 14.8 knot service speed.

The cargo-passenger liner is a type which has largely disappeared today, but such multi-purpose vessels were still being built in the 1970s, with a full description of the first of six 12,000 dwt ‘Trident’ class vessels for a consortium of companies. The Royal Netherlands Steamship Co’s Trident Amsterdam had been built in Rotterdam, and was 169.3m long, with six holds - the two aft for refrigerated cargoes - and accommodation for 12 passengers and 35 crew, as well as provision for cars and liquid cargoes. With a Sulzer 8RND76 main engine directly coupled to a Lips CP propeller, the ship was capable of 21 knots and was destined to operate between Western Europe and ports in Columbia and Venezuela.

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8 MAN’s new 105/180 engine being demonstrated to shipowners in Augsburg

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