OCTOBER 2021
Vol. 102 Issue 1196
Alt fuel lubes:
Lubricity focus
Hapag Lloyd interview: Capt. von Berlepsch
SNG debut:
Power-to-X dawn
MAN ES interview: Dr. Uwe Lauber
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: LNG Carrier design | Pros of mass flow meters | Deck machinery features | CCS SGISC Kamsarmax
CONTENTS
6
NEWS
16 First ammonia conversion
Wärtsilä has inked a deal to convert an OSV to operate with an ammonia-fuelled combustion engine by end-2023.
16 Yanmar 220mm bore
Yanmar announced the first sale of a 220mm bore version of its LNG-fuelled EY22ALDF engine platform.
14 Sea trials for first DF VLCC
The first dual-fuel VLCC, a 338,000dwt VLCC for COSCO Energy being built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC), began sea trials in September 2021.
OCTOBER 2021
8 38
10 Green Power-to-X debut
REGULARS 8 Leader Briefing
Decarbonisation, regulation and erroneous public perceptions are among the topics discussed by Captain Richard von Berlepsch of Hapag-Lloyd..
36 Design for Performance
China Classification Society has awarded its first second-generation intact stability criteria (SGISc) notation to an 85,000dwt Kamsarmax newbuild.
38 Ship Description
Online motorship.com 5 Latest news 5 Comment & analysis 5 Industry database 5 Events
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12
FEATURES
A newly commissioned 180m long, 2,500 lane metre rail ferry will improve rail flows between the US and Canada and Mexico, writes David Tinsley
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A small delivery of 20 tons of renewable SNG establishes the technological viability of e-fuels, turning the focus onto politicians and the regulatory environment.
12 Navigating the energy transition Dr. Uwe Lauber of MAN Energy Solutions discusses the energy transition, regulation, hydrogen vectors and the company’s hydrogen research plans in an exclusive interview.
14 LNG for VLCCs
As sea trials of the first LNG-fuelled VLCC begin, we examine the growth in interest in LNG-fuelled propulsion for very large crude carriers (VLCCs).
20 Terminal velocity
Proposals for tighter onboard measures for reducing VOC emissions from tankers risk distracting the industry from terminals.
32 Deck equipment
New solutions under development by the deck machinery industry will help shipowners looking to modernise and meet tighter environmental standards.
100
YEARS
2021
The Motorship’s Propulsion and Future Fuels Conference will take place this year in Hamburg, Germany. Stay in touch at propulsionconference.com
OCTOBER 2021 | 3
NEWS REVIEW
NEWBUILDS ADD HYDROGEN POTENTIAL TO HGK FLEET
VIEWPOINT NICK EDSTROM | Editor nedstrom@motorship.com
A fork in the road Looking ahead at the agenda for our upcoming Motorship Propulsion and Future Fuels conference, which will be held in Hamburg at the beginning of November, it is remarkable to see the technological progress that has been made in the two years since our last conference. The conference’s focus on the operation of vessels on LNG and alternative fuels is both topical and complicated by the sheer pace of technological development in the industry. Simply taking ammonia developments since the beginning of October, Höegh Autoliners’ intention to order a series of ammoniaready PCTCs by 2024 was closely followed by an agreement by Wärtsilä and Eidesvik Offshore to convert the dual-fuel engines of an OSV to operate on an ammonia/natural gas blend by the end of 2023. The range of challenges raised by the energy transition was reflected in the topics covered in our exclusive interview with MAN Energy Solutions’ CEO, Dr. Uwe Lauber, who discussed his outlook for the maritime market, and discussed MAN’s position on the energy transition in Germany. This includes his research plans to complete the development of combustion engines capable of operating on 100% hydrogen within the next few years. Elsewhere, the long-awaited arrival of LNG-fuelled propulsion in the VLCC segment has occurred, with the delivery of the first LNG-fuelled VLCC in China to COSCO Energy expected before November. Despite the current turbulence in international gas markets, and the knock-on effects on LNG bunker prices, market participants expect DF propulsion to gain market share in the VLCC segment, as we hear in a feature on page 14. The longer-term environmental credentials of LNG also received a boost from the first trial bunkering of a vessel with renewable synthetic natural gas (SNG), which we cover in this issue. We include a special feature on the SNG bunkering, and also examine the quality of the SNG fuel, as well as the economics of the electrolyser and methanation installation where it was produced. Advances in electrolyser efficiencies, as well as larger installations and the location of larger scale production in geographically remote countries with abundant renewable energy could see SNG production costs falls by up to 50% within a few years, close to the level of LBG at present, the ceo of kiwi AG informed us. As neither green hydrogen nor Power-to-X production can compete against LNG, even in today’s overheated market, without official support and the introduction of a carbon tax, it is likely that wrangling over the exact definition of emissions reduction, and arguments over how to compare the overall emissions profile of different fuels will become increasingly important. Captain Richard von Berlepsch of Hapag Lloyd, who was also interviewed for this month’s issue, expressed a hope that the IMO might be permitted the time to produce definitions upon which the industry can agree. Such hopes are unlikely to be fulfilled, given the pressures that will be brought to bear during and after the COP26 conference in Glasgow. Such pressures run the risk of impacting trades within the maritime industry directly. We cover a proposal for changes to regulation 15 of MARPOL Annex VI for oil and chemical tankers that carry volatile cargo.
4 | OCTOBER 2021
Germany's HGK Shipping has ordered two H2-ready tankships in what it says is the next step in the creation of a sustainable, alternative- drive future fleet, reports Tom Todd. The Cologne-based company, said hydrogen played a priority role in its thinking. It added that had now been “clearly reflected” in two Type C tankships ordered from Dutch shipyard De Gerlien van Tiem. HGK Shipping operates a fleet of around 300 own and chartered ships ranging from liquid chemical and gas carriers to dry and breakbulk carriers. The company is part of the integrated Europe-wide logistic group HGK and moves around six million tons of liquid cargo a year. That in turn is however only part of the 35 million tons carried by HGK on the pan Europe Rhine waterway and its linked canals and tributaries. The H2-ready newbuilds will see service in the first quarter of 2023 and HGK Shipping has as yet not released their technical specifications. It did however say their propulsion concepts and energy management systems, along with a “void space” located midships for future hydrogen storage, would pave the way for future technologies. Intended for liquid chemicals transport, the newbuilds will be specially designed to meet high customer demand for sustainability and innovation in that segment, it said. Norbert Meixner, who heads the HGK liquid chemicals business sector, commented: “We are convinced that hydrogen will
8 Hybrid drive gas tanker Gas 94 is entering service as HGK orders H2-ready follow- ups
be an important, if not the most important energy source of the future. That's why we readying our ship designs so that they can be driven by hydrogen in future.” The future-oriented design of the latest newbuilds was developed in the HGK Design Centre in Duisburg in cooperation with De Gerlien. HGK Ship Management Director Tim Gödde revealed that the work did not however end there. “In the coming months we want to lay the foundation for the realisation at a later stage of a hydrogen propulsion system”, he said. The latest H2-ready ships follow orders for two hybrid drive newbuilds for HGK Shipping. The hybrid drive gas tanker Gas 94 was entering service in September while Synthese 18 will join the fleet next year, HGK Head of Group Projects and Digitalisation Maria Schippers told The Motorship. The 110 x 12.5m Gas 94 has been built at Dutch shipyard TeamCo Shipyard on a hull from Poland's Partner Stozcnia. It has been billed as “unique to gas tanker shipping”. The hybrid chemtanker Synthese 18 was being completed by De Gerlien van Tiem on a hull from Romanian yard Santierul Naval Orsova. Maria Schippers told The Motorship earlier this year that the two ships laid the foundations for future hybrids and had significant advantages. “For example, we can compensate for 'weaknesses' in alternative fuels and still utilise them”, she noted.
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NEWS REVIEW
YANMAR ANNOUNCES FIRST SALE OF 220 BORE DF GENSET Japanese engine maker Yanmar has announced a first sale of a 220mm bore version of its LNG-fuelled EY22ALDF engine platform. The order for a number of dual-fuel 6EY22ALDF type engines was placed in connection with a large coal carrier under construction by Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The vessel will be operated by Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd when it enters service. The six-cylinder, 220mm
Wärtsilä and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have signed a joint development programme (JDP) agreement aimed at developing ammonia-fuelled vessels with 4-stroke auxiliary engines available for future newbuild projects. The agreement was signed in July 2021. Wärtsilä has already successfully tested an engine running with a fuel mix containing 70 percent ammonia. The company anticipates having an engine concept capable of operating on 100 percent ammonia in 2023. “There is a lot of interest from owners and operators in the potential for new clean-burning fuels, and ammonia is thought to be among the most promising of these candidates. Wärtsilä has
BRIEFS First NH3 conversion
Wärtsilä and Eidesvik Offshore ASA have signed a cooperation agreement to convert an OSV to operate with an ammoniafuelled combustion engine. The vessel’s Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines currently operating primarily with LNG fuel, and the vessel will operate with a 70 percent ammonia blend. The scope of the conversion project includes a fuel supply and safety system. The project is targeting completion by end-2023.
6 | OCTOBER 2021
bore EY26DF extends the range of dual-fuel engines offered by Yanmar. A larger 260mm bore engine is already available as a propulsion engine and as a genset. The 220mm bore engine features load fluctuation as well as a precision air flow control system - with waste gate valves controlling inlet air according to cylinder pressure. The company claims that the features allow 6EY22ALDF engines to deliver stable, highly reliable operations.
WÄRTSILÄ AND SHI AGREE JDP FOR AMMONIAFUELLED AUXILIARIES ON FUTURE NEWBUILDS 8 SHI's collaboration with Wärtsilä was agreed in July, before its ammonia-fuelled VLCC design (pictured) was awarded an AiP by DNV
already made significant progress in testing ammonia, and we are pleased to work together with them to bring this to reality,”
says Youngkyu Ahn, Vice President, SHI. “Decarbonisation has become the industry's goal, and we at
Wärtsilä are committed to doing everything possible to achieve this ambition. The adoption of a new generation of carbon-free fuels is central to a decarbonised future for shipping, so this JDP agreement represents an important step forward,” says Östen Lindell, Sales Director, Wärtsilä Marine Power. According to SHI, the most likely initial newbuild targets for ships utilising ammonia fuel will be container vessels and very large crude carriers, operating with 2-stroke main engines and 4-stroke Wärtsilä auxiliary engines.
Maersk air lube trial
Offshore wind play
Repeat ramp order
A.P. Moller Maersk has inked a deal to trial Silverstream’s proprietary air lubrication system on a large container vessel. The trial will examine possible improvements to the ship’s overall efficiency, focusing on the reduction of fuel consumption and associated emission levels. The programme will have a special emphasis on the potential application of the system for methanol-fuelled Maersk vessels. The equipment will be delivered during Q2 2022.
Palfinger's marine business has acquired an Offshore Passenger Transfer System (OPTS) technology, adding the innovative OPTS to its portfolio of deck and handling equipment. Palfinger expects demand for the system to continue to rise, as the market for offshore transfer systems is expanding rapidly. The OPTS is compensated on various axes to absorb waves. It can lift up to six people at once and goods weighing up to 2,000 kg.
MacGregor has won an order to provide cargo access equipment for eight RoRo vessels. The scope of supply includes quarter and side ramps, hoistable car decks and rampway doors. The US$32 million order is booked into Cargotec's Q2 and Q3 2021 orders intake, with deliveries scheduled between Q2 2022 and Q3 2023. The vessels will be built in Asia, while the orders from the customers represent repeat orders.
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LEADER BRIEFING
NAVIGATING UNKNOWN WATERS Captain Richard von Berlepsch, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd’s Fleet Management arm, offered his thoughts about decarbonisation, regulatory changes and erroneous public perception
8 A series of six 23,500+-teu dualfuel newbuildings are destined to join the 19,900 teu Barzan (pictured) on the Asia-Europe route
Captain Richard von Berlepsch was in an ebullient mood when he was interviewed by The Motorship in late September 2021 at the shipping liner’s Hamburg headquarters. Speaking shortly after the German parliamentary election, and in the run up to the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Mr. von Berlepsch noted that the industry’s public profile had rarely been higher. “We need to do a better job at reminding the public about the enormous progress we have made as an industry in lowering emissions on a tonne/mile basis,” he mused. The wider implications of decarbonisation were also close to Mr. von Berlepsch’s thoughts. Having accepted a series of challenging decarbonisation objectives, with IMO targets for 2030 and 2050, the industry was currently confronting a number of significant challenges for the industry. Foremost among the challenges was the choice accepting LNG as the bridging fuel for the industry between HSFO and successor fuels, or placing its faith in a number of alternative zero-carbon fuels that would not become commercially available at the scale required by commercial shipping before the early 2030s. This choice between a net-zero carbon pathway or a zerocarbon pathway would then have significant implications for the future development of the fuel supply chain and vessel technology going forward, as the choice of fuel would shape subsequent options (path dependencies). “Investments in different fuel types entail significant investments. So, imagine I choose to make an investment in a net-zero fuel like methanol. Once that decision is taken, if you want to subsequently change to operating on a zero carbon fuel like ammonia, this would mean a significant refit of engines, new tanks, and so on and so on.” Mr. von Berlepsch admitted that Hapag-Lloyd so far had not made a final decision on the ideal alternative fuel of the future. That said, the company had recently made a significant investment in a series of LNG-fuelled ultra large container vessels, which will increase the proportion of its crews who are familiar with operating on LNG.
8 | OCTOBER 2021
The company’s decision to switch to LNG-fuelled propulsion for its latest newbuilds was supported by advances in the availability of bio-LNG (LBG). The company was planning to drop-in a proportion of bio-LNG (LBG) into the vessels’ fuel mix as an initial step. “This is actually one of the biggest immediate benefits for LNG at the moment. While it is obviously not a pathway for the future, it would offer an immediate 25% [GHG emission reduction] benefit. We plan to do this as soon as we’re ready and we’re able to purchase it. The nice thing is that you don’t have to change anything on the vessel to switch to LBG and at a later stage you can switch to synthetic LNG (Net-Zero carbon) when that becomes available.” The fuel is the thing The choice of fuel was the only realistic route by which the industry could reach the decarbonisation target, Captain von Berlepsch noted. The scope for further improvements in the efficiency of existing propulsion arrangements was limited, he said, recognising the increase in engine efficiency over the past 10 years or so. “The latest most efficient two-stroke engines are already achieving efficiencies of above 50% and engine designers really only expect to see incremental increases in engine efficiency in the future”. “Technical advances in propulsion will not get us close to the 50% emissions reductions that the industry needs to achieve.” However, Captain von Berlepsch noted that if the industry as a whole chose to put off adoption of LNG, it was likely to face tough choices around operational speeds. “Speed limits are attractive to politicians, but our customers have expectations about delivery times. Speed limits alone do not really represent a viable solution for the container market.” Hapag-Lloyd was continuing to look into the efficiency benefits offered by digitalisation, but the efficiency savings offered by the increased flow of data between vessels and the fleet management offices would also be insufficient to meet the targets.
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LEADER BRIEFING Captain von Berlepsch did note in passing that the company was “looking at all opportunities all the time” in terms of vertical integration, following the acquisition of a 30% stake in Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW) and 50% of the shares of Rail Terminal Wilhelmshaven (RTW) at JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven. “But we have nothing in front of us,” he added. Returning to his theme, Mr. von Berlepsch reiterated that the only solution that could realistically help the industry to meet the emission reductions targets was switching to alternative fuel. In fact, the container vessel market was likely to opt for a combination of switching to different fuel types in order to meet decarbonisation objectives, combined with digitalisation solutions and speed reductions “wherever necessary to meet targets”. The perfect is the enemy of the good However, the choice between different fuel types was also circumscribed by regulatory preferences for zero carbon emissions. The choice was being influenced by the choice of decarbonisation objective, and the measurement method selected. As measures of greenhouse gas emissions on a tank-towake basis essentially discount the upstream emissions generated during the production of fuels, this risks skewing comparisons between LNG and other alternative fuels. Hydrogen produced from natural gas had a high upstream footprint, for example. Similar care needed to be taken with choices around decarbonisation terminology, Mr. von Berlepsch noted. Terms such as net carbon neutral or zero carbon are used so freely that the public could be easily confused. One of the problems was the sheer diversity of different emissions reduction metrics that were published, without even touching on the longer-running problem of calculating emissions reductions using different systems. “We know the differences between absolute emissions, transport work per transport container, or the emissions from temperature controlled cargo, for example. We understand, as experts, the difference between calculated or nominal capacity or calculated or actual carrying capacity.” As such, Mr. von Berlepsch emphasised that the international shipping industry did have a role to play in combating erroneous public perceptions. He called for the IMO to carefully produce fuel measurement guidelines around which the industry could agree. One potential area might include clarifying whether comparisons were on a well-to-wake or tank-to-wake basis. Mr. von Berlepsch was keen to point out that such regulatory decisions also had real world commercial implications. Turning to Hapag-Lloyd’s experience with the conversion of the Sajir, he noted that uncertainty about whether the conversion works from a regulatory point of view, as well as concerns about the financial treatment of conversion costs were the “big pain point”. Such concerns went beyond practical concerns for conversions, such as the age of the vessel, and the payback period.
Hapag-Lloyd already complied with shore power connection requirements in other parts of the world, such as parts of the US West Coast, and Hapag-Lloyd would invest to comply with whatever rules were finally introduced. However, Mr. von Berlepsch noted that the company’s US experience had taught him that it was not unknown for vessels with OPS connections on board to be unable to find compatible power connections. There may well be some opportunity for the regulations to be amended during the next stages to better reflect the operational realities of some larger container vessels, and also to iron out any wrinkles in the interaction between the proposed OPS requirement and existing vessel safety rules. By contrast, Mr. von Berlepsch was more resigned about the likely impact of the extension of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to cover shipping. “I am absolutely certain that this will go ahead,” Mr. von Berlepsch said, adding “although I expect the elements covering the transport of goods from third countries to the EU to be debated with trading partners.” This was the case in aviation, when the EU sought to extend the ETS to cover the international legs of travel between the EU and third countries.
8 Hapag Lloyd announced the acquisition of a stake in Germany’s only deepwater container terminal, JadeWeserPort, in September 2021
8 Captain Richard von Berlepsch
EU regulation The EU green taxonomy was not the only area where regulatory decisions affect Hapag-Lloyd’s business. The Fit for 55 package, as well as the carbon border adjustment mechanism were likely to have an effect. One recent EU regulatory initiatives that would have a direct effect upon Hapag-Lloyd’s business was the requirement for onshore power supply (OPS) connections to be connected to all container vessels operating in the EU.
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OCTOBER 2021 | 9
SHIPYARD REPORT
SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS MAKES ITS COMMERCIAL DEBUT
Credit: MAN ES
On a sunny autumn afternoon near the north German coast on Wednesday, 29 October 2021, a select audience gathered to watch the bunkering of a test cargo of 20 tons of LNG onto a 1,036 teu capacity container vessel
Retrofitting as key to emissions reduction The vessel selected for the first bunkering of SNG was ElbBLUE. The 1,036 teu container feeder, which is owned by German shipowner Elbdeich Reederei and operated by charterer Unifeeder, is an example of a successful conversion to dual-fuel operation. When its four-stroke main engine was converted to a MAN 51/60DF unit in 2017, it was the first such conversion of its type globally. The event was also attended by Stefan Eefting, Senior Vice President and Head of MAN PrimeServ, Augsburg, who stressed that engine retrofits to operate on synthetic fuels would have a crucial role to play in reducing or even eliminating future emissions. The vessel sailed to St. Petersburg in Russia, where the performance of the vessel would be monitored by a team of engineers from MAN PrimeServ, MAN Energy Solutions’ aftersales division. The arrival of Power-to-X While the event focused on the technical achievement of bunkering SNG, the greater implication was that it marked the arrival of green synthetic natural gas (SNG) into the fuel mix for commercial shipping. The quantity of fuel supplied may have been comparatively limited, and the fuel was supplied at a price that was significantly above other alternative fuels, such as LBG.
10 | OCTOBER 2021
However, the fact that synthetic natural gas (SNG) produced in Lower Saxony from renewable electricity has been bunkered represents a key milestone. It was also fitting that the first bunkering of green SNG should occur in Germany, given the importance of German researchers in the history of synthetic fuel production research. The importance of figures such as Friedrich Bergius, as well as Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch, live on in their eponymous processes. As Wayne Jones OBE, Chief Sales Officer, MAN Energy Solutions told The Motorship during a tour of the vessel, the bunkering demonstrated that the technology required for Power-to-X to work was both developed and available. Mr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, took a broader view of the challenge of introducing SNG into the marine fuel chain. “SNG is not available in the quantities required by the shipping industry at the moment, so there is a chicken and egg aspect to the discussion”, Dr. Lauber said, adding that “I’m quite sure that the [expansion of renewable 8 The 20t stem of SNG was produced from renewable electricity at kiwi AG’s plant in Lower Saxony (pictured).
Credit: Audi AG
Yet the bunkering event itself represented a significant event. The fuel bunkered was synthetic natural gas (SNG) generated from 100% renewable electricity, and the event marked the first time that such a fuel had been used in commercial shipping.
8 The ElbBLUE became the first vessel to be bunkered with green SNG bunkering on 29 September 2021
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SHIPYARD REPORT
Political environment According to local observers, the inconclusive result of the German parliamentary election in September 2021 is likely to result in the creation of the country’s first three-party governing coalition, with either the Christian Democrats or Social Democrats forming a majority with the Liberals and Green parties. Energy policy and attitudes towards natural gas and hydrogen in particular are just two of the areas where the Liberals and Greens have divergent attitudes. As such, the bunkering ceremony occurred at a time of intense scrutiny of the decarbonisation agenda in Germany. The event was also attended by senior politicians from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as Germany's national maritime coordinator. The Motorship notes that the scope of a German federal funding programme for eco-friendly propulsion systems on inland ships was extended to include funding for conventional diesel engine replacements or upgrades earlier in 2021. Environmental case for SNG and P-to-X The early adoption of green SNG into the LNG fuel mix would offer significant environmental advantages. Compared with
Copyright: The Motorship
energy sources to produce green hydrogen] would come. Because there is no alternative to decarbonisation.” Dr. Lauber also noted that the development of viable commercial business cases for synthetic fuels relied on the introduction of “an appropriate CO2 price”, as well as technical advances in electrolyser production. Dr. Lauber also noted that the introduction of CO2 from Carbon Capture, Use and Storage schemes would also lower the GHG emissions generated by supplying synthetic natural gas. MAN Energy Solutions was a partner in the current Northern Lights CCUS project, which also involved HeidelburgCement’s Swedish subsidiary, as well as DNV, Equinor and a number of other participants.
8 Dr Uwe Lauber, CEO, and Wayne Jones OBE, Chief Sales Officer of MAN Energy Solutions during a tour of ElbBLUE’s engine room
conventional HSFO, SNG offers an 80% reduction in GHG emissions as measured on a well-to-wake basis in CO2 equivalent terms. This reflects the slightly different content of SNG compared with LNG, as described in ‘What is green SNG’ below. Mr. Pengg-Buehrlen of kiwi AG added that the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for SNG had not yet been concluded, and that was expected to be one of the outcomes from the trial. However, the use of captured CO2, the lower methane number, as well as the absence of upstream emissions, was likely to lead to a clear advantage for SNG in CO2e terms. A full comparative analysis of SNG as measured against conventional LNG had not yet been completed. Timm Niebergall, Shortsea Director Unifeeder, noted that one of the objectives of the test of the new fuel on board the ElbBLUE was an accurate measurement of the environmental emissions.
What is green SNG Green Power-to-X technologies refer to the conversion of renewable electricity into fuels that can be easily stored and transported. The approach has begun to attract considerable attention in recent years, as it represents a potential solution to the problem of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from so-called difficult to abate sectors, such as shipping, aviation and heavy goods vehicles. The approach used in Brunsbüttel used synthetic fuel generated from 100% renewable energy via H2 production through water electrolysis, and subsequent methanation into synthetic natural gas. As a result, the SNG lowers the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint of the fuels produced, while producing a fuel that is compatible with existing infrastructure for fuel distribution and bunkering. The liquefied SNG was produced in a power-to-gas facility in Werlte, Germany, owned by kiwi AG. Originally built on behalf of automaker Audi, the facility has a 6MW electrolyser capacity, based on 3 x 2MW
2012-vintage atmospheric alkaline electrolysers. The electrolysers themselves are robust, and have a "respectable" 65% efficiency level, Hermann Pengg-Buehrlen, CEO of kiwi AG told The Motorship. The CO2 required for the methanation step is supplied from captured CO2, with further reductions in the upstream GHG emission footprint, while the energy required for the production process was generated from 100% renewable energy sources. Quality of SNG The SNG produced by kiwi AG’s hydrogenation process is stable in quality. The gas was successfully used by former owner Audi AG in a pilot programme for passenger vehicles. While the gas produced by the plant is consistent in quality, it has a slightly lower methane number than conventional LNG, as the SNG does not include some of the other alkanes seen in conventional LNG (such as butane, propane and ethane), PenggBuehrlen noted. SNG also contains lower
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quantities carbon monoxide and sulphur, although slightly higher levels of CO2 introduces a requirement for a scrubber alongside the liquefaction step. Economics of SNG production The cost of the SNG, which was supplied on a commercial basis, is expected to fall as SNG production proceeds along the experience curve. Larger and more efficient electrolyser installations are expected to contribute to the reduction in costs, owing to the weight of electrolyser costs in SNG production. Underlying electricity costs remain a key determinant of production costs: locations with plentiful supplies of low cost, renewable electricity, are expected to emerge as potential production centres. Mr. Pengg-Buehrlen also noted that new developments, such as the recent introduction of a liquefaction unit developed by kiwi AG in mid 2021, was also expected to contribute to reduce the cost of producing SNG compared with conventional LNG.
OCTOBER 2021 | 11
INTERVIEW
MAN PLOTS H2 VECTORS COURSE AMID CHANGING CONDITIONS On Wednesday 29 October, on the sidelines of the first bunkering of a commercial vessel with renewable synthetic natural gas (SNG), Dr Lauber gave The Motorship an exclusive interview, in which he provided his views on the current state of the energy transition, and MAN Energy Solutions’ role in developing technological solutions. Dr. Lauber began by noting that in order to meet existing IMO targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, every single newbuilding being delivered today should be capable of operating on LNG. As this is not occurring, solutions will have to be developed that can be applied to the world’s fleet. There is little alternative to retrofits to operate on alternative fuels as a route to lowering emissions from the fleet in order to meet 2050 targets. Given the proportion of vessels that are propelled by MAN engines, this gives MAN ES a special responsibility and opportunity to contribute technical solutions. MAN PrimeServ engineers’ experience in converting vessels to dual-fuel operation has developed since the ElbBlue was converted to dual-fuel operation in 2017. From a technical point of view, Dr. Lauber expressed confidence that the performance of the vessel’s MAN 51/60 DF engine would be unaffected by the switch from LNG to SNG, “as the molecules are the same”. SNG as a potential Power-to-X solution Dr. Lauber began by focusing on the potential offered by SNG, as one of the potential fuels from the Power-to-X (or Power-to-fuel). The importance of SNG technology is that it created a future pathway towards lower GHG emissions for vessels operating on LNG. Shipowners investing in LNG conversions would be able to achieve significant greenhouse gas emission savings compared with HSFO and even compared with conventional LNG, in the future. In other words, the broader significance of the bunkering of ElbBlue was that it demonstrated the technical feasibility of using SNG technology. As and when such a supply chain developed, MAN would be able to provide commercial solutions to customers interested in operating on such fuel. Dr. Lauber added that the focus needed to shift towards the other conditions required to make green shipping a reality, given that they are not yet economically viable. The development of a commercial supply chain for synthetic LNG will only happen if there is a regulatory framework in place to facilitate it. Hydrogen combustion economy Dr. Lauber called for the mass adoption of Climate Neutral fuels, including green hydrogen, and synthetic fuels must play a leading role and be made available in huge quantities to increase the uptake and make price competitive. The Motorship has previously reported on emerging interest in hydrogen as an export commodity, and the emerging hydrogen sector is a key area of focus for the Energiewende
12 | OCTOBER 2021
Credit: The Motorship
Dr Uwe Lauber, ceo of MAN Energy Solutions, discussed the implications of the energy transition and MAN Energy Solutions’ response to the changing market, during a recent interview in Brunsbuttel
and the wider focus on developing European domestic electricity generation from renewable energy sources. Hydrogen as a fuel has been the subject of research for MAN Energy Solutions, and noted that the company had been conducting research into hydrogen combustion in its 4-stroke engines at its Augsburg plant for a number of years. “We are already able to combust hydrogen in our stationary 4-stroke engines at concentrations of up to 25%,” Dr. Lauber noted, adding that “hydrogen combustion at concentrations of close to 100% is also in our R&D roadmap. Pure hydrogen combustion is also not the most difficult task”. The current challenge was managing fluctuating concentrations of hydrogen and methane, between 25% and near-pure hydrogen, but “I fully expect us to develop solutions in the next couple of years”.
8 The ElbBLUE’s MAN 51/60 DF engine
Hydrogen beyond marine Dr. Lauber noted that the use of hydrogen in maritime applications was likely to remain limited, given the operational, infrastructure and supply chain challenges that operating large vessels on hydrogen would pose. “If you look at the energy content of hydrogen, it shows clearly we need a hydrogen carrier, such as ammonia or methanol, or SNG. That is the route through which I expect hydrogen to play a significant role in the marine business.”
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By contrast, the outlook for the stationary energy market is slightly different. Here, Dr. Lauber expects to see an expansion in the role of hydrogen in the energy mix, given its suitability for use as a drop-in fuel with natural gas. The Motorship noted that there was an increasing interest in hydrogen combustion given the increasing focus on supplying hydrogen in blended form via pipeline for the domestic energy market in Germany and also potential interest in beginning international transport of hydrogen via pipeline. “As hydrogen production scales up, we will definitely make [hydrogen combustion] technology available on the stationary market if there is enough commercial interest.” However, Dr. Lauber questioned whether the economics and emissions profile of combustion of renewable hydrogen would support widespread adoption of the technology. “I don’t think it's very efficient to produce renewable hydrogen to produce power.” Hydrogen combustion might attract interest from potential niches, such as for geographically isolated power generation. Hydrogen product focus Nevertheless, Dr. Lauber speaks with obvious pride in MAN Energy Solutions’ transformation in little over a decade. “We are trying to transform the company from a traditional component supplier of engines and turbo machinery equipment into an energy solution supplier and one of the logical consequences of that is that we have also established our supply chain around hydrogen.” “Today, we have tanks which are capable of storing hydrogen, we have all kinds of compressors to transport hydrogen, we have the ability to do EPC engineering, procurement and construction of all power to plant. So that is the uniqueness of our company, having a diversified portfolio compared to our competition.” Electrolysers are also an integral part of MAN ES’ plans, although MAN ES faces similar challenges to other companies in the same space, given the small market for electrolysers and the need for significant advances in conversion efficiency. The demand growth for electrolysers over the coming 2 to 5 years will be enormous, Dr. Lauber said, adding that the challenge for everyone would be who could ramp up production fast enough to meet it. This meant that the development of a serial product, including the automation of the stacks and more efficient assembly processes was a priority, but “the beauty of course is we are part of the Volkswagen Group, and they really understand serial production”. The key is stack technology, which requires constant investment, and needs to be kept in house. A separate focus is on automating production as far as possible to improve cost competitiveness. By contrast, MAN is maintaining more of a watching g brief on fuel cell technology. Dr. Lauber noted that MAN AN ES envisaged some circumstances where fuel cells might ght be installed on a vessel, but that the technology did not ot form part of the company’s current plans. “If we do look at fuel cells, we would team up with a partner specialising in the area, because we as a company, for our clients, we don't 't have the volumes to produce these fuel cells. If the demand emand emerges, this will be something totally new.”
Credit: The Motorship
INTERVIEW
conventional fuel [such as SNG] without regulation helping to create a more supportive environment.” Unlike other participants at the event, who directly called on the German federal government for support to facilitate the accelerated conversion of vessels to meet decarbonisation objectives, Dr. Lauber preferred to discuss the broader framework for the market. “We need to have an appropriate CO2 price, which would be entirely consistent with the principle that the polluter pays.” When asked about the price level, Dr. Lauber noted that he could envisage the CO2 price rising from current levels to close to EUR100/tonne of CO2 or even EUR110/t “in the near future”, adding that there are countries around the globe, which have this price level already. The advantage of such a mechanism is that it would both encourage investment in emissions reduction technology, and would also be supportive for other emissions reduction technology, such as the introduction of carbon capture use and storage. (The use of green recycled CO2 in the methanation step at SNG supplier kiwi AG is only one of the ways in which the overall CO2 footprint is reduced). “We are partners in a CCUS development project, and carbon reuse is an interesting technology,” Dr. Lauber concluded. But Dr. Lauber remained upbeat about the potential that Power-to-X fuels hold for the maritime market. In part this was because of structural changes in the electricity market, and the expected rapid expansion of renewable energy generation, would create additional green energy. “I’m quite sure that the [expansion of renewable energy sources to produce green hydrogen] will come. Because there is no alternative to decarbonisation.”
8 The ElbBLUE during the SNG bunkering operation
8 Dr. Lauber envisages hydrogen vectors such as methanol, ammonia or SNG playing a major role in the maritime fuel mix
Regulation and CCUS However, Dr. Lauber noted that the future evolution of the alternative fuel market was heavily dependent upon regulatory levers. “SNG is not available in the quantities antities required by the shipping industry at the moment, so there here is dy will a chicken an egg aspect to the discussion. But nobody e than invest in a fuel which is four times more expensive
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OCTOBER 2021 | 13
TWO-STROKE ENGINES
A NEW AGE DAWNS AS BENEFITS OF LNG STACK UP FOR VLCCS The LNG propulsion market is picking up for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) as new orders signal recognition of the benefits
8 GTT's membrane tank technology is used in customised tanks fit between the main bulkheads of tanks 3 and 4 in this VLCC design
Speaking at Gastech in September, Alexandre Tocatlian, Head of Business Development EMEA at GTT's LNG as Fuel Division, cited forecasts that oil demand is expected to reach 80-100 million barrels a day by 2050, leading to an average of 38 VLCC newbuildings a year. He also noted the rapid development of LNG bunkering facilities over the past five years, minimising spot market volatility. Using GTT's membrane tank technology can overcome the limitations of Type C tanks, he says, by holding a relatively larger volume of LNG in the available space on a ship. A 12,000 cubic metre capacity membrane tank allows a VLCC to work 94% of the global trade, making the vessel flexible and therefore more valuable on resale. Such a long-range dual-fuel VLCC would be able to bunker at cheaper locations (saving US$612,500), have less off-hire time (saving US$150,000) and reduced terminal fees (saving US$635,000) - combined savings that could reach around US$1.4 million annually. The customised tanks fit between the main bulkheads of tanks 3 and 4 and are the most competitive solution for capacities larger than 8,000 cubic metres, says Tocatlian. The location and covered tank design reduces sloshing with minimum foam density usage and maximises protection from weather and from green water, something particularly significant for low freeboard tankers. The tanks have a low boil-off rate, are designed for all filling levels of LNG and are suitable for future fuels bioLNG and e-LNG, and also, with prior upgrade, for ammonia. He sees a positive future for LNG in the decarbonisation transition. “In the short-term, including BioLNG will allow significant CO2 reduction,” he says. “In the mid-term, eLNG will have similar or better well to wake performance than other e-fuels and similar challenges regarding the wide availability of clean hydrogen.”
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Helping to comply with EEXI Bureau Veritas (BV) is not advocating for any future fuel in particular, but Jonathan Hudson, Market Leader - Tanker Owners & Adjacent Stakeholders at BV, notes: “While LNG may not be the final solution to decarbonise shipping in the long term, it is one of the main alternatives that is available here and now to enable shipowners to comply with the new EEXI and CII regulations and be ready for Phase 3 EEDI requirements. “For very large tankers in particular, LNG might be an interesting option due to these vessels' large and flat decks, which leave plenty of room to install LNG tanks. This also gives ships the flexibility to be able to run on different power sources. Moreover, these very large vessels can go on long sea voyages without needing to refuel, making them less dependent on the availability of LNG bunkering facilities. There are also operational benefits: the owners currently operating dual-fuelled engines have reported lower maintenance costs due to the 'cleaner' nature of LNG, which results in less particles or rust inside the engines.” BV is providing classification services for one dual-fuel VLCC under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea for AET Tankers and is also classing several other LNG-powered vessels. In one of the most significant and best-known LNG projects, BV was chosen to class CMA CGM's 23,000 TEU container ship series, the first of which was the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé, the largest LNG-powered container ships ever built. These vessels have very large tanks (18,600 cubic metres in a single tank). WinGD engine for first operational LNG-fuelled VLCC Current orders for WinGD's X82DF engine include a 7X82DF-1.0 engine from China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Diesel Engine (CSE) for a VLCC for COSCO Energy being built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC)
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TWO-STROKE ENGINES and two 7X82DF-1.0 engines from Doosan Engine Company (HSD Engine) for VLCCs for AET being built at Samsung Heavy Industries. AET and Total agreed a time charter for the two LNG dual-fuel VLCCs in April 2020. The COSCO Energy VLCC, the world's first LNG-fuelled VLCC, commenced sea trials in September in Chinese waters. The 318,000dwt vessel's main engine and generator have low-pressure selective catalytic reduction reactors to help the vessel meet Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) phase III requirements and NOx Tier III requirements. The LNG is stored in Type C tanks with bunkering stations either side of the ship. The vessel can travel 12,000 nautical miles in gas mode, while the combined endurance of fuel oil and gas is 24,000 nautical miles. WinGD completed Type Approval testing for their 7-cylinder, low-pressure X82DF-1.0 engine in April. The test took place in April at engine builder CSE-QMD in Qingdao, China, with China Classification Society, BV and DNV participating. The new engine rounds out WinGD's portfolio of low-pressure, dual fuel engines which cover the full engine bore range of 40-92cm. It includes the designer's new control system WiCE (WinGD Integrated Control Electronics) and its iGPR (integrated Gas Pressure Regulator). Targeted at the VLCC, VLOC and Panamax container vessel segments, the X82DF-1.0 is available in 6-cylinder to 9- cylinder configurations and covers a power range from 16,560 to 49,500kW at 58 to 84rpm. WinGD notes the benefits of LNG are a reduction of 21-23% of GHG emissions, reduction of 98% of SOx and a reduction of 62% in particulate matter compared to traditional diesel engines. The designer claims its X-DF range has the lowest CAPEX and lowest total emission footprint. “Low-pressure two-stroke engines already offer benefits compared to both four-stroke engines, which have higher methane slip and GHG emissions, and high-pressure Diesel cycle engines, which demand a more costly installation and cannot meet IMO Tier III NOx emissions in gas mode without aftertreatment.” Equipment for using recovered volatile organic compounds (VOC) for fuel has been installed on some dualfuel shuttle tankers, but it is most beneficial for vessels that undertake frequent cargo loading/offloading operations, where a lot of VOC can be recovered. On VLCCs the potential is expected to be somewhat smaller, says WinGD. However, the capability of the X-DF to burn a mix of LNG and VOC does minimize the environmental footprint of operation of all tankers, including VLCCs. Shell orders 10 LNG-fuelled VLCCs In March, Royal Dutch Shell announced that it has signed charter agreements for 10 new VLCCs powered by dual-fuel LNG engines to be built by DSME in South Korea. The company will charter four of the VLCCs from Advantage Tankers, and three each from AET and International Seaways. The vessels will be on charter for seven years, and the first is expected to be operational from 2023. According to Shell, the main engines and vessel design will enable the vessels to have the lowest possible methane slip and the highest fuel efficiency. They will use an average of 20% less fuel than eco VLCCs currently on the water. “A study by Thinkstep found that when compared with heavy fuel oil, from extraction to combustion, LNG can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 21% for 2-stroke slow speed engines and up to 15% for 4-stroke medium speed engines,” said Tugrul Tokgoz, CEO of Advantage Tankers. “We know that the design guarantees for these vessels deliver a minimum emission saving of 16% when compared to an eco-ship, and our operations modelling suggests considerable improvement on that figure.”
8 The sevencylinder X82DF-1.0 before installation on a 318,000dwt VLCC at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) in China
The vessels will see Shell hit a new milestone for its fleet decarbonisation with an average of 50% of its crude tankers on time charter powered by dual-fuel LNG engines once in service. Shell is rapidly making LNG available on global trading routes at major ports in Europe, Asia and North America as demand from tankers and the bulk and liner segments continues to grow. It plans to double its existing LNG bunkering infrastructure on key international trade routes by the mid-2020s. By 2023, marine LNG demand is expected to reach around 3.6 million tonnes with 45 bunker vessels expected to be in service. MAN conducts comparative analysis MAN Energy Solutions won the order to supply 10 × MAN B&W 7G80ME-GI Mk9.5 dual-fuel engines to the series. MAN says the Diesel principle provides the ME-GI engine with high operational stability and efficiency and ensures 100% stable and reliable operation during load changes on gas with just normal additions of pilot oil amounts. Furthermore, there is a seamless change-over between gas operation and diesel operation. Methane slip is guaranteed to be 0.20-0.28 g/ kWh dependent on the load. MAN has conducted a detailed comparative analysis of its 7G80ME-C10.5GI (gas optimised), 6G80ME-C10.5GI (gas optimised) and 7G80ME-C10.5GI engines with a competitor LNG two-stroke Otto cycle engine. The OEM says that says that for a 319,000dwt VLCC, specified maximum continuous rating (SMCR) can be covered by a 6-cylinder engine rather than a 7-cylinder because of higher power density of ME-GI. Having one cylinder less reduces both CAPEX and OPEX. MAN also estimates annual OPEX savings of US$136,915 per year for the gas optimised 7-cylinder engine and US$113,722 per year for the 6-cylinder engine (including main and auxiliary engines, lube oil, sludge and urea). Based on 40-days endurance, bunker tank size could be reduced by 550 cubic metres for the 7-cylinder optimised engine and by 470 cubic metres for the 6-cylinder engine. Even higher OPEX savings would be achieved when the engines were only operated on LNG 70% % of the time. Despite the higher CAPEX EX given that the same tank-size is applied, plied, MAN says its ME-GI propulsion solutions lutions have a short return of investmentt and GHG wered. emissions are actually lowered.
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8 Jonathan Hudson, Market Leader - Tanker Owners & Adjacent Stakeholders at BV
OCTOBER 2021 | 15
FUELS & LUBRICANTS
MULTI-FUEL CHALLENGES FOR LUBRICANT FORMULATIONS Suppliers accept that the expected growth in alternative fuels is likely to create lubricant challenges, but stress this is not a new issue for the marine industry
8 Nikolaos Kotakis, Technical Director, Lubmarine at TotalEnergies, speaking at the Propulsion and Future Fuels event in 2018
WinGD X-DF engines have the flexibility to operate in both the Otto and Diesel combustion cycles, either solely or in combination during fuel-sharing mode. Combustion of LNG occurs during the lean-burn Otto-cycle, while combustion during the Diesel cycle uses distillate and residual fuels, or their renewable substitutes such as bioLNG/synthetic LNG and biodiesel. During the design of the Otto cycle LNG combustion engine, proven running components were adopted from the Diesel engine, and piston, piston rings and cylinder lubrication system are all but identical. Due to the successful uptake in the market of WinGD X-DF engines using LNG as fuel, and the growing trend towards operating these engines in this gas mode for as much running time as possible, WinGD continues to work with oil companies to conceive, develop and validate lubricants suited primarily for use during LNG operation; all the while maintaining oil performance for times when the engine is operated in Diesel or fuel sharing mode. Legacy cylinder lubricating oil recommendations were designed to fit the oil with fuel-sulphur content: matching low BN products with gas and distillate operation, and high BN products with fuels with high sulphur contents. The issues surrounding acid corrosion are fairly well understood and while important, the focus has waned. More recently, and very importantly, all cylinder oils are individually evaluated by WinGD on their additional ability to keep the piston running components clean and free from deposits. This overall individual oil performance is reflected in the oil
16 | OCTOBER 2021
specific usage guidelines in the WinGD list of validated oils. The pre-mixed charge of the Otto cycle combustion process has resulted in increased thermal stress on the lubricant. “This can lead to increased lubricant degradation and resultant deposit formation,” says Dr Bartosz Rozmysłowicz, Expert Fuels & Lubricants at WinGD. “Therefore, higher cylinder oil oxidation stability is required in order for it to perform its regular functions such as physical lubrication and keeping piston running components clean. Accordingly, WinGD introduced a new class of lubricants. Cylinder oils that show good performance during DF engine validation trials using LNG are awarded an additional 'DF Validated' status which is reflected in official lists.” Investigations into the potential impact of alternative future fuels on lubrication performance is also being considered within WinGD internal research programs. Having successfully integrated both the Otto- and the Diesel-cycle combustion principles into a single engine, WinGD is able to apply the best combustion strategy to each fuel candidate alone or in combination, but this of course requires suitable lubrication. “We treat the lubricant as a part of the engine design,” says Rozmysłowicz. “Therefore, we are in close contact and cooperation with lubricants and additives suppliers to fulfil the needs of the future engines. “Although currently available lubricants should be capable to handle lubrication of future engines, new fuels might pose novel challenges for lubricant performance,” he says. “Change in the combustion conditions might lead to higher
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FUELS & LUBRICANTS thermal stresses for the lubricant, similar to the situation observed in the past for LNG engines. Additionally, changes in the chemical nature of the new fuels together with different combustion by-products might lead to the need for slight adjustment of the current lubricant additive formulations for future engines. WinGD continues with research into low ash cylinder lubricants and low BN cylinder lubricants with high detergency.” More formulation changes to come With the introduction of IMO 2020 low sulphur fuels some operators experienced issues with deposits, and this required the use of cylinder oils with rebalanced additive packages, adjustment of the oil consumption to increase detergency and close monitoring of engines. But, says Ioannis Chatzakis, Global Aviation & Marine Field Engineering Manager at ExxonMobil, it is important to remember that deposit formation was not a new problem. ExxonMobil's Mobilgard™ 540 X, released to the market last year for use with 0.10%, 0.50% sulphur fuels as well as LNG, was specifically formulated to guard against this. Mobilgard 540 X was the first oil with dual fuel validated approval from WinGD. “This gave us the opportunity to accumulate engine running hours for quite some time,” says Chatzakis. “In addition, much more data have been accumulated in various other engine designs and operating conditions with very promising results.” The level of formulation change, post-2020, is likely to be more pronounced though, says Chatzakis. “It is doubtful that a single oil formulation will work for all alternative fuel choices. Characteristics such as base number, viscosity and detergency will continue to need to match the conditions found inside an engine, which is partly down to engine design but will predominantly be the result of fuel chemistry.” LNG is now a mature fuel Today, the amount of research into LNG as a bunker fuel is diminishing as the order book grows, says Nikolaos Kotakis, Technical Director, Lubmarine at TotalEnergies. It is now considered a mature technology along with the liquid fossil fuels. Yet, these fuels still figure in lubricant development, as he believes they will still continue to have a place in new ship designs as a backup in case of problems with the availability or operation of new fuels. He notes TotalEnergies' involvement upstream, downstream and as a bunker fuel consumer and says the adoption of new fuels by the shipping industry is more likely to be driven by familiarity and how closely they resemble current operations rather than technical maturity. Part of that familiarity will be driven by the logistics of making new fuels available at ports around the world, so he sees ammonia as an important transition step in the progression towards the less familiar fuel hydrogen. For lubricant development the on-going use of multiple fuels means a cylinder oil formulation that is suitable both old and new fuels will be required. Lubmarine, already seeing success with its Talusia Universal 2-stroke engine product range, will expand that platform beyond its current compatibility and proven performance for IMO 2020 compliant fuels, including LNG. The product has been validated across a range of dual-fuel engines including WinGD and MAN ES engines. With new fuels, engine design is being pushed to the limit, says Kotakis, as parameters such as compression and combustion pressures in both Diesel and Otto cycle engines are optimised for new fuels. Lubricant formulation will adapt accordingly, but post combustion treatment also needs to be considered. “We have to make sure that the part of the
8 Lawrie Peck, OEM Technical Manager Marine Engine Oils, Lubrizol
lubricant which will be burned and emitted will not pollute the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. In the case of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system where part of the exhaust emission is re-entering the engine, we additionally have to make sure that there is nothing in the lubricant formulation that could create abrasive wear.” Lubmarine is currently developing a common lubricant platform for 4-stroke engine lubricants, although Kotakis noted that the development of 4-stroke medium-speed engines able to burn efficiently all these new fuels may be more challenging given the fuels' different flame propagation and calorific value characteristics, compared to the long, slow cylinder stroke of a 2-stroke engines; an element that facilitates the combustion process. A first generation of the common platform is expected to be released by Summer 2022 and a second generation covering new fuels such as ammonia is expected later. To date, the first generation has gained approvals from MAN Energy Solutions, testing with MaK-Caterpillar is underway and Wärtsilä engines will be next. Once these approvals are gained, the platform will cover over 50% of the market, and Kotakis says Lubmarine will then move forward with other engine manufacturers. For four strokes, the most challenging aspect of the lubrication development is resilience, he says. “A one-off product would be too costly, so we must continue to have something which circulates from the sump tank for some time. This means that over a period of say 5-10,000 running hours, the lubricant could have experienced multiple different fuels. “This will be a very wise lubricant, because it will have seen many things in its life, and this is where the idea of creating a common platform comes in.” The concept is important from an operator and crew perspective, he says. “We want to give extra flexibility without the need of having to think about the lubricant every time.” Of key importance in working with new low-carbon and low-sulphur fuels will be keeping the ash content low. It will be important for the lubricant to not generate deposits in new cylinder space designs. “We need a particular detergency, a particular additive profile, but we have to make sure that the lubricant is matching the needs of the engine
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OCTOBER 2021 | 17
FUELS & LUBRICANTS and the fuel in a way that is not overly aggressive but not under-performing either. So ash content is a key parameter that has changed, and we have a better mix of surfactants.” Varied requirements Pat McCloud, GM Europe & Global Marine Lubricants at Chevron, says a key focus of the company's 2-stroke lubricant development program is the ash content (for exhaust after treatment compatibility), engine cleanliness (especially piston deposit control) and helping optimise feed rate to reduce oil consumption and overall OPEX. “Controlling and helping minimize wear and corrosion of course remain the cornerstones of good lubrication, but these other factors are of equal importance.” He says: “A one-size-fits-all approach to cylinder lubrication is not sufficient to meet future emission legislations, the complexity and range of alternative fuels, efficiency improvements and exhaust after-treatment systems. All these varying requirements will require an extensive range of tailored products supported by technical specialists.” Lawrie Peck, OEM Technical Manager - Marine Engine Oils, Lubrizol, says that new challenges are already emerging from laboratory and in-service experience with new fuels. For example, when combusted, the flame from gas fuels can burn down the sides of the piston crown, and methanol can emulsify system oil. Ammonia also comes with many specific challenges, he says, as it does not burn well and requires a pilot fuel to ignite. “Incomplete combustion can also be a problem when using ammonia, allowing unburnt ammonia to collect in crevices within the combustion chamber. When in a liquid
8 Ioannis Chatzakis, Global Aviation & Marine Field Engineering Manager at ExxonMobil
18 | OCTOBER 2021
form, ammonia vaporises when injected into the engine, reducing the temperature of the combustion chamber. Together with its high evaporation rate and lower cetane value, when compared to traditional hydrocarbon fuels, it is likely that ammonia-fuelled engines will require higher fuelling rates to maintain similar power outputs.” Ammonia Amm also provides challenges for the lubricant. It can cause corrosion, c present issues with seal compatibility and have an impact on the system oil. “These factors mean that formulators formula will not only have to consider providing the cleanliness cleanlin of a classical 100 base number cylinder lubricant but also other lubricant performance requirements such as acid neutralisation, n wear protection, after treatment compatibility, compat water handling, nitration impact, thermal and oxidative oxidativ stability. “There “Ther are also likely to be challenges when it comes to laboratory laborato experimentation, developing test methods and conducting conduct initial engine testing with ammonia. It is going to take time tim to understand the interactions between the lubricant lubrican and the fuel and how existing bench tests correlate to real world w conditions. Developing products for new fuel types takes ta an enormous investment not only of time spent on in-service in-se testing, but also in ensuring that laboratory tests are measuring the right characteristics. “We have h been using our early access to engine testing with ammonia am fuel to give us an insight into factors such as deposit formation, oxidation and wear as well using this data to help correlate c our current bench testing methods. When a bench test te result does not correlate with what we have seen in the field, fie we are working to adapt these tests. We are also looking into designing new bench tests to strengthen the correlation correlat between these and real word application. This will give us a better indication of performance.” Peck says collaborative collabor partnerships are going to play an essential part in this process. p Shipowners, engine designers, fuel suppliers and lubricant lub companies all need to work together to understand underst engine performance, condition and the implications implicat of new fuels. He believes be the increasingly varied demands placed on the lubricant lub by the different fuel options mean more advanced advance lubricant solutions will be required and the number of lubricant solutions in the market is therefore likely increa This means that complexity is likely to remain in to increase. mar the marine cylinder lubricant market.
8 Pat McCloud, GM Europe & Global Marine Lubricants at Chevron
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FUELS & LUBRICANTS
VOC MEASURES HAMPERED WITHOUT TERMINAL INVESTMENT
Credit: Wärtsilä Gas Solutions
Norway and Canada have proposed onboard measures for reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from tankers, but some in the industry argue that more action is needed by terminals
Canada and Norway submitted a paper to the Intersessional meeting of the Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships in August (ISWG-GHG9) calling for changes to regulation 15 of MARPOL Annex VI for oil and chemical tankers that carry volatile cargo. As well as having GHG potential, these emissions can be harmful to human health and contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone, a component of smog. The submission is based on a report by DNV that found that approximately 70% of VOC emissions are generated during cargo loading. Around 20-30% are generated during laden voyages. Currently Marpol Annex VI Regulation 15 regulates the control of specific VOC emissions for oil tankers and at ports and terminals. (Methane is excluded from the definition of VOC.) Where required, both the shipboard and shore arrangements are to be in accordance with MSC/Circ.585 “Standards for vapour emission control systems”. A second aspect of the regulation, regulation 15.6, requires that all tankers carrying crude oil have an approved and effectively implemented ship specific VOC Management Plan. The proposal Norway and Canada, based on an analysis by DNV, propose amendments to MARPOL that they consider to be feasible, practical and economically viable: 1. installation of pressure control systems in way of the mast riser for the purpose of automatic maintenance of tank pressure on voyage and during loading. 2. increased settings of pressure/vacuum (P/V) valves from current standard at 0.14 bar to 0.2 bar. 3. requirements to P/V valve type in terms of blow-down. DNV notes that the ability to load cargo against a controlled back-pressure has been shown to reduce the quantity of VOCs in the ullage space with a VOC emission reduction potential of approximately 10%. Additionally, an investigation
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8 Using a VOC recovery system (pictured) for loadings would yield net CO2 equivalent (CO2e) savings of 1,200-1,500 metric tonnes per loading of a VLCC
of shuttle tankers in the North Sea indicates that maintaining the cargo tank pressure could reduce the emissions by 3040% depending on tank design pressure. The submission notes that a vapour return system used during terminal loading would send all cargo vapours to shore for processing with no VOC emissions to air. However, currently only few terminals are requiring loading with vapour emission control systems. Industry responds Dragos Rauta, Technical Director at INTERTANKO, says the involvement of the shore terminals is the key element to success. “The proposed amendments in the DNV Study, forwarded to ISWG-GHG9 by Canada and Norway do suggest tankers contain onboard VOCs but there is no indication what tankers can do with these VOCs. Therefore, one cannot see a net environmental benefit without assistance from shore facilities.” Christian Bækmark Schiolborg, BIMCO Manager, Marine Environment, notes: “This proposal - by Canada and Norway is the first step on the path to reduce emissions of VOCs which by itself is a welcomed and positive step towards decarbonisation. The fundamental problem related to VOCs, however, is that the majority of tankers have had costly vapour emission collection systems installed since the MARPOL regulations came into force in 2010, but many port and terminals still don't have vapour emission collection systems installed and are therefore not capable of receiving VOCs from tankers. The problem will not be solved by continuing to regulate oil tankers if the ports and terminals are not mandated or incentivised to catch up with the oil tankers.” Jahn Viggo Rønningen, Director - Head of Ship Safety for the Norwegian Shipowners' Association, says members can agree to the proposed control measures, but says: “By far the largest effect during loading at the terminal would be to fully utilize the VECS (vapor return line) onboard. To which degree
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FUELS & LUBRICANTS the received crude oil is stabilised (from shore side) during loading dictates the amount of VOC emissions from the ship throughout the journey.” He notes that very few oil terminals have a vapor return facility, unlike the ship side. “There's not much point in regulating the maritime sector further if the shore side is lagging.” Rajiv Malhotra, Thome Group's Head of Technical Support, also points to the need for terminal facilities. “Another measure that needs to be considered is the mandatory quantification of the VOC emissions using suitable means, to set future targets and assess the effectiveness of the enforced measures. This will help to reasonably understand what future industrywide investments would be justified for further VOC emissions control.” He says: “There is room to improve the control of these emissions without extensive financial implications, and I believe substantial reductions can be achieved without compromising on operational safety. The proposed amendments to MARPOL annex VI regulation 15 appear to be addressing reductions in a practical way through minimal intervention with the design and construction requirements while implementing significant strengthening of operational controls. “The increase in the PV valve settings to safe levels without changing the tank designs should be possible without incurring major costs while significantly reducing emissions. Similarly, automatic pressure control systems can be installed at reasonable costs, if not existing already.” Captain Cristin Nutu, Cargo Manager at Ardmore Shipping, says the proposals are all good ideas that can easily be put into practice if they aren't already. Class could check that the proposed pressure increases would not jeopardise the structure of the ship. He also notes the lack of terminal facilities. “Vapour emission control systems are used in north-western Europe and Australia, and it's working perfectly.” However, he notes that in other places, including ports in the Far East, this is not the case. “And I'm not just referring to VOC. When the vessels trade chemicals, sometimes it is carcinogenic products such as benzene being released to the atmosphere.” He believes that the cheapest, safest and fastest way to achieve the goal of reducing GHG emissions would be if VOC systems were operational in all terminals worldwide. However, Nutu also notes that training can help minimise VOC releases operationally and that improved cargo sampling systems could reduce the release of VOC during routine port operations. Advanced recovery systems DNV didn't propose the use of advanced recovery systems, with Canada and Norway therefore noting in their submission: “Due to the high investment cost of the installation (approximately USD25-40 million or close to 30% of the new build cost for a very large crude carrier) and also operational cost in combination with complexity of operation, it is difficult to see how advanced VOC recovery plants for mitigating VOC
emissions will work as an effective measure on a global scale.” Wärtsilä and Norwegian company Vaholmen VOC Recovery have formally responded, saying: “In our view, the report's conclusion is based on limited knowledge of products available on the market.” The companies offer a VOC recovery system to be installed on a dynamically positioned platform supply vessel (PSV). The PSV would be stationed alongside and in safe distance to tankers being loaded at sea islands or offshore single point moorings. The VOC would to a certain extent be combusted in the PSV's three gas turbines and most of it liquified and then discharged to shore where it would be reinjected in the crude storage tank or exported for further refining. The companies say that the system enables the owner of the captured VOC to capitalise on its value. “You can imagine that a single PSV vessel serving 200+ VLCC loadings per year could generate tremendous total savings,” says Hans Jakob Buvarp General Manager, Sales at Wärtsilä Gas Solutions. He says the system has worked in the North Sea and would work well in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Brazil. He had hoped that the proposal by Norway and Canada would be more ambitious and calls on the IMO to look further into imposing restrictions on crude oil tankers' liberty to discharge VOC to the atmosphere during loading or discharging. Such restrictions would be in line with the obligation of gas tankers not to emit gas during loading or discharging (IGC Code chapter 17.18.13). If restrictions were imposed, say the companies, it would significantly reduce VOC emissions. Their analysis indicates that the VOC recovered (including methane - the gas element with the highest CO2 equivalent index) could be as high as 200 tons per one million barrels of crude oil loaded. The companies also note that active process equipment removing emissions during laden voyage is available at a fraction of the cost mentioned in the DNV report. In response to the letter, DNV notes that its report was delivered in March 2021 and included concepts that were in the public domain before that point. A spokesperson says: “We have identified vapour emission control systems as the most efficient way of reducing emissions from loading. We have also identified that there are a lack of terminals providing reception facilities for vapour return. The Vaholmen/Wärtsila concept seems to be intended as an alternative to terminal facilities for such vapour return. We note that they present it as an alternative to installing VOC recovery plants on individual tankers. “With respect to the mention of active process equipment during laden voyage, we have only referred to active measures to handle VOC emissions during loading, as this represents 70-80% of the total VOC emissions and have proposed procedural and low cost technical measures to limit emissions during voyage for international shipping.” The proposal from Canada and Norway will be discussed at MEPC 77 with a recommendation from the ISWG-GHG9 session to possibly send it for technical discussions to the IMO's PPR Sub-Committee. 8 Far left: CBS Schiolborg of BIMCO. Centre: Captain Cristin Nutu, Cargo Manager at Ardmore Shipping and left: Rajiv Malhotra, Thome Group's Head of Technical Support
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OCTOBER 2021 | 21
FUELS & LUBRICANTS
MFMS BENEFITS EXTEND BEYOND INCREASED TRANSPARENCY Armelle Breneol, ExxonMobil’s Marine Fuels Technical Advisor, discusses the advantages that mass flow metering systems offer customers Commercial interest in mass flow metering systems (MFMS) has steadily increased since ExxonMobil first introduced the first MFMS in Singapore, before extending it to Hong Kong in 2016. The system was then brought to NW Europe in 2018, where ExxonMobil was the first to supply fuel via a 3rd party accredited MFMS in 2018. The steady growth in interest in such systems has accelerated since Singapore’s MPA introduced requirements for the use of MFMS for bunkering, while the widely followed trials in connection with the Southernpec (Singapore) Pte case have raised perceptions of risk. Armelle Breneol was keen to emphasise that the majority of such disagreements about quantity shortage were probably due to human error or measurement discrepancies, customers did see disagreements about bunkering deliveries as a disruption to business activities. Breneol noted that errors can be introduced simply by mistakes in measuring temperatures, which has a direct impact on the volume you are measuring, the density unit, or simply when converting the volumes into tons. “This can happen when a crew has been rotated – sometimes discrepancies are introduced inadvertently.” “The real problem is that without a mass flow meter, disagreements between bunker barge crew and a vessel’s crew become a case of one crew’s word against another’s. Certainly, we hear at ExxonMobil occasional stories about disagreements and claims. This is similar to the situation we used to see in Singapore before the mandatory introduction of the mass flow metering system.” The MFMS eliminates these steps, calculating directly the delivered volume in tons. The system also offers the facility to provide a full digital receipt, listing temperature, density and delivered quantity in tons, on request. A mature technology While the use of MFMS is comparatively recent in maritime bunkering, it is a mature technology which has been successfully used in the oil and gas sector for some time, Breneol noted. However, there were specific challenges in the bunker barge segment that needed to be overcome. The first was ensuring that operational procedures minimised the risk of air entering the pipe. “Given that a 3,000 ton stem might require 10 to 12 tanks to be emptied, and that there is a risk that air entering the pipe can contribute to the cappuccino effect, this was a real focus.” The second was related to finding a location upon the vessel that minimised the effect of movement (swell & vibrations) upon the system itself. “Bear in mind that this system was originally developed for stationary, land-based applications, such as in the food industry”. Operational benefits The use of MFMS offers significant operational advantages for the crew of the bunker barge, which might see the overall delivery time for a larger stem reduced by up to three hours, compared with conventional tank dipping.
22 | OCTOBER 2021
The current requirement for crews to open tank lids to conduct dip tests on each of the tanks is eliminated if an MFMS is installed. “Maintaining a sealed system helps improves the safety for both crews as it removes any physical contact with the fuel and additionally saves on the use and disposal of cleaning rags normally required to clean the dipping equipment.” Breneol noted. The benefits are also shared by the receiving vessel, although the benefits take the form of improved peace of mind, and the receipt of a simplified ticket from a system that has been certified by a third party, rather than an increase in potential uptime. A further advantage of the MFMS used in ARA and elsewhere is that they are calibrated in line with OIML R 117 and ISO 17025 standards, ensuring accuracy to within +/- 0.5%.
8 The use of mass flow meter systems offers operational benefits for bunker suppliers and for vessels
Future proofing Turning to the future, Breneol noted that the bunker sector was undergoing a transition, with digitalisation also altering the relationship between bunker suppliers and customers. Improved access to data is also leading to an increased demand for transparency and product quality. This was also seen in concerns about off-spec products, given the need to demonstrate compliance. Breneol noted that the company had taken the decision to supply initially ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50TM marine fuel through an MFMS in ARA and has now extended this to other products. Looking further ahead, some market observers have discussed the possibility that fuels may become more expensive in the future. “I don’t have a crystal ball,” Breneol said, before adding that there had been a correlation between rises in bunker prices and letters of protest for shortage in the past. “We think MFMS is a technology that offers advantages to both vessel operators and bunker suppliers, and would encourage all segments of the market to get behind the technology”, Breneol concluded.
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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
NORWAY MOVES AHEAD WITH HYDROGEN PLANS
Photo: Ole Joergen Bratland of Equinor
Norway's goal is to be a low-emission society by 2050, and its plan encompasses hydrogen production and export, offshore wind and carbon capture and storage
The nation is already committed to cutting domestic emissions by 50-55% by 2030. A series of strategy documents released since June 2020, including a white paper Putting Energy to Work, a hydrogen strategy and hydrogen roadmap, set out the government's ambitions. In the medium term, up to 2030, these ambitions include establishing hydrogen in the maritime sector. “We must prepare for the fact that the petroleum industry will not remain the same driving force in our economy as previously,” said Tina Bru, Minister of Petroleum and Energy, with the publishing of the white paper in June 2021. However, she recognised that the expertise and technology developed in the industry will be vital for the development of new industries such as carbon capture and storage. DNV is involved in many of the emerging hydrogen projects. Magnus Killingland, Principal Consultant at DNV, says there will be parallel development of large-scale and smaller-scale projects as the nation looks to export scale hydrogen production and also distributed production and use throughout Norway. The Norwegian government wants Norway's renewable energy resources to be used nationally as much as possible. One of the goals of the white paper recognises the need for further power and grid development to support smart and effective electrification. The potential for the electricity grid to support the production of hydrogen using electrolysers can be limited in more remote fjords, says Killingland. The potential for large-scale hydrogen storage in remote locations could also be an issue, as more regulations apply to larger storage facilities, potentially adding cost and logistics constraints. “In that case, we might have trucks delivering hydrogen at small scale, but there are also projects that are really large-scale delivering hydrogen to refineries or converting it to ammonia for export to Europe.”
24 | OCTOBER 2021
8 Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the Northern Lights construction project
Dr Paolo Pisciella, a researcher at NTNU, raises another consideration. He says that Norway has a large supply of renewable energy including the planned expansion of wind power, but both carbon capture and storage and hydrogen production using electrolysis could sharply increase the need for energy. This could increase its cost. Advancing carbon capture To be low-emissions, hydrogen produced through natural gas reforming must be combined with carbon capture and storage. Already experienced in the development and operation of CO2 storage projects on the Sleipner and Snøhvit fields on the Norwegian continental shelf, the government is now supporting the development of the Longship project that will implement carbon capture implemented at Norcem's cement factory in Brevik as a first step. The Northern Lights project is the storage part of the Longship project and is a joint project between Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies. It will receive captured CO2 transported by ship to Øygarden municipality on the western coast of Norway. Here, the gas will be temporarily stored before it is sent through a pipeline to the storage site on the continental shelf. The CO2 will be pumped down to a sealed reservoir for permanent storage 2,600 meters below the seabed. Northern Lights will sell additional capacity to other customers, and construction work is now proceeding on the Øygarden terminal. In September, Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced that it will be taking applications for CO2 storage in two other areas located in the North Sea and the Barents Sea. Carbonor and Aker Carbon Capture have signed an MoU to jointly develop Carbonor's low CO2 char production at Øygarden. The project will utilise Aker Carbon Capture's Just Catch 100 technology integrated with Carbonor's pyrolysis technology to produce low-emission, high-carbon reductants for the alloy
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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Venturing into offshore renewables Almost all of Norway's electricity is supplied by hydropower, and it has Europe's lowest carbon emissions grid. According to the European Hydrogen Strategy, the need for green hydrogen production in Europe could account for 24% of energy demand in 2050. To expand its renewables footprint, the Norwegian government has opened up two areas for offshore renewable energy production: Sørlige Nordsjø II and Utsira Nord. The government is also providing financial support for the Ocean Grid project which will develop new technology for the profitable development of offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf. It will look particularly at the way offshore wind will be connected to the grid and will encompass both bottom-fixed and floating wind farms. TechnipFMC and consortium partners Vattenfall, Repsol, ABB, NEL, DNV, UMOE and Slåttland are moving ahead with a pilot project for the Deep PurpleTM green hydrogen offshore energy system, after Innovation Norway recently announcing financial support. Deep Purple will use offshore wind energy to produce hydrogen from seawater via electrolysis for delivery direct to customers or for storage subsea in dedicated tanks. Fresh water for the electrolysis process will be produced from seawater using reverse osmosis. TechnipFMC is also participating in the BEHYOND project for green hydrogen production from offshore wind power. The project will evaluate integration of equipment for the production and conditioning of green hydrogen and infrastructure for its transportation to the coast. The goal is to create a unique concept that can be standardized and implemented worldwide, allowing for large-scale hydrogen production. There is 9,000 kilometres of subsea pipeline used for natural gas transport in the North Sea. Researchers at SINTEF are investigating the possibility of using them to transport hydrogen as part of the HyLINE project. “We are carrying out a very complex matrix of testing in environments with pressures up to 200 bar and 100% pure hydrogen gas to develop ready-to-use solutions,” said Mihaela Cristea, Tenaris Line Pipe Product Manager, who is leading the project which will study the nano, micro and macro effects of hydrogen on material performance and structural integrity. The project is a key step for the European Hydrogen Backbone Initiative that envisions a 6,800 kilometres of hydrogen network by 2030 and a 22,900 kilometre network by 2040. Supporting clean fuel shipping Environmentally friendly shipping is a priority for the Norwegian government. Currently, more than 70 ferries in
Copyright Wartsila
industry. The project could become the first in which carbon capture and storage is sold as a service, where the emitter pays a fee based on the volume of carbon captured. The goal is to commission Carbonor's new char operations in time for the opening of the Northern Lights terminal in May 2024. With funding from the Research Council of Norway, Aker Solutions and partners (Cognite, Aize and AGR, as well as Wärtsilä, OpenGoSim, The Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre, SINTEF, Wintershall Dea, Vår Energi, Lundin, Equinor and TotalEnergies) have established a research project aimed at cutting costs for new carbon storage facilities by 70%. The LINCCS research project will look at optimising various technologies throughout the value chain, and the ambition is that the new solutions will enable new projects that can facilitate the storage of 100 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, twice Norway's annual CO2 emissions. The project partners aim to have solutions ready for a first demonstration projects by end of 2024 and for full scale commercial projects by 2027.
Norway are run, fully or partially, with battery powered propulsion systems. In 2022, the first hydrogen powered ferry will be launched, and the first ammonia powered vessel will be operational in the offshore sector in 2024. INC Invest and Sogn og Fjordane Energi (SFE) have established a joint venture, HyFuel, to produce sustainable green hydrogen at Fjord Base, Norway's largest offshore oil and gas supply base. HyFuel will develop, own, and operate a plant for producing hydrogen and hydrogenation of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) for maritime transport. The production is planned to include an industrial symbiosis with the land-based fish farm at Gaddholmen, which will use the oxygen and waste heat produced. The Aukra Hydrogen Hub is also well-positioned to becoming a key hydrogen hub that will provide emission-free fuel for ships. Earlier this year Aker Clean Hydrogen and Aukra municipality entered into a cooperation agreement to explore and develop a project for production of hydrogen, ammonia, and related products. Aker Clean Hydrogen and CapeOmega have since signed an MoU with AS Norske Shell to explore opportunities for large-scale hydrogen production using natural gas from the local gas processing plant at Nyhamna. Azane Fuel Solutions has received government funding for what could be the world's first ammonia bunkering terminal network in Norway. The flexible terminal design will be capable of receiving ammonia from ships, trucks and barges and includes a shore-based and a floating solution.
8 Wärtsilä advances CCS as part of the LINCCS project
Carbon Contracts for Difference In August, the “Arendalsuka” Norwegian community democracy event discussed Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD) that cover the difference between fossil fuels and zero-emission alternatives. CCfD have been broadly discussed as a potential instrument to support energyintensive industries in developing and deploying zeroemission fuels. They could be used to cover the difference between fossil fuels and zero-emission bunker fuels until it is more cost beneficial for the industry to transition to zeroemission fuels. The government would pay the difference between fossil fuels and zero-emission fuels. Norway's Green Shipping Program has plans for around 50 hydrogen projects in Norway, and Sveinung Rotevatn, the Norwegian minister on climate and environment, says CCfD is an important support scheme.
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OCTOBER 2021 | 25
LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
LNGC DESIGN FOR CII RATINGS EXPECTED IN EARLY 2022 Shipowners will need to be ready to meet the evolving requirements of the IMO's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) to ensure their assets remain viable, and a new LNG carrier design is under development that offers that long-term flexibility without the need for speed reduction Wärtsilä, ABS and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding are collaborating on the design concept that is intended to deliver immediate CO2 savings as well as being ready for the adoption of future decarbonisation technologies to meet IMO's CII trajectory of -70% by 2050. The propulsion and auxiliary power plant will be built up around multiple latest generation 4-stroke multi-fuel engines operating initially on LNG, combined with a battery and smart energy management system. The base design will include heat recovery technologies and additional optimisations to the propulsion system made possible by the latest electric permanent magnet drive technologies that feature low speed and high torque. Energy saving devices including a Hull Air Lubrication System will also be included in the initial design. Fuel flexibility is achieved as 4-stroke multi-fuel gensets running at nominal speed are able to easily burn alternative fuels via LNG blending or in high concentrations, says Grant Gassner, Director, Integrated Systems & Solutions, Power Supply at Wärtsilä Marine Power. The most likely scenario is that these fuels will be initially blended with fossil LNG from the cargo tanks. “For LNG carriers, the most likely alternative fuels introduced would be bio-methane, synthetic methane, ammonia or hydrogen which all could be used in Otto cycle.
‘‘
The new design will make a double reduction for shipowners on low carbon footprint, low OPEX cost but higher income One or more gensets could be replaced with alternative new low carbon power sources such as fuel cells, solar panels or heat to power energy recovery systems in the future. “Simply remove, or turn off, one genset from the common electrical distribution system and replace it with the new power source that can be either AC or DC,” says Gassner. “The modular, multi-engine nature of the plant, combined with energy storage, ensures that individual units are always running at high load with very high efficiency regardless of the load demand from propulsion and auxiliary systems. “This also provides a suitable system foundation to accommodate new propulsion energy savings devices such as wing sails or Flettner rotors which can significantly reduce and create variability in the power demand from the propulsion plant. Additionally, methane slip is extremely low regardless of the vessel speed and power requirement thanks to latest engine technology and high load factors and the engine-battery hybrid.” Novel electric propulsion enhancement is made possible with the design including potentially a gate rudder and large diameter low speed fixed pitch propellers. The flexibility of electric propulsion enables a far wider choice and room for optimization of the propeller designs now, and in the future
26 | OCTOBER 2021
for example application of contra-rotating propellers or pods are possible to implement, he says. The inclusion of a shore power connection system for charging and zero emission port operation could be incorporated in the Day 1 design. Onboard carbon capture will be evaluated, but it is not yet clear if this will be included. Expected emissions and costs savings will depend slightly on what technologies the customer wishes to take into newbuild directly and which technologies are taken up later, says Dr Gu Hai, Vice President, ABS, Head of Global Simulation Singapore. “In general, if one considers that the targets of IMO are to reach 40% reduction in CO2 intensity by 2030 and 70% reduction by 2050 (compared to 2008), the newbuild design might include technologies that satisfy IMO CII A-Rating up to about 2035-2040 and then the remaining technologies could be added at an appropriate point in time to secure IMO CII A-Rating up to 2050 without a significant compromise in vessel speed. If the owner did decide on speed reduction as a compliance lever, then the system efficiency also remains very high at low vessel speed. However, the overall objective of the project is to show a clear pathway while maintaining competitive speed through evaluation of alternative decarbonization technologies using advanced simulation methods.” “Thanks to the compact and lightweight attributes of Wartsila's 4-stroke multi-fuel engines, customers can realize an additional 4,000m3 of LNG cargo space versus a traditional 174,000m3 LNG carrier. The higher cargo delivered could be good for the CII and benefit the shipowner,” said Mr. Song Wei, R&D Director of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. “The new design will make a double reduction for shipowners on low carbon footprint, low OPEX cost but higher income.” The more detailed conceptual design will be carried out during Q4 2021, and it is anticipated that the vessel design will be enter commercial offering in Q1 2022. There are interested customers already inquiring” says Mr. Song Wei. The design partners are expected to present further information at Marintec Shanghai in December 2021. Preliminary calculations show very good system performance and flexibility.
8 Mr. Song Wei, R&D Deputy Director of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding expects commercial offering of the new LNG carrier design to begin from Q1 2022
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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
METHANOL HOLDS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING HYDROGEN If the arrival of low and zero carbon future fuels is central to achieving progress in decarbonising shipping, we can expect an increasing focus on the viability of solutions for alternative fuels in the maritime market ahead of COP26
Different approaches As is stands, there are a few core approaches being considered to elevate clean maritime transportation. However, these come with notable challenges. Firstly, battery-electric solutions (BESs), contrary to common assumption are far from readily available. This is because the 100% carbon free renewable energy used to charge them is far from sufficient to meet necessary demand. The US national grid only generates 18% of its power from renewable sources, for example. Secondly, carbon scrubbing and recovery (CSR) will be challenging to establish in the near term due to plants being large and the significant storage associated with the capture of CO2 often not available. Finally, while they carry huge potential, alternative fuels, such as ammonia, are less feasible due to their production carbon footprint and the lack of truly renewable manufacturing of these future fuels. We therefore view hydrogen, used in a fuel-cell electric solution (FCE), as the solution to offering an immediate alternative to support emerging clean marine transportation solutions. The Most Abundant Element Hydrogen, on its own, is not yet a viable decarbonisation solution for the maritime industry. This is not due to a lack of potential or desire for hydrogen-fuelled vessels. It is because of the complexities involved with scaling, handling, storage and bunkering, and a lack of regulation. As a famous Hungarian mathematician once said, “It is better to solve one problem five different ways, than to solve five problems one way.” In the case of hydrogen, finding a range of innovative techniques to enable its use as a fuel at sea now, is better than the alternative of waiting for one costeffective, safe, and high storage hydrogen-fuelled vessel to enter the market. Methanol, for example, can be used to solve the challenges associated with hydrogen as a maritime fuel. As a chemically effective carrying medium for hydrogen, widely approved fuel type and available at more than 85 of the top 100 ports worldwide, methanol holds the missing link to hydrogen use. Chemically, methanol has the highest hydrogen to carbon ratio of any non-cryogenic liquid marine fuel and has a considerably smaller storage footprint and lower weight than compressed hydrogen.
28 | OCTOBER 2021
Credit: e1 Marine
As e1 is a collaboration of engineers, financiers, and shipowners, we understand the multi-faceted challenge of transitioning a global fleet from traditional bunkers to future fuels. But it's not one that is not unsolvable. By innovating, collaborating and considering the real requirements of ship owners and operators, we can distinguish and drive forward economically viable solutions. Moreover, we can provide owners and operators with the agility required to react to future market demands, with fuel flexibility a key consideration.
Its cost-competitiveness, availability and chemical composition have not gone unnoticed by shipping's industry leaders. In August, Maersk ordered a series of eight large container vessels capable of being operated on carbonneutral methanol, along with an option for a further four vessels. The major player's order was spurred on, in part, by consumer demand for a greener overall supply chain.
8 Maite Klarup, Commercial Director, e1 Marine
CH₃OH > H Our methanol to hydrogen generator technology, which was covered in The Motorship in June, combines the strengths of both fuels, with a PEM fuel cell, to provide ship owners and operators with electricity on their ships or as the main source of propulsion on smaller vessels. Moreover, with one-third of the hydrogen produced by the technology coming directly from water, our technology reduces CO2 emissions by a minimum of 28% at a competitive price. Likewise, with our technology consuming 35% less energy than diesel-generators, and eliminating NOx, SOx and PM emissions it is cost-effective operationally today even before considering any new regulations or carbon tax. While there is no realistic way to decarbonise the entire shipping industry today, there are people driving solutions that can significantly reduce emissions now. By taking into consideration the requirements of owners and operators, newer fuel components and realities of our current bunkering infrastructure, we can determine each fleet's unique challenges and create solutions that work for them. The new era of shipping is upon us and it's hydrogen powered.
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DECK MACHINERY
AHC TECHNOLOGY BOOSTS US OCEAN RESEARCH VESSEL When the University of Hawai'i Marine Center decided to upgrade the winch and offshore crane on its Research Vessel Kilo Moana in 2019, the new Launch and Recovery System was equipped with enhanced winch control with active heave compensation
8 The 60m Kilo Moana is a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship operated by the University of Hawai'i Marine Center
The solution provides scientists with a safe, efficient and reliable way of deploying water sampling equipment at depths up to 5,000 meters in even the roughest sea conditions. The solution, which was installed by Canada-based Hawboldt Industries, included an ABB winch drive with unique inbuilt active heave compensation (AHC) software. The Kilo Moana is a 60m Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship owned by the US Navy and operated by the University of Hawai'i Marine Center. This oceanographic research vessel enables scientists to conduct tests that increase their understanding of the effect of deep ocean currents on marine life and climate change. One of the vessel's main activities is to carry out conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen (CTD) 'casts' at depths of up to 5,000 meters in the mid-Pacific Ocean. During a cast, the CTD package, weighing around 900 kilograms, is lowered from the deck of the ship into the water. In addition to sensitive pressure and temperature sensors, the package includes 24 bottles that collect water samples at various depths. In 2019, the University of Hawai'i Marine Center decided to upgrade the Kilo Moana's CTD Launch and Recovery System (LARS) to a new design with active heave compensation (AHC). This system takes information on wave action from the vessel's motion reference unit (MRU) and adjusts the winch motors to compensate. The precise adjustments in winch tension - made hundreds of times per second - keep the
30 | OCTOBER 2021
package steady in relation to the seabed as the vessel pitches up and down. ABB ACS880 drive with Integral AHC ABB supplied the ACS880 winch drive to Hawboldt Industries, the Canadian company that specialises in the custom design and manufacture of deck equipment for ocean science vessels. According to Dylan Wells, General Manager of Hawboldt Industries, AHC is essential in UH's CTD operations, minimizing cable tension spikes, and allowing the package to take samples safely and reliably. It's especially critical in rough conditions when waves can be as high as four meters and there are significant vessel roll, pitch, and heave motions. The AHC also allows for a faster yet more controlled deployment by keeping a more consistent cable tension and thereby eliminating slack conditions as well as the tension spikes. A slack cable can get hockled (tied in knots) which can result in major damage requiring replacement of the long cable, meaning high costs for replacement equipment and lost ship time. “A winch drive is an integral element in our equipment and the ABB ACS880 drive is unique because it comes with AHC functionality built in as firmware,” said Wells. “Therefore, we didn't need to change the system architecture or deal with the cost and complexity of installing an external, third-party AHC control system. With the ABB drive all we needed to do was to connect it to the MRU and switch it on.”
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DECK MACHINERY CTD cast times cut by around 30 percent The Kilo Moana undertook successful sea trials of the CTD crane and winch in 2020. The trials confirmed that the AHC performed well in reducing the snap loading on the winch cable, with fast response and smooth transitions. An added bonus is that it also enables scientists to carry out more precise water sampling, with depths controlled to a resolution of one meter at depths up to 5 kilometers. Cast times are also reduced significantly. The time for each cast - from deployment to recovery - has been cut from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. This is important as the Kilo Moana may often perform up to five casts per day. With the new Hawboldt system it can reach 60 meters per minute average payout speed - while the actual cable speed at the winch varies from 0 to 130 meters per minute according to the sea state. Scientists approve the new CTD system The Kilo Moana spends between 200 to 250 days at sea with operations from a few days up to a month. One of its most regular missions is the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) cruise that has been making repeated observations at a station north of Oahu since October 1988. The aim is to monitor the carbon dioxide (CO2) content of the seawater as a measure of the progress of climate change. For Scott Ferguson, University of Hawai'i Director for Marine Technical Service, the new CTD winch and crane has offered real benefits. “Taking CTD samples is a primary element for the Kilo Moana with a cost of around $50,000 to run each day at sea,” said Ferguson. “If we can't work because the sea is too rough
then we face a major loss of revenue. The advantage of our new crane with AHC is that it enables CTD casting to be carried out with safety and precision even when waves are 4 meters high. That's why our scientists love it. While our deck crew appreciates it because of its reliability and ease of operation.”
8 The enhanced winch control provides a safe, efficient and reliable way of deploying water sampling equipment
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OCTOBER 2021 | 31
DECK MACHINERY
THE SHAPE OF CARGO HANDLING SOLUTIONS TO COME Deck equipment suppliers are developing solutions that will help with the new challenges faced by the industry that is looking to modernise and meet tighter environmental standards, writes Samantha Fisk
8 Aukra, a Norwegian-based cargo handling systems provider, supplied a tailormade automated loading and unloading cargo system for Aker Biomarine's new supply vessel, Antarctic Provider
The pressure may be on for shipowners to modernise fleets and to adopt green technology but this need is being passed down the supply chain with equipment manufactures also taking steps in developing new solutions that will enable shipowners to meet with those challenges of the future. Developments are seeing more electric solutions being developed in aid to help to phase out old hydraulic systems that use oil for moving parts. The shift in the market is mainly being spear headed by early adopters such as energy and military companies looking for sustainable solutions for the future. Environmental impact Norwegian-based VestDavit has seen trends in the market that companies are looking for modern and sustainable solutions for vessels. The technologies that are being developed have created a niche market that William Goodall, Area Sales Manager, VestDavit explains that “numbers at the top of the niche has grown”. Goodall highlights a project that it is involved with in the US where it is working to provide “future proof systems”. The company has provided all electric davit systems for the project to the US Navy. He adds that the demand for electric solutions has grown in recent years which has been driven by customers, but has been “expected” as new regulations have been coming into effect for ships to reduce their environmental impact. Finnish-based Cargotec MacGregor has also been
32 | OCTOBER 2021
promoting its portfolio of electric solutions for the industry. The portfolio includes mooring systems through to simulation software for cargo optimisation. Cargotec has also been setting its own environmental goals and by 2024, Cargotec aims to reduce the CO2e emissions of its value chain by 1,000,000 tonnes and highlights that 140+ containerships have been upgraded with its solutions since 2015. Through its Cargotec Cargo Boost solution for cargo optimisation will reduce the environmental footprint of container transport by 10%, the company claims. MacGregor has already delivered Cargo Boost to some of the largest container shipping lines in the world, the company also highlights. Magnus Sjöberg, Senior Vice President Merchant Solutions, says a simulation of the impact of Cargo Boost on a fully laden 13,000 teu container ship operating on a transpacific route calculated 10% savings in CO2 emissions (460 tonnes). The scope of a Cargo Boost upgrade can range from documentation updates and/or minor mechanical upgrades to changing lashing gaps, refining mixed stowage or more significant reconfigurations. Services also include cargo securing manual and loading computer updates, as well as crew and back-office training. Owners considering lengthening a vessel would also be able to use Cargo Boost service. The main focus for equipment suppliers is to remove the polluting parts of the solution, i.e.: oil in the hydraulics to derisk the potential contamination that it can have. However, with
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DECK MACHINERY more solutions in the market becoming electric, there is also an increased demand for power for these solutions to work. Goodall comments that this has something that they have noted and whilst newbuild vessels are less of a challenge, the existing vessels in the market due have concerns about power usage of solutions getting installed. “It all depends on what starter you have. Having a direct online starter can draw a lot of power. We are recommending to customers the use of a soft starter for our solutions to reduce the power draw”, Goodall comments. Vestdavit is also working on the development of variable frequency drives (VDF), “a bit like what you see in Tesla cars”, to address the power draw challenge of its solutions in the future. Optimisation through digitalisation Through its different packages MacGregor has stepped towards a more digital future with its solutions. The company is embracing a new way of thinking and sees that it part of the bigger supply chain with technologies now becoming more 'connected'. MacGregor's contribution to the Alpha Lift foundation vessel will have a new motion-compensated pile gripper developed jointly with Kongsberg Maritime for integration with dynamic positioning and control. Dennis Mol, Vice President Digitalisation & Business Transformation, says that the inclusion of advanced automation technology has resulted in a capability that eliminates unnecessary mooring, offering time and cost savings. “Simulations have been a key part of this project, and part of the product development with our customer”. The Alfa Lift vessel is due to be delivered early in 2022.
‘‘
Vestdavit is also working on the development of variable frequency drives (VDF), “a bit like what you see in Tesla cars" VestDavit have also seen further advancements in digitalisation through its own MissionEase solution. Developed for military vessels that need flexibility in deploying craft from hangars, but has also further capabilities for other sectors. Instead of a traditional davit mounted on the upper deck of a ship, MissionEase uses a system of hydraulic cradles to move boats on a tracking system within a hangar inside the hull to positions for maintenance, preparation or launch using a telescopic davit. One notable project from Vestdavit with its MissionEase system is on Ulstein's Aurora. The system installed on the Aurora has a capacity to handle as many as 14 craft - including workboats and ROVs - that can be securely stored and mobilised in the enclosed 'garage' on the mission deck. Mol also notes that it is not just the solutions that are being impacted through digitalisation but the whole service package, how companies and customers are communicating has also recently changed because of the COVID pandemic. By accessing the right data it is possible to make more effective gains from both solutions and services. “Diagnostics, spare parts logistics and service visits - all of these steps speed up tremendously if you have the right information at your fingertips. Our customers estimate that this type of digital analysis can cut the time needed for evaluation alone by 50%”, comments Mol. Aukra, a Norwegian-based cargo handling systems provider has also recently announced its latest development
of its tailor-made automated loading and unloading cargo system for Aker Biomarine's new supply vessel, Antarctic Provider. The project was for a special purpose design for a cargo handling solution, which would shorten the duration of offloading processed krill by up to 50%. “The fact that Aker Biomarine uses Norwegian suppliers for their projects shows they want high quality equipment and their continued support of the Norwegian marine equipment suppliers. This strengthens our belief that our commitment to product quality and development is justified”, says Per Arne Rindarøy, Managing Director of Aukra Maritime. The installation includes four cranes, installed in the roof of the cargo hold, for lifting of big bags. The installation included three ADK 100 cranes, each with 6t capacity with a lifting height of 16m, as well as a larger capacity ADK 150 crane, with a 9t lifting capacity with a lifting height of 16m. In addition, there are eight side port units. The scope of supply included four operators cabins for the larger capacity 'big bag' cranes, as well as separate operator positions to control the hold cranes. Developments of autonomous solutions in the market is gaining pace, alongside the need for greener and more efficient ships. The supplier market has already upped the ante on this with solutions now ready for those shipping companies looking to modernise fleets. Offering more flexibility in operation is key for the shipping market going into the future. Having the right equipment onboard will be a key factor for this.
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8 MacGregor claims that container vessel operators can achieve doubledigit emissions reductions by using its Cargotec Cargo Boost solution for cargo optimisation
OCTOBER 2021 | 33
DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE
CONSULTANT INTEREST REVIVES AMID NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY Passenger ship owners have started to look more at developing designs in house, with the help of consultant naval architects, after it has started to become increasingly clear that the designs that shipyards offer often lack certain flexibility that may become very important over the lifetime of the ship, summarised Anders Orgaard, Chief Commercial Officer at the Danish consultant naval architect company OSK-ShipTech “There is often little room for flexibility in these designs to modify them,” he said, referring to ones offered by yards, “such as lengthening them or adopting them to use an alternative fuel.” This effectively mean that these ships often lack a strategy for a second life for them, something that is made more complicated by the fact that the choice of which fuel should be used in the later life of the vessel cannot be stated at this point. “Perhaps the only thing we know that it will not be cheap to operate with HFO after Fit for 55 takes effect – it will add hundreds of million (US) dollars to the fuel bill (of shipping),” Orgaard said, referring to plans of the European Union to drastically reduce emissions to the air and which include shipping. “Flexibilities are, therefore essential, in the design. Access to the original drawings is an important part of this, but shipyards often only give the owner a pdf of them, which cannot be edited,” he continued. Consequently, some owners have started to develop designs of their own and then approach shipyards to launch a tender process. This was the case some seven to 10 years ago, so that one can see a certain cyclicality in these matters. Changed landscape in ordering One of the reasons that contributed to many owners’ decision to accept a design from a shipyard was a tight availability of building slots at major passenger ship builders. The cruise industry in particular expanded before the pandemic at a pace that had never been seen before, with more than 100 ships on order at the beginning of 2020. It was easier for an owner to secure a slot by accepting a design from the shipyard rather than invite tenders from builders in that market situation. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered the picture. Although no orders have been officially cancelled, the time frame to deliver the orderbook has been significantly extended and cruise ship builders have been forced to slow down their rate of production as a result. It is possible that the cruise lines that accepted designs of shipyards did not necessarily see clearly what kinds of requirements their ships would need to meet in the future and consequently underestimated the challenges that would lie ahead. At a recent gathering of the ferry industry, Orgaard presented a ropax ferry design from 2017 that used HFO and was fitted with scrubbers. He told his audience that this would probably be the last ropax project with HFO that he would ever present in such an event. The pace of development in the technical sector in general and in the one regarding future fuels in particular is marching on at a very quick pace and only a handful of owners are likely
34 | OCTOBER 2021
to be able to keep track of these developments in detail. “It’s no about a blame game, the future remains unpredictable. Still, it’s possible that an owner may blame a decision made in 2021 for problems that arise in 2035,” Orgaard pointed out.
8 Anders Orgaard
Logistics ashore and on board major challenge While ferries usually shuttle between two ports – although the crossing can take anything from a few minutes to more than 24 hours – cruise ships roam around the world. This means that the question of future fuel strategy is far more complicated for them and comes down to a handful of key challenges. “The biggest challenge for cruise ships is the supply of fuel where it is needed and the logistics – both onboard and in the supply chain,” Orgaard summed up, pointing out that new fuels would take up more space onboard than oil. It is becoming clear that batteries are becoming an increasingly attractive option to power ferries. Until recently,
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DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE they could power a large vessel for some 40 to 50 minutes, whereas the figure is now in the region of two hours. Projects such as Stena Elektra, the newbuildings of KiWi Rail and the Dover – Calais route newbuildings of P&O Ferries are either based on the use of batteries or have the future use of them factored in the design. Hydrogen is a potential solution to power ferries that operate on longer distances, but generating the fuel in a clean way poses a major challenge. “When you transfer electricity from a wind turbine to hydrogen, you lose 60% of the energy. But if you put it in a battery, you only lose 10%,” Orgaard pointed out. Infinite, clean nuclear energy would be needed to produce methanol for use in fuel cells, but until this option becomes available, challenges loom large. Ammonia and methanol are both potential solutions to drive large vessels in the future, but in smaller ships, such as many ferries, methanol or fuel cells and batteries could offer attractive solutions. Fuels cells and batteries can also work well to meet the requirements of Safe Return to Port: while the first named should provide power for the voyage, batteries can be used to help to power the vessel to reach port in an emergency. What is best for ship should lead design OSK-ShipTech has identified five core pillars that it will have to meet to be able to serve its clients and deliver designs for ships that are future proofed as far as possible. The first one is to find out the size and operational profile of the projected ship. The second pillar is to appreciate that what is best for the ship should always be accepted as the
way ahead – even if this meant a difficult decision to the owner, the shipyard, suppliers - or the designers themselves. Familiarisation with the business model of the owner forms the third pillar in the project while remaining flexible to tackle the questions that come up sets the fourth pillar. Finally, the company has to act as a magnet for talent. “When yiou attract the right talent, you attract the right projects that again attract the right talent,” Orgaard pointed out. The second pillar – putting an optimal design of the ship in the centre of the project – is often the most demanding one of the five key pillars. “But if you don’t make the right choices, you jeopardise the entire project. The green agenda is a huge part of the finance of a ship project,” he noted. Traditionally, the green agenda has focused on what comes out of the funnel, but it is widening to include the life cycle of the vessel, from construction to recycling. OSKShipTech has teamed up with Danish environmental performance experts ReFlow and developed a system that allows the comparison of CO2 emissions of various materials that can be used in the construction and fitting out of a ship. One fifth of the emissions through the lifespan of the vessel come from the materials used in construction, but there are vast differences in the CO2 emissions between materials used in interior design. As owners look at the total cost of ownership, this new platform will help them in assessing how to reduce emissions at the construction stage of their ships. Future proofing ships continues to have its challenges, but flexibility of design to allow even major technological changes is a vital element to achieve this objective. A bird’s eye look at emissions will offer further help.
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DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE
CCS CLASSES WORLD'S FIRST SGISC-COMPLIANT VESSEL China Classification Society has awarded its first second-generation intact stability criteria (SGISc) notation to an 85,000dwt Kamsarmax newbuild, certifying that the newbuild is the first to comply with the IMO's new intact stability guidelines. The newbuild was ordered by AVIC International Holdings Limited
Storm ahead In late 1998, the 5316 teu APL China, one of the largest boxships on the water at the time, was carrying a major consignment of goods from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to Seattle, in preparation for the holiday season. In due course however – with seemingly little warning – Typhoon Babs passed close by. Conditions around the vessel continued to worsen, soon exceeding Beaufort force 8, with waves exceeding eight metres. The vessel began a 15-degree side-to-side roll, which reached its apex every ten seconds or so. It would have made for an uncomfortable ride, but was almost certainly nothing that a seasoned crew, like that of APL China, couldn't handle. However, the situation rapidly deteriorated. Wave heights increased to between 12 and 14 metres; the ship's master, as was protocol in this scenario, slowed the engine and turned into the waves, in order to dampen the roll condition. But then, something unexpected happened. Despite facing the waves head on, and each wave travelling longitudinally along the hull, the vessel rolled much more violently than before, reaching an angle of 40 degrees. A massive crashing sound was heard. Thankfully, the sound was not that of the vessel's structure being compromised, and the APL China managed to limp into Seattle on 1 November, with all hands aboard. But what they had heard was the sound of the vessel's container stacks collapsing at the apex of a particularly major roll, causing 407 of them to go hurtling overboard, and the cargo in many others to be irretrievably damaged. In total, more than US$100m in losses occurred, which would be the biggest single cargo loss in container ship history, until it was surpassed by the MOL Comfort incident in 2013. The accident did not occur because of human error; the ship's master and crew had acted in textbook fashion, steering into the waves to decrease roll, and reducing speed to diminish the vessel's pitching motions. Nor was there any particular problem with securing the cargo - though, as the One Apus incident proved last year, resulting in US$200m
36 | OCTOBER 2021
Credit: China Classification Society
Working with the relevant technical requirements of CCS Rules and MSC.1/Circ.1627, the Shanghai Institute of Standards and Design (SDARI) used a verification calculation software, developed in-house, to conduct dynamic stability failure modes for the ship design plan. The guidelines, which introduced a new criterion for intact stability, were adopted at the 7th session of the IMO's Ship Design and Construction (SDC) in 2020. The guidelines focused on a number of complex phenomena, including parametric roll, pure loss of stability, dead ship condition, surf-riding and excessive accelerations. The guidelines use an updated model of ships' behaviour in waves, based on the latest developments in hydrodynamics. The model was subject to ten years of model tests, simulations and iterative testing.
worth of damage, container shipping is far from immune to concerns on that score. Rather, APL China suffered something none of its crew could have anticipated; parametric rolling, whereupon the amplitude of the waves coincides with the roll period - or 'natural period' -- of the vessel itself, causing these motions to cascade out of control. This is most intuitively understood in the comparison of pushing a child on a swing; as the waves hit the vessel at precise frequency, its rolling arc increases higher and higher. This is called a resonant roll. Extending the playground analogy, because of the frequency of the pushing, the arc of the swing reaches higher and higher, despite the same level of effort being expended to push each time. Experiencing this phenomenon, the crew of APL China had no procedure to rely on. They were at the mercy of the storm and were lucky to get to Seattle alive.
8 Zhou Yaohua, a senior engineer at China Classification Society and technical expert of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
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DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE
8 CCS has developed its own tools for evaluating the new secondgeneration intact stability criteria (SGISc)
Inadequate rules APL China's experience with Typhoon Babs revealed shortcomings in the first-generation intact stability criteria, which are far wider-reaching than the sea states APL China weathered. In fact, Beaufort-12 wave heights are not required to produce a parametric rolling situation. These assume a calm sea state with a level waterline and no waves; a static vessel; and a predictable rate of roll thanks to an unchanging statical stability or GZ curve. It had been the foundation of the understanding of hydrodynamics enshrined in contemporary naval architecture, explains Zhou Yaohua, a senior engineer at China Classification Society and technical expert of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). “The old criteria was developed based on traditional hydrostatic methods, and only covered the 'dead ship' failure mode,” he said. “However, there are other stability failure modes, such as parametric rolling, excessive acceleration and pure loss of stability, which have been found ... that may cause serious accidents when a ship is sailing in adverse sea conditions. Unfortunately, the old criteria can do nothing to fix it.” Crucial to ship stability is the differential between the centre of gravity (G) and the metacentre (M) - the theoretical point at which the vessel's centre line crosses an imaginary vertical line drawn upwards from the vessel's centre of buoyancy. The vessel's metacentric height (GM) is equal to BM-BG. Too low, and the ship will roll languorously in wide arcs from side to side, increasing the risk of capsize; but too high, and the vessel's roll period will be much shorter, causing rapid side-to-side movements which can easily dislodge cargo and cause very uncomfortable conditions on board. The IMO's new criteria specify various levels of assessment to determine whether or not a ship will comply with the second-generation criteria. Crucially, this process takes into account the latest developments in CFD simulations and model-testing, both of which can - and should, in some events - be used to verify compliance with the criteria. This is used to determine how the vessel will behave in different wave states, at different speeds. CCS has developed its own tools for evaluating the new criteria, Zhou Yaohua explains. “[Our] software has been verified and validated with model tests, and had been adopted as a research tool by Chinese delegation for the research and development of the second generation intact stability criteria.” In the case of the AVIC International Holdings newbuild, “... fruitful contributions were made by using this software,” Zhou Yaohua says. The assessment by this software followed the procedure required by IMO, published in MSC.1/Circ.1627.
The assessment software uses 3D model meshes, and the assessment covers all loading conditions of the vessel, many sea conditions and hull speeds.” Boxes overboard Vessels responding unpredictably to wave patterns is becoming a pressing problem, as the industry has seen major spikes in cargo overboard in recent years. The last year has seen a huge number of high-profile container stack collapses; in November 2020, ONE Apus lost some 1,860 containers in a storm; Maersk Essen, too, lost 750 containers in January on a voyage between Los Angeles and China. Meanwhile in other segments such as dry and liquid bulk, the risk of cargoes shifting or sloshing adds one another facet to an already complex equation. “By applying the second generation intact stability criteria, the loading conditions contained in the loading manual are assessed for the vulnerability to these five stability failure modes, including parametric rolling, excessive acceleration, dead ship, surf-riding/broaching and pure loss of stability, thus the risks caused by these failure modes can be controlled,” Zhou Yaohua concludes. New and more in depth forms of verification will not be able to solve every problem by themselves; concerns over lashings, container weights, and sloshing are yet to be addressed. But applying the IMO's new criteria means that vessels could change shape, with new hull forms plying the waves, which would go some way toward providing a stable platform from which to solve these other issues. AVIC's 85,000dwt Kamsarmax is set to be the first of many. By taking into account a modern understanding of hydrodynamics, and leveraging technologies like cloud computing, computational fluid dynamics and iterative testing to develop and test new hull forms, stakeholders throughout the maritime industry are working together to create a new generation of safer, more resilient vessels.
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8 The APL China experienced parametric rolling in Beaufort 12 conditions in late 1998
OCTOBER 2021 | 37
SHIP DESCRIPTIONS
US REINVESTS IN GULF RAILFERRY LINK Traffic flows between North America and Mexico will benefit from a new generation of train ferries built in China, writes David Tinsley
8 Built for heavyduty work: new train ferry Cherokee for US/Mexico service.
On a length of 180m and wide beam of 36.6m, the recently commissioned Cherokee is reckoned to be the world's largest rail ferry, incorporating 2,500m of track on two decks for 135 rail wagons of 57ft (17.4m). She is the first of a pair of bespoke newbuilds to supersede two 1982-built vessels that have maintained the connection between Mobile, Alabama, and the Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz since the opening of the service in 2001. Maintained by Jacksonville-based CG Railway, the joint venture of rail group Genesee & Wyoming and diversified marine transportation company Seacor Holdings, the operation provides a 956-mile crossing of the Gulf of Mexico as an alternative to the 2,200 rail mile cross-border routing, or 1,600 highway mile port-to-port journey. Cherokee and future consort Mayan, which is expected to make her debut in November, will cut the transit time from the present five days to just three days, by virtue of being capable of making 14 knots, twice the speed of the existing ferries. The much faster transits, enabling more sailings every month, in conjunction with an increase in load intake from 115 to 135 units, will hoist route productivity and capacity, raising CG Railway's potential annual railcar handling volume by 40%. At the same time, the standard of marine engineering technology accessible to the project ensures compliance both with the new order of emission regulations and with the environmental criteria now being stipulated by customers through their supply chains. Construction of the newbuilds was entrusted to China State Shipbuilding Corporation's Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard, using a design prepared by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI). China's now vast
38 | OCTOBER 2021
and multifarious industrial production network has ensured predominant reliance on home-sourced equipment and machinery, albeit with recourse to propulsion technology licensed from Europe. The Cherokee class employs Tier III-compatible twin main engines giving direct drive to twin screws. The installation is based on a pair of MAN small-bore diesels of the S35ME type in its B9.5 iteration. The six-cylinder models selected are of the EcoEGR version and are each rated for 4,800kW at a crankshaft speed of 155rpm. The machinery was produced under licence by CSIC Diesel Engine Company. For Tier III engines with exhaust gas recirculation, EcoEGR is a specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC)-optimised variant of the EGRBP bypass-matching system that is available on all ME-C engines with high-efficiency turbochargers. Overall SFOC is lowered significantly without increasing NOx emissions. This is obtained by using the new tuning method simultaneously to operating the EGR with 10-15% recirculation in Tier II mode, and with slightly increased recirculation in Tier III setup compared to the standard EGR control. Each drive train culminates in an Alpha controllable pitch propeller, manufactured by Zhenjiang Tongzhou Propeller Co, another MAN licensee. The three main gensets are of domestic design, comprising two 1,164kW models of the HFCS 632-84E type and a singleton HFCS 634-84K of 1,330kW, all emanating from Zhenjiang China Marine-Xiandai Generating Co. Twin variable pitch propellers and twin flap rudders, plus a 500kW bow thruster, confer the necessary manoeuvrability for berthing the ship stern-to at the terminals in the US and Mexico. The beam of 36.6m was determined by the two-tier, six-track shore linkspans.
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SHIP DESCRIPTIONS The forward position of the bridge and accommodation block means that a short section of the upper freight deck, otherwise completely open, is protected from the elements. The funnel casing aft is offset on the port quarter, ensuring unimpeded six-lane track access. As the number of tracks increases to 10 and eight, respectively, on the upper and main deck, the onboard rail layout incorporates multiple switchpoints. The main deck tracks are interposed by three lines of pillars supporting the weather (upper) deck. The design not only fulfils the need for swift turnarounds at the terminals, but also overcomes the technical challenges associated with a double-deck configuration (unusual in railships) and addresses the heeling moments introduced when wagons are being rolled aboard on the outer tracks. In addition, particular attention has been paid to the integrity of the freight lashing arrangements for the heavy, laden rail cars, given the demanding conditions that can be encountered in the Gulf on the year-round sailing schedule. Among the notable examples of long-term thinking employed in the new ships is a clutch of features spurred by Covid-19 and possible future such scenarios, as in the segregated passageways for local pilots and other visitors and separate HVAC systems to quarantine crew. Protecting customers' supply chains from potential disruptions fits with a design and operational strategy that emphasises service dependability and reliability, on a par with realising new efficiencies. The Mobile/Coatzacoalcos seaway railroad route currently transports approximately 10,000 carloads of widely varying commodities annually, serving shippers in Canada as
PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS - Cherokee Length overall 180.0m Length bp 176.8m Breadth, moulded 36.6m Depth, moulded 10.0m Draught, design 6.7m Draught, scantling 7.0m Deadweight, maximum 21,903t Gross tonnage 31,417t Displacement 34,555t Track laneage 2,500m Railcar capacity 135(of 57ft) Main engine power 2 x 4,800kW Speed 14.4kts Auxiliaries 2 x 1,164kW + 1 x 1,330kW Class ABS Class notations +A1, Vehicle carrier, E, +AMS, +ACCV Additional notations PMP, RW, BWT, IHM, TCM, UWILD Complement 25 Registry/flag Majuro/Marshall Islands well as the USA and central and southern Mexico. Freight includes chemicals and plastics, sugar, steel products, and pulp and paper. The 175m vessels being replaced, Banda Sea and Bali Sea, started life as semi-submersible heavy-lift ships before conversion into rail ferries. Cherokee took up duty with the southbound sailing on September 12, taking over from Bali Sea.
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9 High quality upholstery with individual logo stitch (optional) 9 Adjustable armrests 9 Variable seat depth 9 Infinitive height adjustment of the seat top 9 Seat angle adjustment 9 Length adjustment of the seat top
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OCTOBER 2021 | 41
50 YEARS AGO
ENGINE GIANTS UNITE
MOTORSHIP
THE
INSIGHT FOR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS
The international magazine for senior marine engineers EDITORIAL & CONTENT Editor: Nick Edstrom editor@mercatormedia.com News Reporter: Rebecca Jeffrey rjeffrey@mercatormedia.com Correspondents Please contact our correspondents at editor@motorship.com Bill Thomson, David Tinsley, Tom Todd, Stevie Knight, Wendy Laursen
The lead story in The Motor Ship, October 1971, concerned an alliance that seems to have been largely forgotten - not least by the protagonists and surprising to today's eyes. Engine companies Sulzer and MAN announced a collaboration in large marine engine design, research and development. This of course was well before Sulzer metamorphosised into Wärtsilä (later to become WinGD) and MAN was still to pair up with B&W. Younger readers may be surprised to learn that the two companies, which today supply most of the two-stroke marine diesel market, were ever partners. The expected result of the partnership was a jointly-developed large medium speed engine, the two companies abandoning their individual plans for a 1,000 bhp/cylinder four-stroke to work together. As far as ships were concerned, the main vessel description concerned a new generation of passenger/cargo liner, one which was soon to go out of favour as containerisation gathered pace. The Geest Tide was first of a class of fast refrigerated liners, designed to ply between UK and West Indies, principally for the carriage of bananas. For this cargo, the ships had refrigerated holds totalling some 350,000 ft3 (9,900 m3), corresponding to about 7,500 dwt. The valuable cargo was accessed through side doors and hatch covers supplied by MacGregor, with three cranes and six derricks. The tweendecks and tank tops were strengthened to allow the use of fork lift trucks. Sleek hull lines helped the six-cylinder Scott-Sulzer RND main engine, rated 12,000 bhp at 122 rpm, drive the ship at a 21 knot service speed. The 43-strong crew and 10 passengers all enjoyed a high standard of air-conditioned accommodation. The Wärtsilä name, 50 years ago, was associated with ship building rather than engines and marine equipment. One example of the output from the company's Turku shipyard was a specialised vessel for the Swedish Johnson Line developed for carrying just two diverse cargoes - timber from Canada and cars from Sweden. They key to this was a system of 10.4m long steel platforms, held in place by guides similar to those used on container ships. The same platforms were used for both cargoes, with up to 984 platforms carrying two cars each below deck and a further 210 above deck. For the heavier lumber, capacity was reduced to 887 in the holds. Two 30-ton electrically-
42 | OCTOBER 2021
8 Johnson Lines' Pacific was designed for two cargoes - timber and cars
driven gantry cranes handled loading and unloading. Propulsion was provided by two Wärtsilä-built Pielstick medium speed engines, each of 7,440 bhp, driving a single Kamewa CP propeller, giving a 16.5 knot service speed. Two vessels were briefly mentioned which would not look too out of place in today's newbuilding reviews. One was an LPG tanker, recently delivered from Hitachi's Innoshima yard, with capacity for 73,210m3 of gas at -45 deg C. The other, somewhat smaller, though among the largest of its type, was a 10,000m3 dredger, Humber River. What distinguished this vessel from her contemporaries was something the headline writer described as the “first steps towards computerised dredging”. Built by IHC in the Netherlands, the ship was powered by the first two marine examples of the Stork-Werkspoor V16 TM410 engine, each of 8,000 bhp, which through a complex arrangement of gearboxes, clutches and power take-off shafts drove the dredge pumps, water pumps and alternators as well as propelling the ship. The computer technology was designed to minimise risk of failure of any major component, employing what was then a comprehensive 170-point scanning, data logging and alarm system, including 35 parameters essential to the actual dredging operation. It was envisaged that rather than being punched onto tape for subsequent analysis, the data may in future be fed into a shipboard computer, for automating dredging operations.
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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 A 1971 Hitachi-built LPG carrier bears a striking resemblance to some of today's gas tankers
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