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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 3
NEWS REVIEW
VIEWPOINT
SWEDEN'S SJOFARTSVERKET TRIALS AI-LED EMERGENCY CALL AUGMENTATION
NICK EDSTROM | Editor nedstrom@motorship.com
The publication of the EU’s Fit for 55 package of decarbonisation directives in mid-July will have wide-reaching implications for shipowners and operators both within and outside the EU-27 trading bloc. The broad outline of the package of overlapping directives remains unchanged since early drafts of the measures were discussed in 2020. The EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) will be extended to cover greenhouse gas emissions from vessels above 5,000 gross tons from 2023 and will come into effect fully from 2026. The FuelEU Maritime initiative, which is intended to accelerate shipping’s adoption of renewable and low carbon fuels (RLF), will incentivise the adoption of such fuels, while the use of onshore power supply (OPS) to minimise emissions at berth will be incentivised. Wider adjustments, such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), will introduce carbon-based tariffs upon imports from countries with laxer greenhouse gas emission monitoring and abatement policies. One unforeseen consequence appears to be renewed impetus behind the introduction of a carbon-related cap and trade scheme in China, which has been stalled for over five years. A closer examination of the details of the policies reveals how politically charged the raft of measures has been: Scope 2 emissions for heavy industry producers have been omitted from the CBAM tariff, given its potential incentivisation for production to shift to locations with high proportions of renewable energy in their energy mixes. While the aluminium production chain was particularly exposed, Turkish scrap-route steelmakers also faced potential barriers. Lobbying has also seen changes to the scope of the ETS, which will be extended to cover 50 percent of voyages between EU and non-EU destinations. Positively, the European Commissions has removed a presumption in favour of alternative fuels such as hydrogen by introducing the well-to-wake emissions calculation methodology, rather than the tank-to-wake approach that favoured longer term competitors, such as methanol or ammonia. While the ETS initiative has retained a commitment to extend the scope of the scheme to cover methane and NOx emissions “in the future”, the expected growth of renewable variants of LNG, such as bio-LNG and synthetic LNG, is expected to permit LNG to meet the specified emissions reduction targets over the directives’ 30-year time horizon. The Motorship notes that the requirement for double-digit reductions in annual CO2 equivalent emissions will not begin until 2035, with the sharpest reductions backloaded to 2040 and 2045. Similar revisions have been seen in the FuelEU Maritime initiative, where the requirement to introduce shorepower connections has been eased to permit equivalent solutions to be developed. While the initiative stipulates that shorepower connections should be applied to passenger vessels and containerships, it remains to be seen whether the rule will be applied to deep-sea container vessels, or limited to largely intra-EU container feeder networks. EU port operators noted that Article 5 of the FuelEU Maritime measure could encourage regulatory arbitrage, encouraging deep-sea routes to call at ports outside the scope of the EU ETS. While the package of measures has been improved by industry engagement, and blunt talking behind closed doors by major trade partners, it will introduce significant costs upon Europe’s shipping
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Credit: Lina Buurstra
Fit for 55 politics
Sweden's sea and air rescue services began live tests of an artificial intelligence-assisted system to monitor emergency (Mayday) calls in the Baltic Sea and around the Swedish coast in late June. The new system uses AI and Machine Learning to assist the rescue leader to identify and monitor emergency calls. The tests are underway within the framework of the Heimdall Innovation Project, which aims to develop functional AI technology to gain assistance with intercepting and interpreting incoming emergency calls and presenting them in an operatorfriendly interface. The idea is the brainchild of Tobias Nicander, a rescue leader at the Swedish Maritime Administration's sea and air traffic control centre, who first identified the possible assistance that better technical support would offer operators. "It feels tremendously satisfying that we can now conduct live tests using real emergency calls. I see great potential for the application. In sea and air rescue, it is a major advantage to gain technical support as a complement to the human ear.” The Swedish Maritime Administration's sea and air traffic control centre JRCC in Gothenburg, Sweden, works around the clock throughout the year to assist those in distress and lead rescue efforts at sea and in the air. Interception depends on the operator's ability to identify the individual emergency call that is often made via a radio transmission with low audibility. If
8 The Swedish Maritime Administration's sea and air traffic control centre JRCC in Gothenburg, Sweden
the system detects an emergency call, this is noted in the operator's interface. During the current stage of the project, the Heimdall system will be tested on emergency calls that the rescue leaders observe through interception designed to calibrate and further improve reception. While Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology has made immense progress in recent years, practical applications in the field of sea/air rescue have been few, which makes the project noteworthy. The company Tenfifty is responsible for the technical AI input in the project. “This is a perfect example of how to create a reliable AI service where man and machine work together. Technology designed to convert speech to text using neural networks has made immense strides in recent years and it is extremely pleasing to be able to use technology for social benefit," says David Fendrich, CTO at Tenfifty. Maranics AB is responsible for building user interfaces within the project and creating the data capture that goes beyond speech-to-text such as data on weather, ship information and position. The solution is based on pilots that the company has implemented and tested together with the DNVGL classification society. “The Heimdall project is an
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excellent example of digital support in operations conducted under great pressure. With the help of filtered, structured and easily accessible digital information, we hope to create a safer work situation for the operator," says Mattias Larsson CIO at Maranics AB.
community. The EU estimates that the FuelEU Maritime measure alone will increase shippers’ fuel costs (and ultimately consumer prices) by EUR63.9 bn over the coming 30 years. It also represents a major step towards the development of a regionally fragmented world. It is to be hoped that the IMO can make swift progress with its own plans to extend global regulation. This would help to avoid the risk of extra-EU shippers’ paying in ETS revenues to EU governments, given unhappy historical precedents for taxation without representation.
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EMULSIFIED FUEL SOLUTION FOR FIRST J-ENG UEC35LSJ ORDER free alternative fuels such as ammonia and biofuels. J-ENG notes that the technology has significant potential to lead to further reductions of GHG emissions in the future. The Motorship originally reported on J-ENG's plans to develop an MGO mono-fuel version in 2019, when development work was expected to follow the delivery of the first UEC42LSH. The new order is for a 350mm-bore engine, rather than the 420mm-bore originally anticipated for the first delivery.
8 Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) provided a test demonstration of its UEC50LSJ engine in January 2019
Credit: J-ENG
Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) has announced a first sale of its monofuel MGOfuelled low-speed UEC35LSJ engine platform. The order for a monofuel 6UEC35LSJ type engine was placed in connection with a 17,500dwt coastal carrier under construction by Onomichi Dockyard Co., Ltd. The vessel, which was ordered by Japanese shipowner MOL Dry Bulk Co., Ltd., is scheduled to enter service in 2022. The UEC35LSJ shares the same technology concept with J-ENG's previously announced 500mm bore UEC50LSJ engine platform. The JUMP (J-ENG Unique Marine Power) monofuel solution offers capital cost savings along with fuel efficiencies of around 5% compared with previous J-ENG engines. The engine's fuel efficiency at slower operating speeds has been improved, while the SFOC is understood to be close to the 157 g/kWh targeted for 6UEC42LSJ at maximum rating. The engine also features J-ENG's stratified fuel injection solution, which will permit optimised fuel oil consumption and minimise NOx emissions. The layered injection system is a technology that can inject two different types of liquid fuel in layers from one fuel valve. While the MGO-fuelled engine will feature the injection of water with MGO, the technology can also be applied to mixed combustion of various carbon-
HSD Engine to offer digitalisation solution option for performance optimisation Korean engine manufacturer HSD Engine is to offer ABB's diagnostics and advisory software Tekomar XPERT to shipowners operating its two-stroke and four-stroke marine engines. ABB Ability Tekomar XPERT is a digital performance optimisation platform applicable to any engine that can help shipping companies achieve substantial fuel savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions. The platform currently has an installed base of more than 8,000 engines on more than 2,000 vessels. Under the agreement, HSD Engine will offer the software as an option to shipowners operating its engines, strengthening Tekomar XPERT's position in the market. Sang Min Lee, Senior General
Manager, HSD Engine said: “In response to market demand, HSD Engine reviewed various solutions for engine performance optimisation and evaluation. We expect that Tekomar XPERT will give us a competitive advantage in the market and our target is to provide it as part of our standard engine package. After a long partnership in the turbocharger field, we are pleased to extend our relationship with ABB into digital solutions to deliver even greater value for our customers.” Cristian Corotto, Senior Vice President Digital Customer Solutions, ABB Turbocharging said: “This agreement is a strong endorsement of Tekomar XPERT's capabilities and an important step in expanding the installed base. We are honoured that HSD Engine
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has chosen to take this step into digital optimisation with us.” HSD Engine's customers deploying Tekomar XPERT will benefit from significantly improved engine performance. The software's performance evaluation and advisory is based on high quality, reliable engine operating data, transforming them into actionable insights to reduce fuel consumption, cut emissions and optimise maintenance. In addition, using the Tekomar XPERT for fleet web application, managers can benchmark and optimise engine performance even across diverse fleets with multiple engine types. HSD Engine, previously known as Doosan Engine, has delivered low-speed and medium-speed marine engines developed by leading engine designers since 1983. It continues Xxx to deliver between 90-100 xxx engines each year.
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LEADER BRIEFING
WHERE AUTOMATION ENDS AND AUTONOMY BEGINS
Credit: ABB Marine & Ports
As the use of automated processes in shipping increases, and AI matures, the time is ripe for a clearer understanding of when an automation system becomes an autonomous one, writes Dr. Kalevi Tervo of ABB Marine & Ports
Automation systems rely on clearly defined logic, mathematical models and algorithms to guide their actions. An example is a ship's autopilot system tasked with controlling course according to a predetermined setpoint - such as true heading at 90 degrees. The autopilot senses the vessel's heading using a gyrocompass, analyses the deviation between actual and desired heading and adjusts the rudder angle accordingly. Mathematical models and algorithms can be designed to enable a conventional automation system to handle very complex tasks, but the technology is only as sophisticated as the input it receives - it cannot 'think' for itself. If the actual situation calls for a deviation from the plan, the system is missing these inputs as well as the capability to analyse those, and therefore is unable to respond appropriately. As a result, human intervention is required to bring the operation to a successful conclusion. For instance, if the vessel is on course to collide with another ship, the ability to understand the risk and adjust course in line with the rules of the road relies on the operator's perception, understanding and decision-making capabilities. So, while a standard automation system can sense, analyse and act based on existing input, it lacks the ability to recognise and comprehend unexpected threats and present solutions to deviate from those inputs and mitigate the risks associated with the situation. An autonomous system, by contrast, simulates these human faculties within the scope of a particular operation.
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8 A system that begins to complete or execute any aspect of the 'perception understanding - problem-solving' loop can be considered to have aspects of autonomy
An autonomous navigation system would be able to perceive another ship, interpret the threat and change course to prevent a collision in a safe and efficient manner. However, in the foreseeable future even an autonomous system would require a human in the loop to complement the operation in a collaborative manner. In fact, the combination of human capabilities and experience, and autonomous technology can do a better job together than any one of the two could do alone. Automated auxiliaries Autonomous and automation systems are not only used for vessel navigation; the technology is also deployed in auxiliary machinery such as cranes. An advanced automated (but not autonomous) crane can adapt its behaviour depending on factors such as the length of a rope or the mass of a load. The effects of these variables are relatively simple and can be described with mathematical modelling. Again, however, if the automated crane was presented with an unforeseen obstacle preventing it from hoisting the load, it would rely on the intervention of a human operator. An autonomous crane, on the other hand, could 'perceive' the item, recognize that it presented an obstruction and find an alternative path by which to move the load. Again, the human supervisor would be on hand to intervene if necessary. The distinction between automation and autonomy, then, lies in the presence, or absence, of the decision-making cycle that includes perception, understanding and problem-
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LEADER BRIEFING solving. In short, a system can be considered autonomous where technology steps in to handle multi-sensory perception and interpretation of the current situation based on previous experience or learned concepts to apply spontaneous problem-solving. It is worthwhile to note, however, that autonomy is not about an 'all or nothing' approach. A system that begins to complete or execute any aspect of the 'perception understanding - problem-solving' loop can be considered to have aspects of autonomy. This is due to the fact that such a system is able to partially or fully execute tasks which, by contrast, would be only done by human in an automation system.
tool which is easing the physical and mental burden on shipmaster and crew and which - already - is changing the roles of those working on board ship for the better, safer and more efficient operations. And even when the level of automation increases, we will always need competent crew working alongside the technology. 8 Dr. Kalevi Tervo, Corporate Executive Engineer and Global Program Manager at ABB Marine & Ports
The far end of the spectrum Although autonomous systems can mimic certain cognitive processes and take action towards a favourable outcome, today their abilities are limited to specific tasks - like navigating a ship or controlling industrial machinery. A fully autonomous system, regardless of the context of its application, would apply humanlike creativity, judgment, learning and knowledge to solve any number or any type of problems in any context. Today, 'generic AI' does not exist, and it is likely to be a decade - at least - before the technology with the ability to learn any type of application emerges without contextspecific tailoring. And even then, humans will remain key for supervising the vast majority of shipboard activities. Yet, even in its current stage of maturity, autonomy is a valuable
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 9
IT & AUTOMATION
TAKING SMALL STEPS TOWARDS AN AUTONOMOUS FUTURE The industry is working to an autonomous future but where and when can we expect to see more autonomy in the industry, or is it something that will never quite be realised, writes Samantha Fisk
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The maritime industry has been waiting with bated breath in some respects to developments around autonomy and the autonomous vessel. With the announcement of the Yara Birkland that was under construction and was to be piloting autonomous systems, the industry was poised – could it actual pip other industries to the post with this. However, it may have appeared that the excitement was over egged, as we hear that the Yara Birkland isn’t working fully autonomously. But that still has not stopped the industry in working to what is now seen as the inevitable goal of autonomy. However, it isn’t just a science experiment, autonomy does hold value for the industry. Understanding that value and maximising its potential will be key if we are to harness the power of autonomy. As Peter Krähenbuhl, Head of digital Transformation, WinGD explains about automation: “it’s everything and nothing.” It’s about incorporating it into the business model and looking at “what to do with it and the added value that it brings.” Currently there is a lot in the market in the area of diagnostic systems. Those systems come with a lot of data, Krähenbuhl notes that its structuring all the data and the data collection and then utilising that data. In the future of autonomy with being able to harness the data it will be possible to look at the development of engines that can self-calibrate. At the moment though, he notes that the industry is still at the preliminary stages with more simple solutions that are being adopted. Pierre Sames, Senior Vice President, Group Research and Development Director also comments about the recent developments in the market: “what we observe is more software-controlled systems onboard. Shipowners may not
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be aware of all the complexities. When there is more software onboard, then it will become even more complex.” This also raises the question of safety and being able to operate these systems in a safe and secure way. DNV has published a white paper looking at autonomy and the safety issues. Sames notes that the paper highlights how traditional methods of operating may not be good enough anymore and a need to understand systems better. Current developments in autonomy has seen mainly smaller vessel being trialled for systems onboard. Wärtsilä is also seeing more inland vessel developments with regards to autonomy. Currently it is working on an e-barge concept for the Port of Rotterdam. "We believe that overland transport modes will not be able to absorb the emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container movement. Our ambition is to see these container shuttles introduced into a smart logistics network within the next few years." says Hendrik Busshoff, Business Development Engineer at Wärtsilä Voyage. It is also working on developing an autonomous, zeroemission barge for the Port of Rotterdam named project magpie. The installation for the autonomous barge will include several of the latest Wärtsilä solutions, including SmartMove Suite, which provides a unique pairing of sensor tech with navigation systems for safe, automated ship movement. Wärtsilä are also seeing the retrofit market as a place where autonomy can also make a difference. Earlier this year, American Steamship Company’s vessel became the largest (and probably the oldest) vessel to perform automated dockto-dock operations. Currently, there is a massive pre-existing global fleet of over 100,000 ships with an average age of 21.7 years. Wärtsilä
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IT & AUTOMATION We’re not trying to make all the ships fully autonomous tomorrow, but we can retrofit systems that bring new possibilities moving towards less work onboard, less human error and better performance
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sees a huge opportunity update these existing vessels with next-generation capabilities to improve safety, efficiency, and productivity on the water. “We’re not trying to make all the ships fully autonomous tomorrow, but we can retrofit systems that bring new possibilities moving towards less work onboard, less human error and better performance,” says Alexander Ozersky, Deputy Director, Intellectual systems integration, Wärtsilä Voyage. However, with the developments from the wellestablished companies it has been recognised that the main drive of new autonomous technologies will be brought about by start-ups entering the market. Yarden Gross, Co-Founder & CEO, Orca AI comments that: “It’s great to be creating innovation in the market. It’s a collaborative effort between start-ups and existing companies.” He notes that over the last year has seen an exponential growth of companies now taking up digital solutions. “There is a major shift going on. The maritime industry is very conservative but ships are now becoming more connected.” Orca AI solution provided intelligent navigation helping to prevent collisions and saving lives. It is aimed at helping to give the captain and crew a better awareness of their environment through real-time data which is further support with AI. Gross also highlights that whilst there is still some issues with VSAT technology further developments in the area of broadband will mean that data sharing in the future will be easier and more accessible. The value of autonomy Shipowners want a tangible benefit when investing in new products and when it is something that you may not be able to physically touch, costs are what are looked at. How these solutions bring value is through optimising operations. Andre Lazzaro, General Manager Business Development, WinGD explains that it is still much an education process for the customer and what benefits it will bring. “To make it as easy as possible. Start with a vision and well in advance. They can plan for parts well in advance for maintenance and guide the customer how to use the systems for this”, he explains. Gross comments that technology is enabling the value. Through the data shipowners can access further decisionmaking information. Gross highlights a recent project that Orca AI has been working on with North P&I and Petrotec. By enabling full access to the data both companies have been able to benefit further.
Krähenbuhl highlights that development of autonomy will start with an autonomous engine to support an autonomous ship. “We expect to roll out first things by 2025, but autonomy will happen in stages.” He also opines that optimisation of costs will drive the adoption of technology and “it will be taken up a lot quicker as of the cost factor.” A key aspect in adoption of autonomous solutions is the value of the data and the transparency that it brings. Whilst the maritime industry is a conservative industry that doesn’t like to share its details with others there is big opportunities for those seeking to maximise on this new technology. Sames also notes that the development of IT & automation will evolve around a company’s IT culture, how cutting edge they are and how they integrate autonomy into its solutions. He also adds that: “there is a lot of hype around ship autonomy. Boats will lead the way”, noting the Zeabuz project, “Zeabuz have developed a small autonomous ferry for city transport and are also looking at an autonomous container feeder.” The industry is also seeing more pilot projects for autonomy starting up that are also looking at trialling new fuels, such as the Ocean Infinity project. However, with the ongoing developments there has also been failures and setbacks. Sames notes that one of the key challenges that the maritime industry will need to conquer in order to see a fully autonomous is vessel is that of navigation. “How as a Class Society can we assure navigation use on a ship. It is a novel time for sensors and software.”
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Timeline to autonomy As and when we will see full autonomy is still unclear, with rough estimates pencilled for 10 years’ time. It all depend when the technology and how the technology is taken on. However, technology spin offs are happening through the development of autonomous systems which are leading us to some of the solutions that we are now starting to see emerge on the market now around predictive maintenance and fuel optimisation and navigation.
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 11
IT & AUTOMATION
METIS BRINGS MYTHOLOGY TO TECHNOLOGY FOR AN AI FUTURE What's in a name? For METIS Cyberspace Technology's founders, the Greek goddess Metis - the first wife of Zeus - provided their inspiration. According to Greek mythology, she was goddess of planning, cunning and wisdom or, as METIS co-founder and chief technical officer Serafeim Katsikas put it in conversation with The Motorship, she represents our ability to change things. It is a concept that reflects the company's ambition, which he said was “to create the ultimate digital assistant” for technical, operational and commercial departments. By using data from vessels and other sources, it provides forecasts and “gives companies useful insights to understand [how they] should optimise their daily operations.” More prosaically, “it also means 'maritime efficiency through intelligent systems',” he said, a form of words that describes a 21st Century task but was coined to match a millennia-old name. The words 'intelligent systems' are key to METIS' philosophy, which centres on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to find insights inside the data. And although there is no difference between maritime and shorebased artificial intelligence algorithms, Mr Katsikas said that shipping presents practical differences, not least in “understanding and predicting the performance of an asset [that is] not fixed in one point.” In fact, many parameters that affect a ship's performance cannot be completely described in a mathematical model, he said, so “you must use AI”. This is not straightforward; it takes a lot of R&D “to figure out what type of parameters and machine learning should be applied to your model,” he said. Fortunately, this is not something that the end-user has to do: “all this must be taken into consideration before offering a final solution to companies,” he said. “AI is not just a black box that you can take and use in every situation.” He shared some examples of the 855 parameters that METIS on-board systems track on a particular vessel and of and the modelling that uses their data. These included a set of equations to describe the behaviour of various main engine parameters while another equation described the reference line of its exhaust gas temperature. In all, his example vessel has 17 machine learning models, providing, for example, a correlation between the engine's power and the external weather conditions, such as wind speed, wave height and swell, with each mathematical model updated every month. “We must somehow hide this complexity from the end user”, he said, since they need “only the output of all of this analysis.” New modules This output can support both technical and operational decisions. In June, for example, METIS launched an Electrical Power Profile evaluation application, which is intended to provide technical departments with an analysis to support feasibility studies looking at electrical power sources to complement auxiliary generators, such as batteries.
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Image: METIS
By applying machine learning to data, Greece-based technology company METIS plans to extract technical and operational insights, Paul Gunton learns
In a statement at the time, Mr Katsikas explained that relevant data would be collected from the ship's sensors before a statistical analysis is applied to evaluate, for example, “whether its operations within a port or ECA zone would be made more cost effective by installing a power pack.” Ship performance data is also relevant for ship financing, thanks to the Poseidon Principles, which offer a framework for financial institutions to lend in line with IMO's GHG reduction strategy. So far, 20 institutions representing more than a third of shipping's global financing have signed up to the principles. In February, METIS launched a predictive Poseidon Principles Emissions Index that assesses a ship's average efficiency ratio (AER), which is the measure that underpins the principles. The index allows owners to predict “whether their ships would benefit more from investment, a change in operating profile or disposal in response to advancing emissions rules,” Mr Katsikas said at the time. He also commented then that “exact emissions targets have not been forthcoming” from IMO but since then MEPC 76 has adopted amendments to MARPOL relating to EEXI and CII. Mr Katsikas said that this would clarify the trajectory line used in IMO's calculations and the METIS index will help predict when a ship will achieve that standard. This will support owners decide whether their ships would benefit from investment, a change in operating profile or disposal, the company's February statement explained. Chartering departments can also use a METIS module
8 METIS' Poseidon Principles Emissions Index tracks ships' AER to support decisions on their future operations
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IT & AUTOMATION Even within some companies, “different departments don't like to share data with each other” and use their own applications. Given the potential commercial benefits that machine learning offers when interrogating large datasets, “I think this is a problem
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There is a barrier, Mr Katsikas agreed, but it is not because of the technology; it is built on attitudes. Especially as legislation - such as that around emissions monitoring demands transparency, there is some reluctance to share data, he said. Even within some companies, “different departments don't like to share data with each other” and use their own applications. Given the potential commercial benefits that machine learning offers when interrogating large datasets, “I think this is a problem,” he said. To overcome this, METIS has established a customer support team “to train people in the new concepts to make them understand how best to use all the new information that they have to improve their daily business,” he said.
available since last November to check whether a ship is operating within the terms of its charterparty agreement. Using ship speed and fuel consumption data, coupled with weather data, manoeuvring states and any other factors included in the charterparty agreement, users can “continuously monitor all vessels and identify potential deviation with respect to the specified consumption and speed terms,” the company said when it launched the module. Both ship and shore have access to the analysis and decisions can be made about whether to speed up or slow down, for example. The data could also be valuable in the event of a claim in relation to the CPA, Mr Katsikas said. With shipping becoming increasingly reliant on data, is there a risk that ships with insufficient sensors to provide data to systems such as those provided by METIS will become 'stranded assets' as they reach what is effectively a barrier to access emerging digital technologies?
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8 Many pe performance paramete parameters cannot be completely compl described in a mathema mathematical model, sa says METIS co-founder co Serafeim Katsikas
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 13
FOUR-STROKE ENGINES
PERMANENT MAGNET SHAFT GENERATORS SET FOR xxxxxx Shaft generators are increasingly becoming part of ship electrification designs, and the advantages of permanent magnet systems are being recognised Demand for shaft generators is increasing across a wide range of vessel types, and, concerned about delivery time, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) signed an MOU with Hyosung Heavy Industries in May to jointly develop domestic manufacturing capability for largecapacity permanent magnet (PM) shaft generator motors. The companies already have an arrangement for induction motors and have been supplying them to LNG, LPG and crude oil carriers. However, with the container ship market opening up, they will no longer have to rely on imported equipment for their larger power solutions. The switch to PM technology can increase fuel efficiency by about 3%, says DSME, and is more compact. PM generators are highly efficient over a wide range of speeds, says Emil Cerdier, Product Director at Berg Propulsion. Also, running smaller and/or fewer engines onboard reduces maintenance effort. “Variable speed gensets will have an increasing impact on fuel economy as the portion of power produced on a vessel shifts from main engines to gensets,” he says. Berg Propulsion is involved with an increasing number of vessels designed with more sophisticated power generation systems including hybrids combining diesel main engines with electric motors and batteries as well as fully electric-motor-powered propellers. “Direct coupled diesel engines are great for constant high load, but for situations where less power is required an electric system is often more efficient,” he says. Designing vessels with this in mind can achieve fuel savings of 20% or more. “We are continuously increasing our focus on electrical integration to offer our customers complete and optimized propulsion systems. We have active systems that adapt propulsion parameters to always seek optimum efficiency. We also have in-house comparison software to evaluate alternative propulsion and power generation concepts to help our customers find the best alternative for their specific vessel and operation profile.” Subheading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx He cites a recent example of a bulk carrier currently being commissioned where the controllable pitch propellers are powered by PM motors mounted in two fins below the hull. The unique feature of the patent-pending design developed in partnership with The Switch is that the motor has no bearings of its own but rather relies on the ones in the shaft line. “We are including the power management system in our scope of supply, and with mode selection integrated in our control system it is easy for the captain to always operate the vessel in the most optimum way.” Dr Jussi Puranen Head of Product Line, Electric Machines at Yaskawa Environmental Energy/The Switch, has seen a huge shift towards PM machines in marine applications over the last five years. The main reason for this has been the power conversion efficiency of the technology. Also, PM machines are mechanically simpler and thus less likely to fail. The technology allows a reduction in generator
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size and weight by up to 50% compared to a conventional electric machine. PM machines can be applied as gensets, shaft generators or as propulsion motors to improve the energy efficiency of a vessel. Coupling a PM shaft generator with a frequency converter provides maximum freedom in optimizing engine and propeller efficiencies. These options can be particularly relevant for reefers or when a scrubber is being installed. Instead of adding gensets to cover the increased power demand, a greener and more feasible solution can be to upgrade a vessel that has a 2-stroke main engine with an in-line PM shaft generator. Puranen says that in a typical 2MW shaft generator application, tion, a PM generator means around d 50 tons less fuel burnt annually compared to conventional electrically-excited ally-excited generator. “The neodymium um magnets which are currently being ng used in high power density megawatt-class gawatt-class ented in the PM machines were invented here have early 80s. Since then, there
8 A permanent magnet shaft generator from The Switch
8 Dr Jussi Puranen Head of Product Line, Electric Machines at Yaskawa Environmental Energy/The Switch
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FOUR-STROKE ENGINES Direct coupled diesel engines are great for constant high load, but for situations where less power is required an electric system is often more efficient
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been huge improvements, for example, regarding energy density (which is already close to theoretical maximum value), temperature resistance and manufacturing methods such as grain boundary diffusion.” Asbjørn Halsebakke, Manager Technical Solutions Marine at Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch, notes that using a DC system onboard makes it much easier to integrate multiple energy sources. “I've spoken with several large shipowners, and the only thing that they can be sure of is that if they build a vessel today, they will surely have to change the way it is producing power at some point.” He agrees that future fuel choices and even power generation systems cannot be specified for certain at present and says the company's solutions are specifically designed to be future-flexible. Subheading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Svein Kleven, Senior Vice President - Energy & Systems Integrated Solutions at Kongsberg Maritime, is seeing interest from owners of a wide range of vessels for hybrid systems which include shaft generators, such as that installed by Tärntank for its latest chemical tanker newbuildings. The vessels' main engine is a Wärtsilä 10V31 DF. Two auxiliary Wärtsilä 8L20 engines are connected to a GESAB SCR-Catamiser for NOx reduction and waste heat recovery. A 500kWh battery system supplied by Corvus Energy continuously provides power to the system to boost propulsion, provides an alternative to running auxiliaries during narrow passages and harbour manoeuvring and allows for peak shaving. The battery system alone could power the vessel for a short time in case of blackout, but combined with the 1.5kV WE Tech shaft generator, the vessels could potentially sail at around eight knots if required during an emergency. Going forward, Kleven sees more systems being developed without the main reduction gear often associated with a shaft generator. The gear typically has losses of 2-4%, or up to 8% at very low rpm. "That is significant, because the main reduction gear is working on the main power source of the ship, hence the main engine 2-4% saving on that amount of power is significant over a year, over a lifetime. Added to that is the reduction in installation and maintenance costs, making the proposition very interesting. "The drawback with some of the novel gear-less solutions developed up to now has been that they do not have the proper level of redundancy - if the generator breaks down, you may lose power entirely. So, we have been looking into a solution with a direct shaftline PM motor driven from m the main engine without reduction gears, but without loss oss of propulsion power in case of the PM-motor fails. With h this configuration you can continue the operations even in case of the unlikely failure of an inline PM generator. This can an be done essentially by ensuring the rotation of the shaftline aftline from the main engine to the propeller is continuing g uninterrupted even if the PM motor fails. This setup would significantly change the game, because it would give a more reliable and more efficient solution. With Kongsberg battery attery solutions and energy management control systems, it will also provide a take-me-home solution if either the main engine or the generators were lost."
WE Tech is seeing increased demand from the container segment and also ropax vessels, ship types that have significant energy consumption on-voyage. Jan Backman, Sales Director of WE Tech, says shaft generators make sense in this case, as the specific fuel consumption on a main 2-stroke engine, regardless of whether if it's dual-fuel or burning new fuels such as methanol, is lower per kilowatt hour than on a four stroke genset running on part load. “However, if you need a lot of generator power input, you still you can't avoid diesel generators. So, the question is, does it make sense to invest in both the general diesel generators and the shaft generator? Many times, the answer 'yes' because the payback time of the shaft generator, specifically a PM system, is relatively short.”
8 The 26,000dwt SUL (Self Un Loader) Bulker is under construction at CSSC Chengxi Shipyard
Subheading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Backman notes the benefits of a DC power distribution system: “DC simplifies the electrical grid onboard, because you don't need to add the large consumers into the main switchboard. Instead, a dedicated DC converter provides the power to the large consumers. In the case of a bow thruster,
The drawback with some of the novel gear-less solutions developed up to now has been that they do not have the proper level of redundancy if the generator breaks down, you may lose power entirely
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8 Far left: Jan Backman, Sales Director of WE Tech Solutions and Svein Kleven, Senior Vice President - Energy & Systems Integrated Solutions at Kongsberg Maritime
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FOUR-STROKE ENGINES Traditional asynchronous and synchronous generators are not perfectly suited for dual operation or other shaft generator control modes. PM machines are the most suitable technology for new generation shaft machines
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for example, this can reduce the power spike when it is turned on.” Additionally, the energy storage system can act as a peak shaver and power reserve directly in the DC circuit, which allows the complete electrical system to be run more efficiently than conventionally. WE Tech's shaft generators feature variable frequency drive technology, variable speed generator technology, DClink switchboards with dedicated inverter units and a power management system. With the DC-link distributing electrical power, energy efficiency can be increased by up to 35%, the main switchboard can have a smaller footprint with less copper used. Total harmonic distortion is low as is the reactive current flow in the electrical system. This enables the use of smaller inverters and less cabling. Backman is keen to team the company's PM motors with variable speed gensets if engine manufacturers make them available. “It would suit our technology very well to modulate that variable frequency, and it would increase the efficiency a lot in existing ships if they could upgrade their existing gensets without large modifications.” mtu recently published a white paper on the potential advantages of its Series 4000 variable speed gensets, saying that they can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15% and increase time between overhauls by 20%. Ramp up times of 11 seconds have been achieved in both factor acceptance tests and real operation. mtu says power density is increased in less installation space. With its variable speed mtu gensets, Rolls-Royce says it is able to create customised driving curves according to specific customer requirements through simulation testing. This includes extreme operating conditions as well as any specific safety needs. Subheading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Noise emissions are be lower, with a comparison of surface noise (sound pressure level) at a power of 500kW (about 20 percent load) showing a 6dB reduction. “At first glance, the difference of 6dB does not seem to be very significant. However, +6dB means twice the measured sound pressure, and when considering that humans perceive an increase of 6-10 dB as being nearly twice as loud, this value shows in a very impressive way the advantages of a variable speed unit,” says mtu. This is particularly important as crew members are often exposed to noise and vibration emissions over very long periods. Philipp Fedorov, Head of Marine Sales at Danfoss Editron, says slow speed vessel operation will be much more fuelefficient with variable speed diesels, though the integration of variable speed generators will be quite demanding for auxiliary power network design. Traditional AC systems require fixed frequency and fixed machine revolutions per minute, while additional frequency converters with heavy transformers and filters also have to be implemented. “Danfoss Editron goes the other way. We implement isolated DC grids for the variable speed generators, batteries, fuel cells and other clean energy sources. These isolated DC grids feature their own power management systems, allowing easy
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parallel operation of different power producers and consumers. Synchronization is not required in this case since DC systems do not require any phase or frequency synchronization. Our power management system for isolated DC grids is standard software similar to electric or hybrid propulsion.” So far, shaft generators are mostly used in power take-off (PTO) mode, where electrical machines run in a generator mode and feed power to a vessel's auxiliary AC network. In most cases, this requires accurate control of the fixed speed main engine. However, Fedorov says the next generation of shaft generators will be shaft generator systems with broader functionality. These systems will utilize different power control modes, including new power sources such as batteries, fuel cells and solar panels. In addition to PTO functionality, power take-in (PTI) mode will also be widely used. In this mode, the shaft generator system will feed power from the auxiliary grid to the propulsion, while the shaft machine will act as a motor and rotate the propeller. Vessels will obtain emission-free operational capability when batteries or other clean power sources are used to run the shaft machines. Subheading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fedorov says PTO and power take-in PTI modes require new technologies. “Traditional asynchronous and synchronous generators are not perfectly suited for dual operation or other shaft generator control modes. PM machines are the most suitable technology for new generation shaft machines. Danfoss Editron produces newer generations of PM motors, called synchronous reluctance assisted PM motors. The innovative stator design and location of the magnets inside machine frames offer even higher efficiencies across the whole operational range. Additionally, the machines are extremely compact and lightweight, crucial advantages in the design of hybrid systems.” Looking to the future, he says: “We believe that the DC grid concept will be the leading topology for marine hybrids. To maintain high Energy Efficiency Design Index in new vessels and retrofits, we believe that the diesel engines should be removed from the propeller shafts, with electric machines running the propellers instead. In this scenario, various power sources and control modes can be implemented into current vessel designs and future upgrade projects.” 8 Philipp Fedorov, Head of Marine Sales at Danfoss Editron
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FOUR-STROKE ENGINES
mtu ELECTRICALLY ASSISTED TURBOCHARGER xxxxxxx Rolls-Royce's new electrically-assisted mtu turbocharger system has been successfully tested on the component test bench and on a 10-cylinder diesel engine test bench and is now ready for use in projects where increased transient response is required The technology is suited to diesel and gas 4-stroke engines, regardless of whether traditional or new fuels are used, and is also applicable to fuel cells. “The tests achieved significant improvements in the transient response of the engine,” says Dr. Johannes Kech, head of turbocharger development at the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems. “We consider electrically assisted turbocharging to be technically mature and will use this technology in projects where increased transient response is required. This applies in particular to gas engines where we need to achieve a high level of responsiveness. “At the same time, this technology is also suitable for charging fuel cells, since in the case of fuel cells, the exhaust gas energy is not sufficient to drive the compressor via the turbine. Permanent electrical support is required.” A simpler solution for turbo lag Rolls-Royce Power Systems acquired the rights for the new technological approach from Germany-based G+L innotec in 2017. The system is specifically designed for engines that need a fast dynamic response, as the turbocharger can be accelerated electrically so that charge pressure can be built up earlier, thus preventing turbo lag. In the past, attempts to overcome turbo lag relied on more complex and expensive solutions involving sequential or alternating switching concepts and adjustable turbine blades. The mtu system is a return to design simplicity in comparison. The improved dynamic response obtained is especially useful for gas engines, says Kech, as the transient behaviour of the turbocharger is essential for maintaining the dynamic response of the engine in this case. The new technology also means that emergency standby gensets will be able to deliver their full output faster than was previously the case due to the increased load response capability. The system offers greater engine management flexibility, enabling engine operation to be optimised for reducing fuel consumption and emissions, says Kech. The use of an electric motor makes it possible to virtually decouple the operating point of the turbocharger from the speed of the engine. Adaptability enhanced by permanent magnet technology The electric drive uses a permanent magnet upstream of the compressor wheel, with the electrical windings integrated into the casing of the compressor. The large gap between the magnet and windings ensures that air drawn in by the compressor does not affect the aerodynamics of the charger and that existing chargers can be adapted easily to make use of the technology - the additional installation space required for the electric motor is relatively small. The system's specially designed power electronics are cooled by intake air. Fuel cells require a different design On a combustion engine, electrical assistance is only needed for a short time during the acceleration phase or in case of a
load step, but fuel cells need permanent electrical assistance as the exhaust energy is not high enough for the turbine to drive the compressor. The low exhaust temperature requires a completely different turbine design. As oil in the air would poison a fuel cell, Rolls-Royce has also developed oil free bearing systems.
8 Dr. Johannes Kech, head of turbocharger development at the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems
Deal with MAN Energy Solutions expands market potential In June this year, Rolls-Royce Power Systems and MAN Energy Solutions established a strategic partnership that will see MAN's PBST brand distribute mtu turbochargers. The partnership aims to combine the benefits of PBST's global sales structure for turbochargers and Rolls-Royce's latest high-efficiency mtu turbocharger technology, including the electrically assisted technology. For Rolls-Royce, the partnership creates a new channel for sales in addition to Woodward L'Orange. “MAN/PBST intends to use this cooperation to offer our turbocharger portfolio on the market, not just for itself, but to all engine manufacturers worldwide,” says Kech. “This means that the focus would be on a target market in the power range up to 10MW for high-speed diesel and gas engines.” Kech notes that there is currently no ambition to expand the mtu portfolio or the electrically assisted technology to two-stroke engines. Rather, PBST will initially include the latest generation of the mtu turbocharger family ZR1 to ZR5 in its product portfolio and will distribute them under the series name HIRO. The mtu turbochargers are offered on the basis of a modular system for engines in the 400 to 2,500 kilowatt power range in single- and two-stage versions.
8 Dr Kech identified gas engines and fuel cells as two areas where electrically assisted turbocharging technology offered particular advantages
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 19
LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
NEW SHIP POWER CONCEPT ELIMINATES TRADITIONAL xxx A new ship power concept targeting tankers and bulk carriers developed by Wärtsilä and RINA relies on two 4-stroke dual-fuel LNG engines for both propulsion and electric power generation
8 The Wärtsilä/ RINA Smart Propulsion Machinery arrangement features two 4-stroke dual-fuel (DF) engines and a small DF genset
Typically, tankers and bulk carriers have a 2-stroke engine for propulsion and three 4-stroke engines for electric power generation. The Wärtsilä / RINA Smart Propulsion Machinery arrangement, however, requires just two 4-stroke dual-fuel (DF) engines, one larger than the other, with electric power back-up supplied by batteries or a small DF generator. The design can achieve a reduction of up to half of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) reference level value and results in immediate compliance with the IMO's 2030 targets. It also offers full redundancy, less machinery, lower capital expenditure, reduced operational complexity and optimised fuel consumption to lower costs, the designers assert. The arrangement features Wärtsilä 31DF engines operating with LNG fuel. The engine has the flexibility to use future zero-carbon fuels without major conversion effort, thereby facilitating the pathway to decarbonisation, and has already been tested and verified for hydrogen, bio-LNG and synthetic LNG. Tests for LNG fuel combined with up to 30% ammonia are underway . “To stay compliant with future legislation, you need to have a very modern engine and one with the flexibility to use future fuels,” says Johnny Kackur, General Manager, Merchant and Gas Carrier Segment, at Wärtsilä. The diesel version of the Wärtsilä 31 engine type has been recognised as the world's most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine. The platform has a second-generation common rail fuel injection system, quick load response, low smoke formation and accurate, twin needle technology. It also features variable valve timing with stepless inlet valve timing, on/off exhaust gas valve timing and extreme miller timing. While high-pressure 2-strokes are thought to offer the best GHG emissions performance, Kackur says that when total energy consumption at actual ship speed is considered, this is not necessarily correct, and the Smart Propulsion Machinery concept with Wärtsilä 31 series engines becomes very competitive.
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8 The concept includes compact shaft generators, a controllablepitch propeller and a two-stage turbocharger as standard
Optimised for realistic ship speeds The propulsion n machinery is optimized for actual ship speeds, not maximum speeds, d and at normal ship speeds, one engine is enough to cover all propulsion and electric power generation on board. With only one main engine in operation most of the time, the vessel can operate at high engine load and high efficiency levels. The concept includes compact shaft generators and a controllable-pitch propeller enabling propulsion efficiency to be optimised over a wide range of speeds, rather than just design speed, says Kackur. Although a reduction gearbox is required, the configuration gives absolute freedom to vary propeller rpm. The ability of the shaft generator to operate in heavy seas without overloading the engines reduces installed and auxiliary power requirements and lowers operating costs. The Smart Propulsion Machinery concept also includes a two-stage turbocharger as standard, and this improves efficiency, particularly at part load. As the design also eliminates the use of HSFO on board, the design removes the need for purifiers and the boiler and steam systems on bulkers. At current ship speeds, the system performance of the new arrangement provides at least the same, or better, efficiency than an equivalent 2-stroke design, Kackur says. At even slower speeds, the new 4-stroke configuration has the
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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS potential to reduce fuel consumption and emission levels further still. He notes that current engines operate far below their optimum. Sailing speeds are around 20% below the typical design speed specified around a decade ago resulting in a 50% decrease in engine power requirements. Cost benefits Kachur says that while some believe that maintenance costs for medium-speed 4-strokes are higher than 2-strokes, this is no longer the case. Wärtsilä's 31 engine series achieves maintenance intervals that are the same as or longer than 2-stroke engines. “The total maintenance costs for our Smart Propulsion Machinery concept are typically lower than for conventional machinery, partly because of lower installed power.” Additionally, remote monitoring and control means that Wärtsilä is able to support ships' crews in optimising performance and minimising downtime. With only one engine running at sea, there is less risks for failure, and sharing running hours between the two engines means the larger engine can be overhauled every five years, and the smaller, less-used engine every 10 years. The two-engine redundancy also allows for the overhaul of a main engine at sea if ever required. “The combination of fewer running components and 100 percent redundancy, with a single engine capable of handling both propulsion and electric power, even in port, promotes both safety and reliability,” says Antonios Trakakis, Greece Marine Technical Director at RINA. Additionally, he says, early indications from shipyards are that initial investment is the same or less than a corresponding 2-stroke design. Finding space to fit an LNG bunker tank is unlikely to be an issue, as the 4-stroke engines are much shorter in stature than the 2-stroke engine they would replace. This means there is room to fit an LNG bunker tank on deck above the engine room. LNG into the future Natural gas is the cleanest burning and fastest growing fossil fuel, accounting for almost one third of total energy demand growth through the last decade - more than any other fuel, and Trakakis says the strong future for LNG globally is something that the shipping industry shouldn't ignore. Demand for natural gas is projected to grow by over 1,200 BCM in the next 20 years, and production is expanding. For example, Qatar Petroleum signed a contract for its North Field LNG project expansion, aiming to boost the country's LNG output by 40% a year by 2026. More than half of expected future LNG demand is expected to come from countries with net zero emissions targets, and 65% of gas demand growth in the next 20 years is expected to come from non-power sectors as emissions are reduced from industry and transport. There are now over 120 ports with LNG bunkering facilities, and this is anticipated to increase to 170 by 2022. The LNG bunkering fleet is also anticipated to double in size over the next two years. Trakakis predicts that fossil LNG will still account for a significant percentage of shipping's fuel mix in 2050. However, before then, it provides a clear path to carbonneutral methane. Carbon capture technology is particularly promising because it can be used, together with green hydrogen, to catalytically convert recycled carbon molecules into carbon-neutral fuels. New fuels pose challenges On an energy basis, the cost of synthetic methane equals that of methanol, he says, and a recent study from Delft University of Technology suggests that for same energy
content, green ammonia might be twice the price of carbon neutral methane. Other studies attribute the synthesis cost of green ammonia to be three times that of methane. These new fuels will definitely come at a premium, Trakakis says, and it is questionable whether the shipping industry will accept and pay this premium, although other sectors, with fewer options, might. LNG has always shown less price volatility than liquid bunker fuel, and the increase in supply and rapid expansion of markets will result in even lower and more stable prices. Aside from price, new fuels pose technical challenges. Ammonia has a very slow sped of combustion which results in less engine efficiency and higher consumption, says Trakakis. It has narrow flammability limits and requires an unrealistic compression ratio of 35 or a large percentage of pilot fuel. Bunker tanks would need to be twice the volume of LNG tanks, difficult to achieve, particularly on bulk carriers, and ensuring there were no ammonia leaks or ammonia slip would be a costly, but necessary, component of any ship design. “The risks of handling hydrogen are well known to people, but it's different to apply them onboard ships than to apply them ashore,” he says. Using liquid hydrogen onboard is difficult due to excessive boil off or the need for 700 bar storage pressure. Bunker tanks would need to be around three times that of LNG, so even more difficult to accommodate than ammonia tanks. The use of bio-diesel raises food or fuel issues around the feedstock used, and methanol, per unit energy output, only achieves an 8% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to current liquid fuels. LNG achieves a 26% reduction. Further, consumption of bio-methane serves as a sink for greenhouse gases and has the same supply and distribution network as LNG.
8 Johnny Kackur, General Manager, Merchant and Gas Carrier Segment, at Wärtsilä
No time to wait Trakakis says that while many believe new fuels will be available over the next decade, indications are that this will not really be the case. He believes that new, green fuels won't be available in large quantity until beyond 2040, so shipowners should rethink any plans to waiting and just relying on slower sailing speeds until then. This risks competitiveness. He says the facts clearly demonstrate that the wider energy generation markets are embracing LNG, and shipping cannot justify taking a separate pathway or waiting for new fuels. When zero carbon fuels do start to become available, shipowners that have waited will have to either make a big investment for an older age vessel or decommission that ship before the end of its useful service life.
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 21
LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
SEA TRIALS FOR ONBOARD METHANOL TO HYDROGEN xxx e1 Marine's methanol-to-hydrogen generator and fuel cell system is set to make low-to-no emissions a near-term reality and a financially attractive choice to replace today's diesel generators The e1 Marine system has been deployed in power generation for more than 5,000 hours and has been used to power a truck for more than 5,000 kilometres with no issues. It is now undergoing configuration for marine applications, both for the auxiliary power needs of larger vessels and for main propulsion on coastal and inland shipping vessels up to 10,000dwt. Additional applications planned include reefer power for container ships, port infrastructure such as shoreside power, offshore markets, as well as cruise ships, ferries, yachts and fishing vessels. Class approval is expected later this year, and e1 Marine is working with several fuel cell manufacturers. Sea trials for a first retrofit project are planned for 2022. Stuart Crawford, Managing Director of e1 Marine, says: “Initially we see the hydrogen production unit as supplementing existing power systems. It produces hydrogen that can then displace a percentage of the conventional fuel used, either by combining it with a fuel cell and hence displacing genset equipment entirely, or conversely, by feeding the hydrogen into the scavenge space of traditional engines and consequently displacing a percentage of the conventional fuel. Its current capabilities can be used in conjunction with low and zero-carbon fuels, such as LNG.” The hydrogen generator uses catalytic steam reforming to produce hydrogen with methanol and water as feedstock. One-third of the hydrogen produced is attributable to the addition of water. This water can be produced onboard or simply recycled from a PEM fuel cell exhaust, so the vessel need only store methanol in quantity. The hydrogen is produced at the point of use, so fuel lines associated with the gas will be short and handled much the same as gaseous methane is currently piped onboard.
When combined with PEM fuel cell technology, our system costs are comparable with a standard generator set
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With one-third of the hydrogen produced coming directly from water, Crawford says the system is able to reduce CO2 emissions by a minimum of 25% at a competitive price. The system, including a fuel cell, consumes 35% less energy than diesel generators, reduces CO2 emissions by 30-35% and produces zero particulates, NOx and SOx emissions. “When combined with PEM fuel cell technology, our system costs are comparable with a standard generator set,” says Crawford. “When we combine the system with a fuel cell, our combined thermal efficiency is around 42% - a conventional 4-stroke diesel generator set up is approximately 37%. The hydrogen generator alone is 82% efficient.” The modular system can be deployed in box form or integrated into existing engine room designs, whether retrofit or newbuilding. Power output ranges from 50KW to 2MW, with larger sizes also possible. When combined with a PEM fuel
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cell, a 400Kw system is about the same size as a 20-foot container and will be more or less plug and play, Crawford says. The simple design and construction of the system means it is very reliable, and with few moving parts it results in low maintenance and repair costs compared to diesel engines. Crawford notes that methanol is one of the most accessible new marine fuels. It is widely available in major ports around the world, easy to transport and has been handled safely for more than a century. There is a ready pool of seafarers experienced in managing it. “Methanol also has significant cost advantages that apply today, even in comparison with current diesel generators and before considering any new regulation or carbon tax.” He notes the e1 Marine technology is ready to meet all future regulatory requirements by simply switching to renewable methanol. E1 Marine is a joint venture between Ardmore Shipping, Element 1 and Maritime Partners, with each firm owning a 33.3% stake in the company. Mark Cameron, COO of Ardmore Shipping, believes there's a market for more than 200,000 of e1 Marine's systems each producing 500kW. “To meet the IMO mandate, we must look to future fuels. At Ardmore, we see this technology as a key enabler in allowing the onboard use of hydrogen as a fuel. In addition, the onboard production of hydrogen from a mixture of green methanol and water solves the hydrogen transportation issue in a carbon-neutral manner. When combined with future carbon capture (currently under development), this technology will offer the industry a carbon-negative solution. “We are committed to the environment, and believe that with our active involvement, we are contributing toward a greener future by ensuring the industry has a way not only to meet but to exceed the IMO mandate on future carbon intensity.”
8 Stuart Crawford, Managing Director of e1 Marine
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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
LIME-BASED CARBON CAPTURE SYSTEM ADDS TO POWER xxx The RECAST system uses an onboard carbonator to combine engine exhaust gases with lime powder. The resulting exothermic, CO2 capture reaction generates heat to about 600oC that is recovered and used to run a steam turbine. Phil Hodgson, Managing Director of Calix, says: “A lot of people don't realise that half the weight of a lump of limestone is actually CO2 trapped in the rock, and you need to heat that to about 950oC to drive the CO2 out to form lime. The RECAST system absorbs the CO2 back into the lime and gives off a lot of heat. That is what we're tapping in to.” Calix has announced plans to package its RECAST technology with British firm Windship Technology's windand-solar-assisted drive train, and it will also eventually be available for other applications. In the Windship configuration, the RECAST system could supply about one sixth of a ship's propulsive power. Another third would be provided by wind power, a sixth by solar power and the remaining third by diesel gensets. The supply of feedstock is virtually circular, as the limestone produced onboard is returned to shore and reprocessed back into lime ready to be used again. Some gypsum forms amongst the limestone as the lime reacts with SOx, and this can be replaced with a small amount of lime and recycled for use in cement production. Both powders are easily moved with blowers, says Hodgson, and apart from the carbonator, the onboard system components required are all off-the-shelf items. The space required to store the lime is three to four times that of the bunker fuel consumed, but in the Windship Technology system, sails, solar panels and RECAST all add power to the ship, so bunker tanks can be reduced in size. In any case, says Hodgson, it is still significantly less space than will be required for some new fuels such as ammonia or hydrogen. Limestone is readily available around the world and could be made available to 80 percent of the global merchant fleet from just 12 ports. Lime is used extensively in producing steel, aluminium, rare earths, gold and many other minerals. It's production currently emits roughly one tonne of CO2 per one tonne of lime produced and is thus a significant contributor to those industries' carbon footprints. Calix has developed technology for CO2 mitigation in the production of lime through the European LEILAC-1 and 2 projects. Their unique kiln captures the CO2 from the raw limestone and can be powered by electricity or renewable fuels. The technology is now being demonstrated at scale at HeidelbergCement's site in Hanover, Germany, as part of the LEILAC 2 project. The demonstration plant is capable of separating 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum and is a critical step in demonstrating the application of the carbon capture capabilities of the kiln to the cement and lime industries. Since then, Calix has executed a Heads of Agreement with Adbri Limited for an Australian lime production project with
Credit: Calix
An Australia-based technology developer, Calix, is developing an onboard carbon capture technology that uses lime as feedstock and also captures SOx and NOx emissions
CO2 capture and multi-fuel options. A feasibility study is expected to be completed early in 2022. The project is framed around a five-year development and demonstration program and represents a world-first development of a commercial-scale, zeroemissions lime production facility. Funding will be sought from the Australian government. The use of low-emissions lime as both a sorbent and a fuel for the ship is a valuable new application for the company's technology portfolio, says Hodgson. Initial estimates suggest RECAST could cost less than US$50 per tonne of CO2 emissions saved by shipping, making it cost-effective as well as safe and reliable. Calix, with Windship, will be working on the conceptual design and feasibility study for marine applications over the next 12 months. A first pilot is expected to be a system of about 250kW before increasing that to an onboard demonstration of a couple of megawatts within two years. RECAST inventor and long-term team member at Calix, Dr Brian Sweeney, said: “If RECAST technology were applied to the 25 percent of ships covering high-mileage that use 80 percent of global bunker fuel, with other technologies for the smaller emitters, our initial estimates indicate the reduction in emissions would make the total world maritime fleet carbon-zero.”
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8 Calix developed technology for CO2 mitigation in the production of lime through the European LEILAC-1 (pictured) and 2 projects. Inset: RECAST inventor and long-term team member at Calix, Dr Brian Sweeney
8 Phil Hodgson in front of the Calix Flash Calciner in Victoria, Australia
JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 23
DIGITALISATION
ENABLING THE DIGITAL SWITCH OVER As the maritime moves into a more digital era further developments and key factors will need to be in place if it is to fully utilise digital solutions, writes Samantha Fisk
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When thinking about ships most people think of more mechanical and analogue systems, however, with the digital revolution that is happening in the industry a move to change this and make systems more efficient and streamlined is taking place. One of these key areas is the engine room where digital solutions are applied to make engines run more efficiently. The main areas for development is fuel optimisation, where shipowners will be able to see value from these solutions. By getting key data from these systems vessel will be able to run more efficiently and also be able to help them cut their emissions to meet with further regulatory requirements. The challenge for many is still the adoption of these new technologies onboard vessels, whilst there has been a steady growth in the take up of digital solution for the engine room, there has also been hesitancy in adopting solutions, whilst owners want to wait it out for the final product. One approach to this has been from WinGD in that they have incorporate as standard digital technology into product developments. Luca Sala, Senior Manager Product Strategy explains with the company’s latest WinGD Integrated Digital Expert (WiDE) that was introduced to the market in 2018 that now “it is installed on several vessels”. WiDE allows the collection and analysis of ship and machinery data in order to proactively predict component anomalies to offer support through live troubleshooting and diagnostic advice to the crew. Sala explains that WiDE gives better visibility to how the engine is functioning. “It enables crew to be more effective at their job and gives proactive advisory to the crew.” The advantage of having such as solution is that you can “learn from the fleet” and update how vessels operate quickly.
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WinGD has received positive feedback from customers that have installed WiDE with one highlighting that it has seen improved performance monitoring, reduced time for trouble shooting, improved maintenance planning and has empowered crew onboard in the way they work. The adoption of technology onboard vessels may not be as quick as some would like but it is happening and is expected continue to do so in phased way over the coming years. However, shipping’s conservative nature may have been a strength when it has come to adopting these new technologies. Sala notes that the industry will see more hybridisation integration in the transition period as digital technology starts to be adopted. A key element of having all these technologies onboard will be how they communicate with each other. “You can reduce up to 25% on the overall operating costs by integrating efficiently different technologies by using a digital master system to ensure every component is working properly and at the same time operate them as one solution.” Jarle Blomhoff, Team Leader Systems Engineering, DNV comments about the rollout of technology, that it first needs: “Enablers to have things in place so that things can be digital, such as sensors, infrastructure and central data. These will also need to be standardised and secure.” Fuel optimisation is a key area of development for digital solutions as it is one area that shipowners can see the value through cost savings of a vessel. Dr Marlies Koch, Customer Experience Leader. Group Digital, MAN Energy Solutions SE adds that: “Fuel savings are an important part and are realised today, but the actual savings depend on the used fuel type/ price, the operating mode, etc.” However, he also explains that it is important to also consider other factors when looking at cost saving such as
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DIGITALISATION engine type, age and operating condition of the engine, as these can affect the type of cost savings that can be achieved. Another advantage of tools for vessel optimisation is that the aid in the “prevention of unplanned outages (leading to off-hire, drydocking, etc), by replacing low-cost spare parts early on, preventing major repairs such as liner from scuffing is also a big lever,” Dr Koch adds. However, one of the challenges that has been particularly highlighted over the recent year is the lack of connectivity onboard vessels and steps to how the industry will overcome this is still unclear. “Practically there is no existing connectivity standard – we see frameworks for standard-setting (i.e. ISO 19848 or 19847), it still remains open, how these translate and are adopted into practical solutions”, comments Dr Koch. Currently we are seeing more solutions that are coming on to the market that will need connectivity to be able to maximise their full potential. “The need to connect is present, may it be OEMs, owners, managers, licensees, etc. – as each party has only a share of the data, that they ideally need to share to get the most insights”, Dr Koch says. “Mid-term some Cloud2Cloud solutions will gain a critical mass to organically force new partners to its standards, so we will see a consolidation”, she adds. Sala also notes that digitalisation is one of two changes that we see happening in the maritime industry. The other being decarbonisation which digitalisation can also support. Overcoming the challenges Technical challenges still lay ahead mainly with connectivity. As Dr Koch explains that: “Establishing the connectivity cabling/hardware/firewall and satellite configuration itself is a challenge with vessels that ad-hoc change routes and where time in port is short.” Sala also highlights that there is also a need to create trust in the solutions and that by working with customers and other industries bodies will help to create that trust in the industry. However, Norwegian-based ScanReach are also looking at this with the solutions that they are providing to the industry. ScanReach has seen substantial growth from entering the market as a start-up to now becoming a full-grown business with its technology implemented on 40 vessels. It’s main service is as a wireless IoT company which has seen that there is a need in the maritime industry for better connectivity onboard vessels. Initially ScanReach introduced to the market its life saving solution Personnel Onboard (POB) Control that allowed crew to traced onboard in an emergency such as a fire. This solution was developed by using wireless technology. Jacob Greg Eide comments about the development of the technology that: “the cost factor of re-cabling a ship is too high. So we looked to wireless.” From this ScanReach has now moved from being a technology provider to a solution provider with its wireless platform. It offers three solutions to the market which are its ConnectPOB, ConnectFleet and ConnectFuel. With its ConnectFuel product Eide explains that owners can monitor fuel consumption at any time. “Vessels can see a 5% saving just by imposing certain thresholds”, he comments. From systems becoming more connected, more data will be harvested that will also allow shipowners to get a better view of how systems are operating and to make more critical decisions or how systems are operated. Dr Koch also adds that: “Data will be the basis to develop new insights and today we do not know, which data will be of importance tomorrow, connectivity and storage are becoming ever cheaper and these help to enable retention of as large a pool of historic data as possible.”
There is lots of value in data, if the right data is extracted and will give shipowners further insights into operations. “Data will be the basis to generate insights both for serving the customers today with optimizing their OPEX, but also going forward in improving engine design to be even more reliable, flexible, efficient and with an ever-lower environment footprint”, Dr Koch explains. Data sharing also needs to be done in the proper way, Sala comments. How to manage data and support digital solutions is a discussion that is happening in the maritime industry.
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It’s all about safety Digitalisation is a current ‘Buzz’ word in the industry and having the right technology for the right application is important for shipowners. But a crucial element of adopting digital solutions is the safety element. Through the adoption of digital technologies it is expected that also safety will increase due to better monitoring and processes that it will bring. An area that is also getting more interest is that of cyber security, with the implementation of digital products and also the recent pandemic, shipowners are now becoming more aware of the need to protect their digital assets from hackers. Blomhoff highlights that the industry is now thinking about cyber security and currently there is “little cyber security around the engine room” and notes that as more digital solutions get installed onboard there is a “higher probability of attack”. IMO launched its IMO2021 cyber security resolution that aims to help shipowners tackle this new threat. The rules have been based on the IEC International 62443 code with maritime amendments. Blomhoff notes that there needs to be done in educating the industry still. DNV is currently working alongside engine manufacturer who are looking at addressing it. WinGD has also been looking at its own cyber resilience when it comes to it digital solutions and take a three-stage approach to its cyber security. The first is in the infrastructure of the business, the second is in the operating systems. WinGD is looking at having the first embedded system approved. The third stage is at company level, to make sure that people, processes and procedures are all compliant.
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 25
DIGITALISATION
CONFIDENCE IN DATA BOOSTS DIGITAL FUTURE
Credit: NAVTOR
Cyber security, data standards and satellite speeds set the digital agenda, NAVTOR MD Tor Svanes tells Paul Gunton
Worries about cyber security for shipboard systems are “a thing of the past” and shipowners can have confidence in their digital systems, said Tor Svanes, managing director of the Norwegian navigation system-provider NAVTOR in an interview with The Motorship. This is not something he would have said even two years ago, he agreed. But he added a proviso: his confidence applies to equipment that has been accredited by an inspection body, such as a class society. NAVTOR's automatic updating system, NavBox, for example, uses a DNV type-approved cyber-secure gateway. This sort of assurance is becoming commercially essential, he indicated. “Customers demand proof that they will be safe when it comes to cyber security” and are pushing equipment manufacturers to provide it. With its focus on navigation systems, NAVTOR is wellplaced to comment on the future trends in digitalisation and the impact it will have on ship operations. In its own field of expertise, Mr Svanes has already written on the company's website about significant changes to ECDIS that will be introduced in 2024, when new installations will have to meet the latest version of the S-100 suite of standards issued by the International Hydrographic Office (IHO). At IMO, ECDIS performance standards are set out in Resolution MSC.232(82), which dates from 2006, and this was to be amended to include references to S-100 during IMO's 8th Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR 8) in April, but because of COVIDrelated time pressures, this was held over. Nonetheless, IHO's website indicates that hydrographic offices must start producing S-100-compliant electronic charts from the start of 2024. Navigational data volumes are increasing at a rapid rate, Mr Svanes said, along with data from many other onboard
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8 NAVTOR collaborates beyond marine, such as in the EU's ENABLE-S3 project, for which it hosted this kick-off meeting in 2016
systems and getting this all ashore is testing the capabilities of current communications systems, he said. Asked how digitalisation might develop over the next few years, he said that the prospect of any dramatic change would improve “if communication got better and cheaper”. Although satellite communications providers regularly improve the speed and cost of the services they offer, “the amount of data is going up, so the total sum may be the same.” As an indication of this growth, he said that its navigation systems collect AIS position data not only of the ships on which they operate, but also of the vessels that they connect with. As a result, NAVTOR is effectively tracking 150,000 ships and recording their positions every 15 minutes. “It's a lot of data”, he observed. “Even in the Cloud, there is not endless space.” This gives it a better real-time image of global shipping even than satellite AIS trackers, since they have difficulty discerning individual vessels in crowded waters such as the South China Sea, he explained. Big data NAVTOR is making this data available to Oslo University as part of an EU-funded project, TRANSACT, which started in May with a three-year mission to “develop a universal, distributed solution architecture for the transformation of safety-critical cyber-physical systems,” the project's website states. One part of this is to develop AI techniques for marine use and NAVTOR hopes it will yield techniques to plan routes for ships taking into account navigational restrictions, previous voyages for similar ships and current weather data. No current route-planning program is able to address all these parameters in a single program, Mr Svanes said. It already has experience of EU-funded work, having been involved in the three-year ENABLE-S3 project that ended in
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May 2019 and looked at the potential of autonomous operations in various modes of transport. NAVTOR represented the maritime sector and the experience underlined that the various transport modes faced similar challenges. As digitalisation develops, it is the management software that becomes critical, Mr Svanes suggested, “so there will be crossovers with software and technology,” he said. And that is what attracts him to these projects: “it is very important to us to keep in forefront in technology” and it would be “too tough and too slow” to achieve the same results on its own. It would also be too costly, he said, acknowledging the financial support from the private-equity firm Accel-KKR (AKKR), which took a majority stake in NAVTOR in August 2020. Developing the tools needed to digitalising the shipping industry will need significant investment, Mr Svanes said, but AKKR “is pushing us on development to go more digital every day. They are not afraid to invest in this because they say this is the future.” AKKR's website lists 59 companies as current investments - mostly involved in software and management support services to a wide range of industries - and in late June, Mr Svanes attended an inaugural meeting of chief technical officers from most of those companies to encourage exchanging ideas and technology among them. This could lead to using software that has been developed elsewhere to support its own developments, which he said could save time. “This is a very positive move,” he said. He credited AKKR's backing with enabling its February acquisition of Houston-based Tres Solutions, which added vessel analytics and performance optimisation to NAVTOR's
Credit: NAVTOR
DIGITALISATION
e-navigation services. At the time of the acquisition, Mr Svanes said that Tres Solutions' software could extract operational intelligence from performance data. With its experience of collaborating on multi-disciplinary EU projects and now collaborating within a diverse group of companies, Mr Svanes believes NAVTOR has broadened its role. “I like to say we are a technology company,” he said as he considered its systems' role in future autonomous shipping. During the ENABLE-S3 project, for example, it conducted trials in which it navigated a vessel remotely from shore, “but to go completely autonomous demands a lot more secure communication because there's a lot of data going back and forth.” Digitalisation, machine learning and artificial intelligence will therefore be critical for the future, he indicated and “we are only at the beginning of this.”
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8 "Customers demand proof that they will be safe", says Tor Svanes, NAVTOR's MD
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 27
DIGITALISATION
FINNISH INTENS PROJECT RESULTS IN SHIP BUILDING xxx The Integrated Energy Solutions to Smart and Green Shipping (INTENS) project started shortly after the IMO had set its goals to reduce shipping's total emissions by 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008. The project was a Business Finland-funded research-industry collaborative project with the special focus on energy efficiency and emissions of ship energy systems. Since its inception, the project has developed over 60 novel software and hardware products leading to 26 new business projects. A further 15 projects are expected. The INTENS consortium consists of 14 Finnish marine companies (Wärtsilä Finland, NAPA, Meyer Turku, Dinex Ecocat, Deltamarin, Vahterus, Protacon Technologies, Parker Hannifin, JTK Power, 3D Studio Blomberg, Jeppo Biogas, Visorc, Tallink Silja and NLC Ferry) and five renowned research organizations (Aalto University, Lappeenranta University of Technology, University of Vaasa, Åbo Akademi University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd). Additionally, the participants networked with participants from another 20 national and international projects. Ship design company Deltamarin tackled the inherently complex ship design process where various experts work together with a broad range of regulatory and client requirements to develop a vessel design that meets design targets. The complexity is especially apparent in the early phases of the project when most of the trade-off decisions are made to set constraints and produce a set of possible solutions. The company's research as part of the INTENS project demonstrated that by shifting the design effort to the early stages of projects, more design knowledge is available at the time when decisions are locked, leading to a more efficient design process with fewer changes in the latter design phases and fewer associated costs. “We managed to take a huge leap in treating large amounts of ship operation data, and we have been building as earlier deliverable of the project the digital design platform for showcasing the importance to consider from the start of ship design relevant operational patterns which are combined to weather and various operational strategies,” says Mia Elg, R&D Manager at Deltamarin. “The latest results involved adding optimization as another 'dimension' to ship design in a way that it is integrated in the regular design process. In practice we get for the same amount of work hours (and price for customer) than any normal ship concept design, much more value to the project, since instead of single (5-15) simulated ship system scenarios we can analyse thousands of alternatives, and we focus our brain work to the selected few optimum. All of this is really useful in ship design projects, where all ships in the future must not only pass EEDI or EEXI, but also reach a certain intensity. The design speed or single dimension point might have very little to do with realistic or future alternative operational scenarios.”
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Credit: LUT University/Timo Mikkola
The Finnish innovation project INTENS has concluded three and a half years of research into digitalisation and decarbonisation with developments targeting both ship design and operation
8 Researchers from LUT University worked on the development of a digital twin for an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat recovery system Inset: Mia Elg, R&D Manager at Deltamarin
A study by researchers from shipyard Meyer Turku and Åbo Akademi University developed a methodology for predicting onboard energy use on a cruise ship 24 hours in advance. The predictions are based on route plans and weather forecasts and include models of the engine cooling and waste-heat recovery systems in a case study involving four 4-stroke medium-speed diesel gensets with a total shaft power of 48MW. Both engine and hotel energy use were considered, and machine learning was used to help predict energy consumption and demand. The researchers achieved an accuracy of around 97%, and the idea behind the work is to enable crews to understand how their actions affect energy distribution. Focused on cruise ships, the research demonstrates that optimising the scheduling of energy consuming tasks can boost energy efficiency onboard. Aalto University researchers focused on optimising ship design techniques that involve novel ship energy systems such as batteries and fuel cells. Having multiple power sources require significantly more advanced decisionmaking systems, say the researchers. For example, energy storage systems alter existing models by decoupling the time of energy production from that of energy demand. To account for this, the researchers focused on developing online control methodologies that did not depend on a known future power demand profile and additionally
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DIGITALISATION introduced a new model for the optimisation of a ship's speed profile under a fixed schedule. They demonstrated methods to assess the impact of multiple new power systems through mathematical models that used measured operation profiles from case vessels. The models, along with machine learning techniques, enable a move away from heuristics and estimations, say the researchers, towards a more systematic approach that enables optimisation of the design, rather than just development of a workable design. The project resulted in several scientific publications and two doctoral theses: Optimization models for assessing novel low emission ship energy systems authored by Antti Ritatari and Optimisation Tools for Ship Speed Profile and Unit Commitment Problems authored by Janne Huotari. Researchers from LUT University worked on the development of a digital twin for an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat recovery system as a way of increasing cycle efficiency by continuously assessing its performance using a physics-based dynamic model built from a physical-to-virtual twinning process. Using a lab-based ORC system, the researchers modelled the high-speed turbogenerator, prefeed pump and heat exchanger components such as the condenser, evaporator and recuperator. The digital twin was developed based on thermodynamic models of the ORC system and was successfully used to estimate performance under different operating conditions. The researchers are now working on two-way communication between the physical and the virtual twin with the aim of making it available for marine waste heat recovery systems in the future. Maritime software, services and data analysis provider NAPA worked on a new generation of its routing algorithm, which now considers navigational restrictions, wind, sea and tidal currents, waves and swell, and water depth. The company's product, NAPA Voyage Optimization, further iterated throughout the project, provides users with a highly detailed, real-time picture of the factors that will affect a voyage and how to manage them. Pekka Pakkanen, Executive Vice President, NAPA Shipping Solutions described NAPA's innovative approach to collaborative and holistic voyage planning and monitoring, specifically for large merchant fleets. The approach aims to increase transparency and reduce conflicts of interest by connecting ship operators, charterers and crew so they work on a single voyage plan. “INTENS helped us make this a reality. As part of the usability and user experience research, NAPA utilized external experts to speed up the process and accumulate know-how in-house, resulting in a significant impact on our product development approach. Almost all the lessons learned during the project are taken into use in our product development activities today.” INTENS was also a success and expectation-exceeding story for Wärtsilä, says Technical Manager, Pasi Juppo, from Wärtsilä Marine Solutions. “Over 80% of NOx emissions reduction, 50% total hydrocarbon content (THC) reduction and around 2%-unit efficiency improvement have been achieved with novel advanced technologies. This would have not been possible without a good collaboration with the universities and partners.” Researchers from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Dinex Finland and Wärtsilä studied the performance of a methane oxidation catalyst as a way of reducing methane slip. Their research evaluated emissions from a medium speed low-pressure, dual-fuel engine as a starting point to understanding its performance. While CO2 emissions are lower than diesel when burning natural gas, methane emissions are higher, as natural gas is
8 Aalto University researchers demonstrated methods to assess the impact of multiple new power systems through mathematical models that used measured operation profiles from case vessels
mainly methane, a strong greenhouse gas. Oxidation catalysts are a promising option for reducing this, however, the challenge is catalyst deactivation with as little as 1 ppm SO2 present in the exhaust gas has been shown to inhibit its performance. The researchers tested the catalyst on a Wärtsilä Vasa 4R32, a four-cylinder medium-speed 4-stroke marine engine retrofitted for dual-fuel operation and the subsequently on a passenger car gasoline engine that was modified to run with natural gas. In the later experiments, the catalyst achieved methane oxidation rates of 70-80% at first, but then declined in performance. When a SOx trap was placed upstream of the catalyst, it effectively protected the catalyst against sulphur poisoning and methane oxidation rates were 10-15% higher. The researchers concluded that the catalyst can be an effective way of managing methane slip. “As it is an aftertreatment system, it has potential for both new vessels and retrofits of existing vessels.” However, they stated that further studies are needed to optimise the catalyst's performance at different engine loadings and in transient loading relevant in vessel operation. INTENS Project Coordinator, Zou Guangrong, from VTT, said: “Although the project itself has come to an end, the fruitful collaboration and co-innovation among the INTENS partners is continuing in many ways. The direct and indirect research and business impacts will be surely visible, not only generating scientific and technological innovations but also creating sustainable and globally competitive businesses, and hence strengthen Finland's green and innovative global image in the years to come.”
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8 Aalto University researchers introduced a new model for the optimisation of a ship's speed profile under a fixed schedule to account for the effect of energy storage systems on existing models
JULY/AUGUST 2021 | 29
DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE
INVESTING IN A RESILIENT SHORT-SEA FLEET Over recent years, Europe’s short-sea shipping and trading community has demonstrated a growing belief in innovative but practical design as the basis for future competitiveness and business development, writes David Tinsley The significance of this philosophy should not be understated, given the modest returns that have historically characterised a sector wherein low-paying bulk commodity transport has traditionally formed a principal element of the traffic. Companies which have worked at making the ships part of an industrial chain and/or those which have acted decisively in fostering operations in emergent sectors, such as logistics for renewable energy developments, are today among the sector’s leading lights. These firms typically apply a design approach which builds in not only trading versatility but also longer-term environmental resilience, appreciative not simply of regulatory advance but additionally of changing corporate agendas. Such commitments are of particular note for the capital premium necessarily entailed. The new way of thinking is exemplified by the Hanse Eco breed of small vessel ordered by German investors and expected to make its debut in European waters within the next few months. Booked from Dayang Offshore Equipment Co(DYOE) of China, and incorporating a high degree of European technology, the 4,200dwt class is flexibly configured to offer scope for project shipments and outsized freight while efficiently covering the broad demand for dry bulk loads and breakbulk cargo. As indicated by its appellation, the Hanse Eco generation has been conceived with an acute awareness of the rising swell of regulatory and customer pressures on transport contractors’ environmental credentials. IMO Tier III NOx emissions compliance is a given, headlining a raft of features aimed at ensuring a high and lasting environmental standard. The series has been shaped with climate protection and the ‘mega’ trend of digitalisation as pivotal considerations bearing ultimately on market reach, efficiency and economics. The programme consisting of five newbuilds has been implemented by Rhenus-Arkon-Shipinvest(RHAS), established in June 2017 after logistics group Rhenus secured a 40% holding in Arkon Shipping, manager of a large fleet of coasters from its base in the German riverside town of Haren-on-Ems. The concept design was delivered by Dutch consultancy Groot Ship Design(GSD), working in co-operation with the owner, and drawing on the technical participation and inputs from DNV, Hamburg Ship Model Basin(HSVA), Dutch electrotechnical firm Eekels, Dutch cargo gear and access specialist Coops & Nieborg, and Belgian medium-speed engine maker ABC Engines. GSD supplied Dayang with all design information and a basic engineering package allied to the shipbuilding specification, pertinent rules and regulations and the latest technical developments aimed at reducing shipping’s environmental impact. Since its inception in 2005, GSD has been an exponent of Cadmatic 3-D software for hull engineering, subsequently expanded to embrace piping and outfitting. The system’s application flexibility and ease with which modifications can be made are viewed as particular strengths, and have been used to effect in the Hanse Eco programme.
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The ship’s configuration is such as to both maximise use of the given hull envelope in terms of paying volume and provide a very high degree of versatility as to the type of freight carried, ranging from workaday short-sea bulk and general commodities to shipments of long, high or otherwise indivisible items of project cargo, industrial and power equipment. The bridge and accommodation are located forward, and the funnel casing is arranged right aft, on the port quarter, providing a long and unobstructed weatherdeck with flush hatch covers reinforced to accept deck cargoes. On an overall length of just under 90m, the single hold gives a maximum overall volume of some 5,700m3, or 201,000ft3, with the added facility and flexibility for subdivision using up to three movable grain bulkheads, allowing four cargo segregations. The bulkhead panels can also be employed to create a load-bearing half tweendeck. Furthermore, the ships have been designed to meet the full operational and regulatory requirements for sailing without the hatch covers in place. The ‘open top’ mode affords the means for transporting outsized shipments including fabrications, plant and machinery. Structures and equipment relating to the renewable energy sector have a particular relevance to this capability. Recourse to European technology is expressed in the choice of a rugged and fuel-versatile design of four-stroke propulsion machinery produced at Ghent by ABC Engines. The six-cylinder model of the company’s DZC type, rated for 1,333kW at 1,000rpm, promises a 10-knot ‘eco’ speed on 4.2t of marine gas oil per day, and offers the potential to be run on biofuel. The installation is IMO Tier III compliant by virtue of the adoption of a selective catalytic reduction(SCR) system
8 Cargo carrying flexibility is at the heart of the nascent Hanse Eco breed
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supplied by the Swiss company HUG Engineering, and in which the exhaust stream is treated with a urea solution. The main engine drives a nozzled, Promarin fixed pitch propeller through a ZF transmission of the 10000-series, and rotational energy in the driveline is harnessed by a 259kW shaft generator to deliver electrical power into the ship’s net when under way. The Oswald permanent-magnet shaft generator also offers a PTI(power take-in) capability, energised by the auxiliary generators so as to act on the shaftline, exerting supplementary, boost or emergency power. Each of the two auxiliaries is from the Perkins range, whereby an E70(TAG1M) diesel turns out 129kW at 1,800rpm. A further such aggregate, albeit set up for a slightly lower maximum power and speed rating, constitutes the emergency generator. The electrical system was contracted from Eekels of The Netherlands, and features a DC main switchboard fed by the shaft generator driven by the main engine and/or the two auxiliary gensets. The respective generator types are connected to the DC distributor by means of an active front end(AFE) inverter and two rectifiers. An AC switchboard is provided for users of the onboard electrical grid, which is powered by the DC distributor through two 90kW DC/AC converters. The entire system is integrated into the DC distributor, along with the 300kW bow PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS - Hanse Eco class Length overall 88.60m Length bp 84.99m Breadth, moulded 14.00m Breadth, overall 14.54m Depth, to main deck 7.35m Draught, summer 5.70m Corresp. deadweight c.4,200t Draught, ‘open top’ condition 4.60m Corresp. deadweight c.2,918t Gross tonnage 2,999t Cargo holds 1 Movable hold bulkheads 3 Hold capacity (without panels) c.5,696m3/201,000ft3 Hold capacity (with 3 bulkheads) c.5,550m3/196,000ft3 Containers (main deck only) 84TEU Main engine power 1,333kW Speed (economical) 10kts Shaft generator (PTO/PTI) 259kW Auxiliaries (gensets) 2 x 129kW Bow thruster 300kW Class DNV Flag/registry Portugal/Madeira Crew/berths 7/8 DNV CLASS NOTATIONS - Hanse Eco class DNV 1A Multi-purpose dry cargo ship, equipped for the carriage of containers, strengthened for heavy cargo. Unrestricted Navigation Grab 2-15 Hold designed for loading/unloading by grabs E0 Unmanned machinery space BIS In-water survey BWMT Ballast water treatment DG Carriage of dangerous goods DBC Carriage of solid dangerous goods in bulk NAUT(NAV) Ergonomic bridge design TMON Tailshaft monitoring Vessel able to sail without hatch covers (open top) in accordance with flag state regulations. NAABSA: vessel able to load/discharge when safely aground
Credit: Arkon/RHAS
DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE
thruster drive. Eekels used its proprietary MAS platform for the automation system. Powering arrangements include provision for a future uptake of batteries. Last September, Arkon struck an agreement with the leading Norwegian short-sea player Wilson ASA. Under the deal, Wilson secured around 20 short-sea bulkers on longterm lease from the Arkon fleet, including the Hanse Eco series. The Bergen-based operator thereby brought the number of ships under its commercial control to more than 130 in the 1,500-8,500dwt range. As a consequence of the pact, Arkon has become an integrated part of Wilson’s chartering system, and handles export fixtures for the entire Wilson fleet throughout the Mediterranean region and Black Sea. The launching of the lead Hanse Eco newbuild in China gave expression to the tie-up through her naming as Wilson Flex I, and bearing ‘Arkon-Wilson’ on the hull sides. Wilson Flex V, the fifth ship in the series, has been opened to outside investors, whereby approximately EUR 2.2 million(US$2.6m) of equity out of a total newbuild cost of some EUR 8.7 million(US$10.3m) is to be raised through ‘crowd’ funding. The promoters hold out the prospect of “attractive dividends” and claim that the vessel type will consume up to one-third less fuel at a higher speed in relation to existing ships of similar capacity. Moreover, it is starkly contended that 45% of comparable vessels are outmoded and facing decommissioning. Manning arrangements for the five newbuilds have been entrusted to Arkon’s existing contractor, the Bremen company United Lloyd Crewing. The complement of seven will comprise master, chief mate, watch officer, chief engineer, motorman and two ABs(one of whom will also act as cook). United Lloyd typically recruits from the Baltic States(Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), Russia, Ukraine and Poland. Duty cycles will be four months on, one month off, for officers, and six months on and a month off for ratings, with the ships deployed throughout littoral Europe, from Russia in the north to the Mediterranean and Black Sea in the south and east. The delivery schedule for the series has gone back over the life of the programme, presumably in no small part due to the pandemic. Handover of the first-of-class from Dayang is currently not expected before the end of September this year, with the subsequent four vessels following at intervals through to the second half of 2022. Dayang was established at Tai Xing City in Jiangsu Province 14 years ago and is a subsidiary of the diversified ADDSINO Group, a listed state-owned company. The Hanse Eco programme demonstrates once again the growing reach and ambition of Chinese shipbuilding. It should be noted that German shipowners in the tramping and short-sea sectors were in the vanguard of foreign firms taking newbuild orders to China, decades ago, and the RHAS contract strengthens this association.
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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 July 1971 issue of The Motor Ship began with a salutary warning to the industry in general, with the news that Upper Clyde Shipbuilders had gone into liquidation, while Swan Hunter had continued to record staggering financial losses. “Policies of present and previous governments cannot be discounted as factors leading to this failure,” said our predecessors. But they pointed out that: “This economic phenomenon is not confined to UK shipbuilding. Many other nations pursuing the policy of technical and financial integration... are tottering on the verge of bankruptcy.” This dismal outlook - which hindsight has proved to be justified - was countered by an article on the Japanese shipbuilding industry, by a 'special correspondent', which praised Japan for its farsightedness, in always being ahead of the trends and ready to accommodate orders for whatever type of ship might next be needed. In July 1971, the main ship description concerned the Sea Venture, first of a pair of German-built cruise ships for Norwegian Cruiseships of Oslo, which would operate mainly in the Caribbean. Regarded then as significant, the 767-passenger capacity over 10 decks within a 154m length seems very modest by today's standards. Apart from the luxury accommodation, the most noteworthy feature was the propulsion plant: four 10-cylinder Fiat medium-speed engines, developing about 18,000 bhp in total, and driving two CP propellers, for a service speed of 20 knots. The quietness of the machinery was remarked upon, thanks in no small way to 600 tons of sound insulating material. The Motor Ship continued to advance alternatives to the traditional low-speed diesel, with the July issue containing a special supplement given over to high-powered medium-speed engines, including detailed descriptions of 13 leading makes either in production or under development. The theme carried on in the August 1971 issue, where, apart from a leading article investigating a number of explosions on VLCCs, a main feature concerned the potential for heavy duty gas turbines in merchant ships. This noted the now-widespread adoption of this form of propulsion in naval vessels, and, although the merchant sector was more cautious, about 250,000 bhp-worth of propulsion gas turbines
34 | JULY/AUGUST 2021
8 The 154-metre long Sea Venture, first of a pair of German-built cruise ships for Norwegian Cruiseships of Oslo, was regarded as a significant project in 1971
was on order for merchant ships. Market leader was General Electric (GE), whose designs had been taken up by Glasgow-based John Brown Engineering. One advantage cited by JBE was the GE turbine's ability to operate on a wide range of fuels, from residual fuel oil to boil-off gas from LNG cargoes - the company boasting orders for both of these applications. Another feature from August 1971 compared the conventional and nuclear power options. It began by stating that of the numerous other comparative studies from the previous decade, some concluded that nuclear is a viable option, and others that it is not. By taking data from a selection of these studies, and applying this to the new generation of large container ships needing over 50,000 bhp, and taking into account the differing ship dimensions demanded by the two propulsion options, the study concluded that true comparison was difficult - fuel costs being the largest operating expenditure for oil-fuelled vessels, whereas for nuclear the fuel costs - after the high initial cost of the reactor - were negligible. So much would depend on future oil prices, noted as highly volatile, and the expected life of the ship and reactor. The nuclear option involved additional crew and insurance costs, as well as a shorter expected lifespan. So, although the actual figures did not appear significantly different, nuclear was still not sufficiently economically viable to prove attractive to most ship operators in the merchant sector, despite the oil price uncertainty.
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Subscriptions Subscriptions@motorship.com or subscribe online at www.motorship.com Also, sign up to the weekly TMS E-Newsletter 1 year’s magazine subscription Digital Edition: £GBP173.00 © Mercator Media Limited 2021. ISSN 2633-4488 (online). Established 1920. The Motorship is a trade mark of Mercator Media Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine can be reproduced without the written consent of Mercator Media Ltd. Registered in England Company Number 2427909. Registered office: Spinnaker House, Waterside Gardens, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 8SD, UK
8 The volatility of oil prices in the early 1970s encouraged serious consideration of alternatives to low-speed engines
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