IMarEst Marine Professional Issue 3, 2021

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MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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Issue 3 2021

ART PRODUCTION CLIENT Issue 3 2021 • www.imarest.org

INSIDE: MODERN BATTERY CONCEP TS / DIGITAL TR ANSFORMATION / AIR LUBRICATION

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Contents

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“The shipping industry is now starting to recognise the potential of employing air lubrication on cargo ships and the future generation of green vessels”

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5 Comment A snapshot of the Institute’s finances

IN DEPTH Beneath the surface of maritime industry trends 7 Tidal and solar Moving beyond wind in offshore waters 10 Decommissioning The importance of considering end‑of‑life from the start of a project 11 Grey matter Making sense of stability problems in shipping 12 Troublespot Poor fire safety was blamed for the loss of a self‑unloading bulk carrier 14 Vessel focus Reverse engineering a historic icon using modern techniques 16 Influencers Debate: measuring the success of the UN Ocean Decade

FEATURES 18 Fuel and the circular economy Investigating the myriad routes to green shipping

26 Batteries Practical challenges around the integration of new battery concepts 30 Digitalisation The trends set to transform the marine sector in the next decade 34 Propulsion Why air lubrication is making inroads in the cruise and LNG sectors 38 Lubricants Revisiting a water‑lubricated propulsion arrangement 40 Predictive maintenance Examining the industry’s hesitance in adopting data analytics 43 Health and safety Safety first when choosing alternative fuels 44 History The rise and fall of Doxford engines during the 20th century 48 Cadet training Disruption amid the pandemic, and the government/industry response 49 Sustainability Measuring sustainability for the benefit of the ocean economy 50 Connectivity The health and safety implications of blind spots on ships

51 Biofouling Why regulatory updates provide fresh impetus for shipowners 66 The big questions Q&A: Madelaine Dowd, Helm Innovation Ltd

INTERACTIONS The IMarEST’s shared knowledge hub 53 Scrubbers Examining the effect of scrubber wastewater on marine environments 55 Heating and cooling Solutions to support the management of temperature equilibrium 57 Young seafarers Augmenting the declining supply of seafarers by attracting young entrants 58 Fellow Q&A Professor John Prousalidis, National Technical University of Athens 61 Branch spotlight With Ken Hogan, Auckland Branch 62 SIG update Informing IMO’s carbon intensity reduction work 64 Your Institute Updates for IMarEST members MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Carly Fields Group art director Jes Stanfield Managing editor Mike Hine Client engagement director Anna Vassallo

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ADVERTISING SALES Michael Coulsey 020 3771 7232 michael.coulsey@thinkpublishing.co.uk Samantha Tkaczyk 020 3771 7198 samantha.tkaczyk@thinkpublishing.co.uk Scandinavian representative Örn Marketing +46 411 18400 roland@orn.se

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CONTACT Marine Professional Think, 20 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JW marineprofessional@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7200 FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2021 IMarEST, The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology. Information published in Marine Professional does not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or the Institute. While effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate, the publisher makes no representation or warrant, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of such information.

It accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any loss, damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information which it contains.

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The offshore environment is a hotbed of energy generation projects. Whether it’s tidal arrays, floating solar or offshore wind, there is a fever building about the potential that the world’s waters might offer in the race to meet future energy demand.

Tidal turbines are growing in size – the world’s most powerful unit is 680 tonnes in weight and 74m in length, and in July started grid‑connected power generation at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland. Wind turbines are heading down the same explosive growth path. Solar arrays, meanwhile, might be lagging behind developments in tidal, but there are still innovative projects taking shape.

Synergies are starting to appear between these competing energy gathering technologies. For example, floating solar manufacturers have mooted the idea of floating their sun‑loving modules between in situ offshore wind turbines, better utilising an offshore area already given over to energy generation. The wins are many: grid links already exist, the operations and maintenance chain is already active, and sea use is maximised.

This example of one symbiotic relationship between emerging offshore energies should serve as inspiration for more. With varied and in‑depth marine knowledge and expertise, IMarEST members are in a unique position to uncover those potential gains, helping set the right foundations for future success.

Carly Fields, editor

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Felicity Landon Felicity is an award‑winning freelance journalist specialising in the ports, shipping, transport and logistics sectors.

Charlie Bartlett Charlie is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a range of leading international titles. He specialises in both the technical and commercial aspects of shipping and offshore energy.

James Jolliffe James is an economist at the OECD’s STI Ocean Economy Group, which focuses on understanding the contribution of science, technology and innovation to generating a more sustainable ocean economy.

Yrhen Bernard Sabanal Balinis Yrhen is deputy director for Albay, YouLEAD Initiative Inc, and member advocate of the 2030 Youth Force in the Philippines.

Keith Ray A Cambridge graduate with decades of experience in management consulting, Keith has a passion for the history of technology. He has written for Marine Professional since 2007.

Dennis O’Neill Dennis is a freelance marine journalist and editor with 20 years’ experience.

He is a former editor of both Superyacht Business and Marine Professional.

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COMMENT

Financial deep dive

BY MARTIN MURPHY

In my role as honorary treasurer of the IMarEST, I am delighted to have this opportunity to write the foreword to this issue of Marine Professional. Each year, I am required to sign our formal Annual Report and Accounts, but on this occasion I have the chance to offer some more personal insight into our financial affairs. I offer these comments in the wider context of what is happening in our maritime world and the impacts and opportunities that are relevant to the IMarEST. At our last AGM in March, reporting on the financial year ending 30 September 2020, I reported that we have been faced year‑on‑year with an operating loss, but much excellent work has been done to turn this around. In the previous five years, we have achieved successive improvement with each year, gradually moving towards breaking even.

However, from a global perspective, we must firstly respect the human and social impact of COVID‑19. The economic consequences worldwide have been clear to see, and the pandemic has also had a transient effect on the Institute’s activities, with events and trade shows having to be cancelled, fewer accreditations taking place due to the travel restrictions and the lower partner income, all of which have contributed to a weaker financial performance. At the same time though, the positive

news is that we have maintained our membership levels and made significant cost savings. Our investment portfolio suffered an 11% loss when the markets reacted to the pandemic outbreak in March 2020, but happily that portfolio has now recovered to pre‑COVID levels as markets have bounced back.

In terms of our overall net worth, as at 30 September 2020, it stands at £10.3m. Our listed investments and other assets have a value of just in excess of £14m, but this is offset by a liability to the Retirement Benefit Scheme (RBS)

I would like to urge you as existing members to get involved and to benefit from every aspect of the Institute’s activities and to encourage others to do the same for former employees of £3.7m.

To a large extent, we are in the hands of external forces in the determination of our net worth; we mitigate the risk in our investment portfolio in that it is managed by professional financial advisers and by that portfolio being in multi‑asset funds, sectorially and geographically dispersed.

Similarly, the RBS deficit is a function of its own investment assets being counterbalanced by the predicted pension payments to the scheme’s beneficiaries. It is a tightly regulated sector and, again, the Institute and the RBS benefit from professional (and mandatory) actuarial advice.

So, what can we do? The imperative for the Institute, managed by Gwynne Lewis and the executive team, is to drive us into operational surplus. It is clear that we are working in a maritime environment that is witnessing transformational change. There is an increasing public awareness of the importance of our oceans to the wellbeing of the planet.

The climate change agenda is becoming more and more prominent as evidence mounts to support a mandate for action.

As an Institute, we are active in a sphere of work where decarbonisation of shipping, intensive research in ocean science and advanced marine technologies will contribute to a better environment.

I believe that, in addition to the professional merit of being a member of the IMarEST, there is increasingly an altruistic element to why we are here. I would like to urge you as existing members to get involved and to benefit from every aspect of the Institute’s activities and to encourage others to do the same.

In the coming months, there will be an incentive scheme for you to introduce and attract new members and to help grow our membership – do take advantage of this and, in so doing, make me an even happier honorary treasurer.

Martin Murphy MSc CEng CMarEng FIMarEST is the IMarEST’s honorary treasurer MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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Beneath the surface of maritime industry trends In this section:

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7 Tidal and floating solar power 10 Decommissioning 11 Stability problems in shipping 12 Fire safety failure 14 Reverse engineering a historic icon 16 Debate: measuring the success of the UN Ocean Decade

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Moving beyond wind in offshore waters The challenges of tidal and floating solar power are considerable, but the opportunities are immense

BY FELICITY LANDON

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idal and floating solar power projects are advancing around the world. Some of the challenges they face are similar to wind or even the offshore oil and gas sector; others are not.

To put it in perspective, Michele Tagliapietra, solar consultant at DNV, says floating solar is already bigger than floating wind. In 2015, about 50MW was installed – “now we are realistically at more than 3GW.” Jason Hayman, CEO of Sustainable Marine, says that tidal

power is about 20 years behind offshore wind. At present, tidal power projects are focused on sites with extremely strong tidal flows.

But as costs come down, many more sites with slower tides will also become viable, he says. There are three main challenges to getting MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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a tidal power project off the ground, says Hayman: design/technology, finance/funding and regulatory/ stakeholder acceptance.

Up to FORCE

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In February, Sustainable Marine launched its 420kW floating tidal energy platform in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, which experiences the highest tides on earth. The platform will be tested in Grand Passage and then moved to the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) site as part of the first phase of the Pempa’q In‑stream Tidal Energy Project.

“Grand Passage, which runs between two islands, has a 6m rise and fall of tide – a moderate force, which generates 6–7kn currents,” says Hayman. “That is nothing to be sneezed at, but it is far less aggressive than at the FORCE site, in the 80m‑deep Minas Passage. There we have one of the strongest tidal flows in the world – a 15m rise and fall and currents up to 11kn.”

As with developing any new technology, getting to market physically takes a decade or so, he says. “While we are doing that, we are testing kit along the way in different environments – so it is a stepping‑stone approach, where we have been using Grand Passage as a moderate resource to test the platform, subsystems, fouling, environmental monitoring systems and operations. We want to take that learning from the test track into the real race and up to FORCE.”

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Financial support The first prototype for the platform was tested off the west coast of Scotland in 2017/18, then taken apart (it is a modular construction) and moved to Canada. Other tidal power projects are moving ahead with bottom‑mounted tidal turbines, but this, Hayman says, will be the world’s first floating tidal array.

There have been delays due to COVID‑19, but he expects the platform to be anchored in position

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and cable connections made ready to produce energy from the Minas Passage later this year. The project can be scaled up quickly, with plans to install 20 platforms in three to four years; this would deliver a total of 9MW into the Nova Scotia grid – reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and powering approximately 3,000 homes.

In the meantime, the company is looking at other markets.

Hayman says there are fantastic opportunities around the UK, and towards France and the Channel Islands, as well as many sites in Asia, “if we can get the right support mechanism in place”.

That, of course, is an issue. The Sustainable Marine platform didn’t stay in Scotland because the financial support was not on offer.

In the Bay of Fundy, the project is being supported by the Government of Canada with $28.5m in funding.

“There is so much force going through – one turbine produces the same amount of thrust as a Eurofighter Typhoon” “As costs come down, it opens up the number of suitable sites for tidal energy massively,” he says. “There are probably 100 sites around the world offering 7–8kn. For 5–6kn, there are probably thousands.”

Tidal power offers certainty.

Based on acoustic Doppler current profiler testing over one lunar cycle, Sustainable Marine can predict how much energy can be generated over thousands of years.

Mooring and understanding the seabed are, however, major challenges. The company has developed a rock anchor which must be drilled and installed within a one‑hour working window during slack tide. This, says Hayman, is not an industry for the faint‑hearted.

“There is so much force going through – one turbine produces the same amount of thrust as a Eurofighter Typhoon.”

Floating solar On the solar energy front, DNV recently published DNVGL‑RP‑0584, the industry’s first recommended practice (RP) for floating solar power projects, through a joint industry project involving 24 companies.

Tagliapietra says: “In 2018, when we started considering this joint industry project, floating solar was a niche and just starting to increase in terms of installation capacity. One of the biggest challenges was that there were no standards and no RPs. We wanted to work with players involved in solar and floating solar, to understand what the issues were and what they needed.”

He says floating solar power is “just beginning” when compared with ground‑mounted solar, but it is growing fast.

“We have seen quite a sharp increase. There are not so many companies already experienced in floating solar, but there is a strong ecosystem – companies from solar jumping into floating, and offshore/ maritime companies jumping from offshore water to floating solar. We also see offshore wind companies getting involved. There are some conception studies being done around hybridisations of floating solar with offshore wind – to use the area between offshore turbines to install floating solar and share cable connections.”

At present, most floating solar plants are in inland waters, but pilots and systems are being installed fully offshore. The largest development in the world at present is Chenya Energy’s 180MW floating solar project in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, due to be connected to the grid this year.

There are obvious challenges in offshore projects, not least is keeping moisture out of the units, a challenge that is no different to developments on inland water bodies, but the salty environment adds to that, with the need to ensure modules are resistant to salt mist.

In Depth, 2

“What we recommend is don’t leave O&M as an afterthought to be handled after installation, but design your system with O&M in mind” further from the shore, the higher the cost of transmission becomes.

“First we will see floating solar in near‑shore locations, then more offshore – especially when combined with offshore wind. Wind will still play a bigger role for many years to come because it is already much more established, but we think floating solar can play an important role in the offshore energy field.”

Maintenance Sustainable Marine’s floating tidal energy platform is towed into place

SUSTAINABLE MARINE

Solar modules “One issue is really understanding how the different components should be designed with a holistic approach,” says Tagliapietra. “If you take floating solar simply to mean putting modules on something that floats, you would oversimplify and underestimate the risks. You have to understand the interface between modules and floating systems, and the anchoring and mooring.

“Solar modules have been used on offshore oil and gas platforms, or on vessels, but this is really different. Floating solar involves a lot of movement of the system and relative movements of single components. You have to assess the hydrodynamics of the plant, wind, waves and currents combined and design a structure that is able to withstand those combined loads for the intended lifetime, up to 25–30 years. The most common accidents reported in floating solar are related to the anchoring and mooring.”

As with tidal power, floating solar plants are not subject to IMO rules but the regulations are

more aligned with renewables on land. That may become different if projects move further offshore, says Tagliapietra. “I think that will happen. There is a lot of space and a huge opportunity to be taken.

There are already pilots targeting these open areas. Big energy companies are already investigating floating solar offshore structures.”

He says power generated from floating solar plants in inland water bodies is expected to exceed 10GW by 2025 and he expects truly offshore floating solar to be commercially viable in five to 10 years. “The same constraints for offshore wind will apply to floating solar – i.e. the need to get the power to shore. One of the most interesting areas for this development is around the UK, the Netherlands and the Baltics. The

“There are already pilots targeting these open areas.

Big energy companies are already investigating floating solar offshore structures”

Floating solar requires a focus on maintenance, Tagliapietra adds.

“What we recommend is don’t leave O&M as an afterthought to be handled after installation, but design your system with O&M in mind.

We have seen examples of systems installed in a way that when you need to do O&M on the platform, you incur issues that could easily have been avoided – for example, difficult‑to‑reach modules or lower parts of floats, or cables not properly secured and kept out of water, triggering corrective maintenance or replacements well before the intended lifetime of components.”

He notes that there is a clear split between above‑water and below‑water activities – and everything needs to be easy to access.

Modules, inverters, cables, parts of floats, connections to anchoring and mooring all need to be as easily reachable as possible, without posing health and safety risks to the personnel.

Maintenance can be a challenge for tidal systems too, says Hayman.

To address that, Sustainable Marine has designed its system so that turbines and blades can be swapped and brought ashore for maintenance.

“Trying to work on components under water in the very small working windows is horrendously expensive,” he notes.

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Think about end‑of‑life at the start

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tidal power devices, it is much in demand, says Ingram. “We have two students working with EMEC looking at the flow conditions that a tidal device is subjected to at the EMEC site.”

A few months ago, Orbital Marine Power was at FloWave testing a scale model of its O2 2MW tidal turbine.

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Huge potential PRODUCTION

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PICTURES ARE COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

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ecommissioning is a critical part of the lifecycle of ocean energy projects, but it is not yet well explored, according to John Skuse, operations and maintenance manager at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

That, he says, is because few such technologies have reached the decommissioning stage following long‑term deployment.

“It is imperative that decommissioning is managed carefully, including design stages, installation, performance, right through to decommissioning,” he says. “As the industry continues to develop and mature, the ability to decommission devices efficiently and cleanly will be instrumental in ensuring site utilisation is maximised.”

FloWave A recent collaborative decommissioning study at EMEC’s grid‑connected tidal test site at the Fall of Warness gained a comprehensive understanding of the end‑of‑life condition of a tidal energy tripod, which had been submerged for about 11 years while two tidal turbines had operated on it. The findings have been used to provide design guidelines to

Top: EMEC sea conditions being recreated in FloWave (southwesterly swell with northwesterly wind sea). Above: Three tidal turbines being tested in FloWave under waves and current

the offshore renewables industry regarding the tools required to remove the tripod and what was learned about biofouling, corrosion and metals.

Professor David Ingram, director of Edinburgh University’s Industrial CDT for Offshore Renewable Energy, has worked closely with EMEC on numerous projects, particularly at the university’s FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility. FloWave has a 30m circular concrete basin containing a 25m‑diameter, 5m‑deep tank with the ability to create waves and currents from any direction.

Designed for testing wave and

GET INVOLVED The IMarEST’s Recycling Marine Structures Special Interest Group focuses on issues concerning decommissioning and recycling ships and offshore structures. To contribute to the SIG’s work, contact technical@imarest.org

Ingram says that while some of the basic engineering requirements for tidal energy are similar to offshore wind and oil and gas, anyone assuming that tidal power is “only underwater wind” would quickly get into trouble. “The forces that a tidal turbine is subjected to are much higher,” he says.

He believes there is huge potential for tidal power – in Scotland, for example, there are some strongly tidal channels where the tidal current is very powerful.

“Maintenance is the area that people are looking very hard at.

First, how do you design a machine for extended life? Do we really understand what the forces being applied to that machine are? You only need to talk to a local fisherman or sailor; the charts might say the current goes one way, but put instruments on the seabed and take measurements and you will find very complicated flows with a lot of large‑scale turbulence mixing everything up. You have to design your turbine for these conditions.”

For example, he says, measurements taken by EMEC showed that as a turbine blade was rotating, the difference in speed between the top and the bottom was about 1.5m a second. “How do you design blades so they can withstand that kind of loading?”

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Upright, but at what cost?

Making sense of stability problems in shipping

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BY MICHAEL GREY

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t is worrying to see so many instances where ships have disastrously become unstable, with enormous, multi‑decked car carriers lying on their beam ends, or containerships shedding their deck cargo while lying alongside a berth. We have been treated to bulletins from the disposal site of the giant vehicle carrier Golden Ray for more than a year, as the wreck removal team have been sawing the ship into “bite‑size” sections in a hugely expensive operation. The incident itself was over in minutes.

It has been suggested that there are basically three causes for these accidents: haste, poor communications and ignorance.

The first is a function of modern port and ship operations, with a growing emphasis on minimising port time, partly to compensate for climate‑saving slower sea passages.

Port and terminal managements know that they are increasingly judged on their cargo‑handling efficiency and, in a competitive world, are under pressure to make their port or terminal perform.

On the second suggested cause, if one drills into the core of these types of accident, inevitably, a breakdown in communications between ship and shore will be discovered. Each has a job to do, and both need to communicate

if the cargo is to be handled expeditiously and the ship is to leave port in a safe and stable manner. If the shore side is focused on getting the cargo over the ship’s rail or ramp as fast as possible, and the ship remains uninformed about the stowage plan or the weights that are being moved, there is the recipe for disaster.

Reliance on software On the third suggested cause, the situation where cargo planning in a terminal is undertaken by a former ship’s officer, who understands both ship operations and more importantly the principles of hydrostatics, is largely in the past.

Most planners do not have this background and tend to rely on software providing guidance that is designed to minimise overstows and unnecessary cargo moves. And while the ship will be attempting to maintain a comfortable equilibrium by ballast‑handling, it may be that they are kept in the dark about any changes to the proposed stow, or important weight changes.

Michael Grey MBE is an honorary IMarEST Fellow and a former editor‑in‑chief of Lloyd’s List

It is also important to recall that container weights should be treated with a certain caution and to remember that, even after recent container losses, weights have been discovered seriously in error.

Many of these points are emphasised in an important guidance note by Gard P&I club, which points out that in an era when cargo planning is largely done ashore, weights need to be accurate and not merely estimates. And most important, rather than rushing the ship out to sea after cargo‑handling is finished, the ship needs accurate and adequate stowage plan information to enable those aboard the ship to calculate their stability.

Indeed, Gard explicitly urges the masters of ships not to leave until this calculation is complete and, if necessary, to delay the departure.

Questions remain But where is the non‑mariner to obtain a grounding in ship stability, which is fundamentally a specialist branch of physics? And why are car carriers more prone to these stability problems than other types of ship? Is it that there is so much of the ship above the waterline? Gard suggests that in the high‑speed world of the vehicle berth, pre‑stowage plans may not be corrected in light of actual loaded weights. The ship, and those aboard it, need to be treated with more respect.

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Ablaze for five days

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Inadequate fire safety regulations and standards were blamed for the total loss of a self‑unloading bulk carrier

BY KEITH RAY

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n 18 June 2018, a fire broke out on the bulk carrier Iron Chieftain during discharge operations at Port Kembla in New South Wales. It proved impossible to bring the fire under control quickly, and it burned for five days, resulting in very substantial damage. The vessel was subsequently scrapped.

Fortunately, there were no injuries among the 20 crew and two visitors on board, nor any serious pollution.

Iron Chieftain was a self‑unloading (SUL) bulk carrier built in 1993

by Hyundai Heavy Industries and registered initially to Broken Hill Proprietary for carrying coal, iron ore and dolomite. Subsequently, it was purchased by Canada Steamship Line Australia. It was equipped with the necessary navigational, fire‑fighting and life‑saving equipment for a vessel of its size. The SUL system, which originated on the Great Lakes, consisted of a pair of conveyor belts passing beneath the five cargo holds, with the discharge from each hold being controlled by hydraulically operated gates. From the conveyor belt, the cargo was transferred to a vertical conveyor known as a C‑Loop elevator, and then to a discharge boom for loading dock‑side trucks.

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Alarm failures At 0222 on 15 June 2018, Iron Chieftain arrived at Port Kembla following a voyage from Ardrossan in South Australia, loaded with 41,832 tonnes of dolomite. The pilot

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embarked at 0530 and the vessel was safely docked. Discharge of the cargo began at 0755 on 15 June, but the tunnel conveyor had to be stopped to rectify a frozen idler roller. Discharge then proceeded for the next three days without incident, apart from a few automatic system stoppages. Discharge was expected to be completed by the morning of 18 June. During offloading of the cargo, the deck mechanic conducted regular inspections of the SUL system between 0800 and 1700, with a final round in the evening before retiring.

When it became clear there was a fire, the second mate activated the fire alarm, but it stopped after 13 seconds On the evening of 17 June, the deck mechanic noticed that the rubber covering had come off one of the conveyor idlers at the base of the C‑Loop elevator belts. This was reported to the chief mate, but the conveyor system appeared to be working normally. At 0300, the integrated rating (IR) on duty radioed the second mate, the officer of the watch, telling him that he was starting his inspection round. When he reached the end of the discharge boom, he noticed an unusual smell, like hot rubber, and some white smoke coming from the C‑Loop casing door on the main deck, which was always open during discharge.

Soon the white smoke turned to black smoke, and the IR informed the second mate and requested that

cargo discharge ceased. The SUL conveyor belt was stopped, and the gates below the holds shut.

At 0311, when it became clear there was a fire, the second mate activated the fire alarm, but this stopped after 13 seconds. Several attempts to activate it resulted in just short bursts from the alarm.

At 0313, a smoke detector also triggered the alarm, which sounded for just nine seconds. The master checked the fire detection system control panel, which confirmed that a number of zones were detecting fire. Subsequent attempts to sound the general emergency alarm failed, and the master finally made an announcement about the fire using the ship’s public address system. Land‑based fire services were summoned and the crew was evacuated.

Subsequently, the fire spread to the exterior of the ship, setting the discharge boom alight, and two heavy fuel oil (HFO) tanks were breached, leaking HFO into the conveyor area. Dense smoke and intense heat mitigated against direct access to the fire. Only by 24 June was the fire finally declared extinguished. The vessel was declared a constructive total loss.

It remained for several months at Kembla for removal of the remaining HFO and contaminated water. Then, on 27 March 2019, the vessel was towed to Turkey for scrapping.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) concluded that the fire started near the C‑Loop space where the cargo from the

Troublespot, 1 Iron Chieftain’s self‑unloading system

C‑Loop system Discharge boom

Transfer belts

Cargo hold gates

It was established that the vessel did not have an emergency plan for responding to a fire in the SUL area

C‑Loop casing door

C‑Loop spray system valve

longitudinal conveyor was raised to deck level, and was probably the result of a failed bearing on a roller on the conveyor which seized, causing enough friction with the rubber belt to cause combustion, the fire then travelling along to where the C‑Loop was located. Australian regulations at the time did not cover fire resistance of rubber belts.

It was also established that the vessel did not have an emergency plan for responding to a fire in the SUL area, and that there had been

Tunnel conveyors

failures in the ship’s alarm systems.

In addition, certain actions of the crew most likely aggravated the spread of the fire; in particular, the belt was stopped, whereas if it had remained running it could have been cooled along its entire length.

Wake-up call Rather concerning was the fact that the risk of fire in the vessel’s C‑Loop area had been identified as unacceptably high five years previously because of inadequate

fire detection and fire suppression for the SUL space. Measures taken at the time to remedy this issue were either inadequate or ineffective. The ATSB further suggested that the lack of adequate regulatory requirements or standards related specifically to the fire safety of SUL vessels had been a factor in several fires, not just on the Iron Chieftain.

Among several recommendations, the ATSB advised heat sensors and CCTV along the whole conveyor, and a water mist or deluge system in the conveyor tunnel. In a summary safety message in the final report, the ATSB found that the investigation into the fire on board Iron Chieftain has “highlighted the inadequacy of fire safety regulations and standards for the cargo handling spaces on board self‑unloading bulk carriers”.

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Reverse engineering a historic icon Bringing modern techniques to the restoration project of a trailblazing ship

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The TS Queen Mary connected communities for more than 40 years

BY ANDY McGIBBON

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hen the TS Queen Mary was launched in 1933, it was the largest, most luxurious steamship ever to serve Glasgow and the west of Scotland, carrying 13,000 passengers a week on the Clyde.

Built by Messrs Denny of Dumbarton, the 252ft steamer operated day excursions in the Firth of Clyde until 1977.

During the Second World War, it was an important lifeline to the Scottish islands, and in peacetime the steamship even carried Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), Her Majesty The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth), Princess Margaret and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

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Historic value

Today, the TS Queen Mary is the last of its kind and is listed in the Core 40 fleet of the UK’s National Historic Ship register as a ship of national pre-eminence.

The vessel was taken out of service in 1977 and moved to the Thames in London, where it operated as a static restaurant, before being scheduled for the scrapyard in 2015.

At that point, the charity Friends of TS Queen Mary was established to rescue it.

Thanks to the charity, the ship returned to the Clyde in 2016.

Fundraising has continued ever

since to preserve and restore the vessel as a static attraction at its new home berth at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Brookes Bell has been working with Friends of TS Queen Mary since 2018, offering engineering support on the restoration project.

Led by Kieran Dodworth, Brookes Bell’s director of naval architecture, and myself as senior naval architect, the project’s first step was to establish a plan of work to be undertaken.

The project team started with a complete review of surviving

Vessel focus, 1

drawings and carried out a full hazard analysis to assess the risks of operating the ship as a static attraction. It became clear that the work needed to understand the structure of the ship and to identify the actions necessary to complete the restoration was much broader in scope than initially anticipated, mainly because relatively few drawings had survived.

Back to the drawing board With demolition works to remove more than 20 years of materials and equipment well under way, Brookes Bell performed an informal vessel incline to allow monitoring of vessel stability as works progressed. Large integrated bulk containers were filled with water to known weights and moved to various positions on board. The resting angle of the ship was then carefully measured using long pendulums. At the end of this assessment, Brookes Bell was able to advise the charity on vessel stability.

A simple weight log was also put in place to allow future monitoring, and 12 tonnes of water ballast was added in the lower hull (starboard side) to correct a slight port list.

Next, a full structural survey – including an assessment of watertight subdivisions, the creation of an ultrasonic thickness map and an internal laser scan of accessible spaces – was completed in order to document the structure and identify areas requiring steel replacement.

The next stage was to organise the dry docking of the ship, which allowed Brookes Bell to complete a full visual survey of the hull.

Laser-like focus The restoration has been a very complex project, and everything the team has created has been reverse engineered from the laser scan data. Part of the complexity comes from the fact that it’s an 86-year-old vessel, built using construction methods which are simply not used anymore.

Progress was also slowed by COVID-19 lockdowns, but over

The restoration has been very complex, and everything the team has created has been reverse engineered from the laser scan data the past 18 months Brookes Bell has been working to completely reverse engineer the TS Queen Mary so the team can understand the ship’s construction, including the material properties of its steel. That has meant obtaining an accurate thickness map of every single plate, understanding what work was undertaken during two periods of renovation in the 1980s and 1990s, and finally documenting all of this

information in a new package of drawings for the vessel.

Brookes Bell used engineering software from AVEVA to create a full 3D model of the ship, which will be a vital tool for future conservation.

AVEVA, a global leader in engineering software, has donated more than £100,000 in technology and software to the restoration project.

It has been a long process, but the ultra-precise data and scans obtained by the team form the vital groundwork that will underpin the restoration project moving forward.

Andy McGibbon BEng PgDip is senior naval architect at Brookes Bell

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With the UN Decade of Ocean Science officially underway, how will we measure success?

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Alexis Valauri‑Orton BSc Program officer and International Ocean Acidification Initiative lead, Ocean Foundation ART PRODUCTION

The Decade’s success depends on enhancing ocean science and increasing science‑based ocean policies and governance.

Therefore, to measure success we need to look at both the science generated by the Decade and how that science is being incorporated into policy frameworks and used to guide decisions. It will also be critical that the Decade explicitly focuses on inequities in ocean science capacity and global decision‑making. An equity lens should be applied to all Decade activities and funding decisions, as well as all metrics of success.

CLIENT

Gianandrea Mannarini PhD MIMarEST Senior scientist, Ocean Predictions and Applications Division, Fondazione CMCC (Centro Euro‑Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici) Human activities on coasts and oceans make quite a difference to the cleanliness of our oceans. Science can help to mitigate the worst impacts, but only on the condition that the data gathered on human ocean activities is open. To generate real breakthroughs, data produced by the ocean industries should be shared with scientists. This will require new business models for addressing market barriers, as well as an objective approach to assess whether the data is fit for purpose.

These efforts will help to develop maritime data science, which will in turn successfully contribute to the ‘transparent ocean’ dimension of the Decade.

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Kanagalingam T Selvarasah IEng IMarEng FIMarEST MNI, BJuris (Hons) (Malaya), CLP Marine officer, Marine Department Malaysia The measure of any high‑level policy such as the UN Decade of Ocean Science is to develop and strengthen existing regimes with a harmonised framework. Respecting this, the building of a robust framework for managing ocean resources is a key parameter that can be used to measure the success of the policy. The framework should be flexible and fully resilient to capture key issues on sustainable ocean management. It is also vital to promote science and data on resource mobilisation within the framework so that vulnerable areas of the oceans are better protected and preserved. This will entail the collective improvement of ocean resource management with accurate scientific data. More is known about space than is known about our oceans.

IMarEST OCEAN DECADE FRAMEWORK The IMarEST is building a framework to support its four high‑level strategic priorities for the UN Decade of Ocean Science. An ideas‑sharing workshop was held in January with engaged members to plan out the IMarEST’s Ocean Decade activities, and two live sessions focused on the Decade at this year’s IMarEST Annual Conference. Also, the IMarEST’s Oceans of Knowledge 2021 conference in October is officially endorsed and supported by the Ocean Decade. Members looking to engage with the IMarEST’s Ocean Decade activities can register their interest at technical@imarest.org

NEXT ISSUE’S QUESTION

Is enough being done to support seafarers’ mental health?

Email responses to marineprofessional@thinkpublishing.co.uk, and if you’d like to continue the conversation, register your interest in joining the Seafarer Mental Health & Wellbeing SIG committee by emailing technical@imarest.org

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FUTURE FUELS

Hydrogen can eliminate emissions from vessels themselves, but it may be that the route to green shipping will involve offsetting instead

BY CHARLIE BARTLETT

There are straightforward measures to improve the fuel economy of ships. Solid sail technology – seen during the oil crisis of the 1970s – is seeing a revival, as is air lubrication.

Likewise, it may soon be possible to sequester CO2 at the funnel through carbon capture, allowing vessels to continue using today’s fuels. But synthetic or e‑fuels lead to a foundational shift in the contribution of ships to global warming, and are the best hope of meeting IMO targets. By offsetting fossil fuels, they can eliminate, not just reduce, CO2 emissions.

But there is more. Hydrogen, ammonia and methanol use renewable electricity as a feedstock. This would not mean building new wind farms just to make ship fuel, however. Energy grids cannot ramp up and down to compensate for the fluctuations of renewables; from time to time, they generate more energy than grids can handle. This surplus could be used for electrolysis instead, improving utilisation. In the short‑term, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, then, may be costly, but their uptake will feed a virtuous cycle which will drive supply up and costs down, and improve the already watertight business case for renewable energy.

Hydrogen economy Both ammonia and methanol use hydrogen (H2) as a precursor.

It can be generated using steam‑reforming from fossil fuels or through electrolysis of water, fired by renewable energy. With a density of just 71kg/m3, it requires enormous tanks to store, cooling it to absurdly low temperatures and/or compressing it under enormous pressure.

Instead, ‘carriers’ like ammonia allow hydrogen to be stored in the form of liquid media, whose

“The pathway to decarbonisation is uncertain and complex, with industry players choosing a variety of approaches” properties and specific energy content make them less difficult to store and a better option for larger vessels. In May, NYK Line, Nihon Shipyard and ClassNK signed an MoU with Yara International, a Norwegian chemical and fertiliser company, to study the practical application of an ammonia gas carrier using ammonia as its main fuel. ClassNK will develop technical verification for safety.

“The pathway to decarbonisation is uncertain and complex, with industry players choosing a variety of

approaches to achieving objectives set by wider society,” a ClassNK spokesperson said. “The primary role of class societies involves taking responsibility for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of actual projects; we will work with rigour and energy to support the practical needs of our industry.”

The large area needed to store hydrogen makes it vanishingly unlikely that deep‑sea vessels will use it. But it is a more feasible option for short‑sea shipping, and even more for ferries and tugs, which can refuel on short, predictable schedules. “In general terms, trucks and short‑range ships, with opportunity for frequent refuelling stops, will be able to use hydrogen,” explains Adrian Greaney, director of technology and digital for Ricardo Automotive & Industrial EMEA. “Oceanic shipping will tend towards ammonia, with lower storage volume and less demanding storage tank capabilities.”

CO2 free

Wärtsilä is operating on exactly this assumption and is currently developing engines for operating on ammonia. “The reason why ammonia is seen as a very interesting fuel for the future is that the emissions will be CO2 free; in this respect, it is only competing against hydrogen at the moment,

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The Green Maritime Methanol consortium is studying the possibilities for renewable methanol as a maritime transport fuel

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Below: Ricardo is investing £2.5m to build a hydrogen development and test facility in the UK

ART PRODUCTION GREEN MARITIME METHANOL

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and it is easier to store and handle than hydrogen,” explains Kaj Portin, programme manager at Wärtsilä Finland Oy. Surprisingly, older engines can use ammonia too, with retrofit.

“Older engines will be able to be retrofitted for using at least partly ammonia, and future engines will be developed as ammonia engines, he says. “Already by blending ammonia with LNG or diesel in a multi‑fuel engine, there can be rather major CO2 reductions achieved.”

But there are challenges to overcome. “Materials and safety systems need to be looked at and taken care of,” says Portin. “The combustion process in the engine needs to be optimised for ammonia operation. Emissions like NOx and N2O must be taken care of.

Toxic leakage of ammonia must be mitigated. Training of the users needs to be carried out.”

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Efficiency is king With more than a century’s mainstream acceptance, piston internal combustion engines (ICEs) have had plenty of time to reach the apex of fuel efficiency; this barely changes regardless of the fuel they MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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use, and hydrogen and ammonia are no exception, notes Greaney.

“Efficiency limits don’t fundamentally change with a different fuel,” he says. “Greater than 50% efficiency has been achieved in OEM demonstrator programmes using the latest engine technology developments, and recovering waste heat from the exhaust and cooling circuit – however, further gains for diesel engines will be ever smaller and ever costlier.

“We would expect a fully developed hydrogen engine to achieve similar levels of performance, but this level of maturity is a few years away,

“Solid oxide fuel cells are currently achieving higher efficiencies than proton exchange membranes” and will require research and development to achieve.”

Fuel cells, however, are a nascent technology thus far largely limited to space missions. The technology, which is already surpassing the ICE, is improving all the time – and there is nothing to stop fuel cells benefiting from waste heat recovery, just like engines. In theory, a large enough bump in efficiency could afford hydrogen vessels the luxury of storing less fuel on board.

“Fuel cell stack efficiencies still have the potential to increase through research and development

from today’s 60% peak efficiency (at ~25% load for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and ~80% load for solid oxide fuel cells) to 70% in 2035,” says Greaney. “Solid oxide fuel cells are currently achieving higher efficiencies than proton exchange membranes.”

Unproven lifetime durability There is precedent for fuel cells on ships, but not much. The offshore supply vessel Viking Lady features a fuel cell which can run on LNG (methane), methanol or hydrogen.

Now, Portin says, Wärtsilä is undergoing new trials on another Eidesvik vessel. “We are very much involved in making solutions for fuel cells with ammonia. For example, we are involved in the project ShipFC, where we are adding a fuel cell to the vessel Viking Energy in Norway.”

But whatever the results, shipping might be able to make the leap straight away, explains Greaney. “The efficiency of current fuel cell systems – not just the stack, but including ancillaries such as compressors, pumps and blowers (if not using ejectors) – is not well established for the large‑scale, high‑power systems being developed for marine applications. Ricardo Automotive & Industrial is active in that field, and has developed the Fuel Cell Architect simulation tool to develop high‑efficiency fuel cell systems.

“Fuel cells, in electrical propulsion applications, have the advantage of higher fuel efficiency, which is a big impact on total cost of ownership on high fuel‑usage operations (but much less so on short voyages), including the positive impact on storage tank size and cost.

However, that total cost calculation still has uncertainties due to the immaturity of the capital cost and the unproven fuel cell system lifetime durability.

Not binary

The route less travelled Maersk, meanwhile, appears to be throwing its considerable weight behind methanol. Doing so would allow it to exceed IMO CO2 reduction targets much sooner than the 2050 mandate. “Our ambition to have a carbon‑neutral fleet by 2050 was a moonshot when we announced it in 2018,” said Søren Skou, CEO, A.P. Moller – Maersk, in February.

“Today we see it as a challenging yet achievable target.”

Methanol is no zero‑carbon fuel; its emissions profile is similar to diesel, albeit with no sulphur or particulate matter. But

Wärtsilä is extending its knowledge of handling ammonia as a fuel as part of the EU‑funded ShipFC project in cooperation with shipowner Eidesvik Offshore among other industry partners

manufacturing it using a specific methodology, Maersk – along with its consortium partners DFDS, Copenhagen Airports, airline SAS, logistics company DSV Panalpina, and Ørsted – hopes to make it, at least, a carbon offset. Using surplus power from offshore wind, an electrolyser facility would be used to generate hydrogen and combine it with carbon captured from a carbon capture and storage system at a traditional fossil‑fired power plant to create ‘e’‑methanol.

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“The market cost of engines is mature, and the hydrogen engine cost projection is thereby relatively mature compared to the cost projection of fuel cells. Currently those projections show a capital cost advantage remaining with the engine and this, combined with the better maturity, makes the investment return clearer.

“So, we do not see this as binary. Several different fuels will be used: electricity (battery),

LNG (transitional role), methanol, hydrogen (compressed or liquid) and ammonia. Indeed, all these solutions are being developed, with demonstrators being planned to generate usage experience before the industry settles on their preferred solutions. The relative amounts will change as we move from 100% fossil fuels towards zero carbon.”

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The net result of manufacturing methanol in this way and burning it in a ship engine (or just as plausibly, an aircraft) is CO2 from fossil fuels entering the atmosphere. However, in the intervening step, for a given quantity of emissions, power will have been provided for a grid and for a ship, making the latter step effectively carbon neutral. Methanol has other advantages over ammonia and hydrogen, too: in stark contrast to ammonia, it is no more toxic than marine diesel; it is liquid at room temperature; and it is closer to the energy content of LNG. ‘Bio‑methanol’ is another version, based on biomass from sustainable feedstocks. Maersk’s project involves a 2,000 TEU methanol‑powered feeder vessel, which would burn either e‑methanol or bio‑methanol from day one of operation. It is due for delivery in 2023.

“In pioneering this technology, it will be a significant challenge to source an adequate supply of carbon‑neutral methanol within the timeline we have set ourselves,” said

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Wärtsilä’s biogas facility.

Right: Maersk is throwing its weight behind methanol

ART PRODUCTION CLIENT

Berit Hinnemann, senior innovation project manager, A.P. Moller – Maersk, in March. “We have a lot of work ahead to find the projects that are truly scalable, carbon‑neutral and capable of meeting strict life‑cycle analysis criteria. Maersk is very pleased to join the Methanol Institute and is looking forward to further engagement with green methanol suppliers to advance the introduction of carbon‑neutral methanol in global shipping.”

MAPPING THE ZERO‑EMISSION TECHNOLOGIES OF THE FUTURE

WÄRTSILÄ

BY JESSE FAHNESTOCK

22

Over the last few years, the world has seen an increase in pilot and demonstration projects exploring zero‑emission alternatives for the maritime industry. By demonstrating how zero‑emission technologies can be scaled and adopted across the maritime industry, such projects play a crucial role in advancing the industry’s transition.

The Getting to Zero Coalition’s Mapping of Zero Emission Pilots and Demonstration Projects attempts to chart this progress, with the most recent version taking stock of 106 projects and identifying some of the key trends in maritime decarbonisation.

In the area of large ocean‑going vessels, the most

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significant trend is the post‑2020 increase in projects demonstrating large ammonia‑powered vessels.

There has also been an overall increase in large ship projects focusing on ammonia, methanol/ ethanol and hydrogen, with a slight reduction in the share of total projects focusing on battery power, biofuels and wind propulsion.

Examples include the joint development project between Korean shipbuilder DSME and engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions to develop an ultra‑large container ship running on ammonia. Another example is Waterfront Shipping (part of Methanex) and its eight new methanol dual‑fuel tankers that will be delivered by 2023.

In terms of the smaller vessels in the mapping, there is less of an

acute transition towards new fuel types. However, there appears to be a preference for hydrogen, battery power or a combination of the two on board small ships. Many of the smaller zero‑emission vessels include short‑distance ferries and port vessels.

Beyond Europe In the Port of Amsterdam, H2SHIPS will demonstrate the feasibility of operating an inland port vessel with hydrogen as a fuel. The vessel will operate in both urban areas and the seaport area. In the Port of Antwerp, Hydrotug, a dual‑fuel tugboat running on hydrogen, showcases an important step towards using smaller vessels to decarbonise port operations and the possibility to trial such new technologies under a relatively controlled environment.

Future fuels, 3

Readily available?

Decreasing the payback time for new wind and solar farms is one way that shipping could not only clean up its own act, but be a force for good elsewhere. Yet there is another. In recent years, many shipowners have, in good faith, had vessels built or retrofitted to burn LNG as fuel. It would be a shame to waste that investment, and bio‑LNG is one exciting avenue towards preventing this.

In May, Wärtsilä announced that it had been contracted to supply a bio‑LNG liquefaction plant for Norway’s Biokraft. Due for delivery in 2022, the new equipment will double the capacity of an existing facility and produce bio‑LNG at a rate of 50 tonnes per day.

“Wärtsilä’s latest mixed refrigerant technology used in our liquefaction plants is extremely reliable and offers the lowest operating costs for liquefying biogas. We are proud to have once again been selected

by Biokraft since it represents a clear endorsement of customer

satisfaction,” said Maria Ortiz, sales manager for biogas solutions in Wärtsilä Gas Solutions.

Functionally the same as conventional LNG, biogas is not found at the bottom of the ocean or underground; instead, it emanates from landfills, agricultural waste and sewage. In the normal course of events, methane from these sources would simply escape into the atmosphere and go on to trap 30 times as much of the sun’s heat as the equivalent CO2.

But with relative ease, biogas can be harnessed and burned as a circular‑economy ship fuel, instead.

Engines are good at turning methane (LNG) into CO2; this means that, although it would emit as much as LNG, this would in effect be completely moot, because these emissions would have happened anyway. Even better, shipping could turn ambient methane emissions into less harmful CO2 emissions.

With a direct‑methanol fuel cell, the efficiency of this process could become even higher. Further, if

PORT OF ANTWERP

The Port of Antwerp is trialling a dual‑fuel tugboat running on hydrogen.

Below: Jesse Fahnestock

Although most projects in the mapping have a significant connection to Europe, the mapping has seen an expansion in the number of countries pursuing pilot projects.

For example, there has been an increase from 16 Asian projects in the first edition to 31 in the second edition.

The MoU between the ITOCHU Group and Vopak Terminals Singapore illustrates the interest in developing port and bunkering infrastructure in Asian countries. Through the project, the companies will jointly study the feasibility of developing infrastructure for the use of ammonia as a marine fuel.

With relative ease, biogas can be harnessed and burned as a circular‑economy ship fuel ships are to benefit from on‑board carbon capture – as plausible in this scenario as with any other fuel – even the eventual CO2 emissions are not a foregone conclusion, and in the long term, the largest ships could ply the oceans, carrying cargo and simultaneously operating as industrial‑scale, carbon‑negative, methane‑stripping machines.

Mixed feeling While there are many good strategies for decarbonising shipping – some of them, like biogas, being feasible today – shipping’s energy transition will, unfortunately, be at the mercy of other industries, such as power grids, agriculture and airlines. It may be that the maritime industry is forced to take a more collaborative approach than it is used to; but, for the sake of the climate, perhaps this would be no bad thing.

Fuel preference In terms of fuel production projects, the mapping shows a preference towards Power‑to‑X fuels that are derived from hydrogen. As hydrogen is an input for the production of both ammonia and methanol/ethanol, many show a hydrogen component in addition to another fuel.

The Copenhagen Hydrogen and E‑fuel production facility aims at producing hydrogen on an industrial scale, and the project illustrates how marine fuel production can be linked to other transportation sectors. The facility will deliver fuels for road, maritime and air transport in the Copenhagen area.

Jesse Fahnestock is project director at the Global Maritime Forum

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MEETING THE AMMONIA FUEL CHALLENGES

BY DEBASISH BHATTACHARJEE

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Ammonia as a fuel has design and handling challenges to overcome before being commercially available for the non‑gas carrier fleet. When used as fuel in internal combustion engines, ammonia combustion predominantly produces water and nitrogen. The main concern is toxicity, and additional measures are needed to control normal and abnormal discharges.

Understanding the requirements of ammonia gas – including low‑temperature service, pressurised storage tanks, flammable gases, and working with corrosive and toxic materials – is key to addressing the safety hazards of using ammonia as a marine fuel. Some of the considerations when using ammonia as fuel on a vessel are corrosion, design, equipment failure, cascading failures, safety management, and personnel training to reduce human error.

ART PRODUCTION CLIENT

Tank design Ammonia tanks need to be designed for temperature and/ or pressure control if ammonia is stored in a refrigerated condition. The additional space for fuel, due to lower energy density, may require larger vessel sizes, decreased cargo space or more frequent bunkering. For ammonia‑fuelled vessels, the specific vessel arrangements will vary depending on the actual fuel pressure and temperature settings of the fuel. It is critical that equipment and system design decisions consider this interdependence.

For ammonia‑fuelled ships, the main systems that require different or additional concepts

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Ammonia‑fuelled engine research and development needs to deliver an appropriate combustion technology in ship design are the ammonia fuel containment system, the associated ammonia bunker station and transfer piping, the fuel supply system, boil‑off, gas handling, re‑liquefication, the gas valve unit/ train, the nitrogen generating plant, vent piping systems and masts, and, for some ammonia tank types, additional equipment for managing tank temperatures and pressure.

Ammonia can be burned either in an internal combustion engine or used in fuel cells.

High pressure injection systems can help to minimise ammonia slip, an important consideration given its toxicity.

When ammonia is combusted in compression ignition engines, significant amounts of NOx are generated due to the high temperatures and pressures involved. Therefore, ammonia‑fuelled engine research and development needs to deliver an appropriate combustion technology and also evaluate the exhaust emissions to ensure NOx compliance with the regulatory limits.

Fuel cells The use of ammonia in fuel cells is still relatively experimental.

While it is possible to achieve this through an external reformer so that the hydrogen can be used in low‑temperature fuel cells (such as

a polymer electrolyte membrane), using ammonia directly in high‑temperature fuel cells, such as a solid oxide fuel cell, can be a more efficient solution.

Guidelines As a new bunker fuel, ammonia will necessitate the establishment of provisions and guidelines for successful start‑up. It is necessary to find gaps between established industry and marine bunkering contexts and solutions to align operations using technical and operational measures. Ammonia can be stored in liquid form pressurised, semi‑refrigerated or fully refrigerated depending on the needed volume for safe storage, varying from small, pressurised 1,000‑gallon nurse tanks up to liquefied 30,000‑tonne storage tanks at distribution terminals.

During transfer from one tank to another, either ‘cold inbound’ or ‘warm inbound’ is chosen as a result of the transferred volume and re‑refrigeration process.

Measures need to be taken to avoid leakage, handle toxicity and maintain equipment in good working condition.

Debasish Bhattacharjee MIMarEST is director of Sushe Marine Services Pvt Ltd

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Power up!

Integrating new battery concepts into ship architecture will help achieve strict future emissions targets – but practical challenges remain

BY DENNIS O’NEILL

When Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri joined forces earlier this year with energy storage systems specialist Faist Group to start manufacturing industrial‑sized lithium‑ion batteries, it was a clear indication that widespread maritime battery propulsion is getting nearer – and more profitable.

Developments in materials technology and manufacturing processes, along with major

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scaling up for the ongoing electric car boom, are aligning to both significantly reduce the cost of producing lithium‑ion batteries (from $176 per kilowatt‑hour (kWh) in 2018 to an estimated $76 per kWh by 2030) and put battery technology firmly at the heart of shipping’s urgent requirement for a cleaner

“Lithium‑ion batteries are, today, the only solution that is both technically and economically sustainable for full‑electric vessels”

future – something Fincantieri’s management clearly recognise.

“Faced with stricter environmental protection regulations and a need for greater storage capacity, lithium‑ion batteries are, today, the only solution that is both technically and economically sustainable for full‑electric vessels – which makes them one of the most important assets for the shipping industry,” says an optimistic Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri’s CEO.

Zero‑emission ships Japanese shipping firm Asahi Tanker, meanwhile, has just ordered the world’s first two electric‑powered tankers, for delivery in 2022 and 2023.

Based on designs developed by e5 Lab Inc – a Japanese consortium created to promote the development of renewable energy commercial ships – each 62m (203ft) vessel will be powered entirely by twin Corvus

Batteries, 1

Energy 1,740‑kWh lithium‑ion battery packs – enough to power the ships for 10 hours at half charge before having to be plugged into a shore‑side recharging station.

Asahi Tanker says the ships will produce zero emissions of CO2, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx) when they both go into service, ironically as bunkers delivering fossil fuels throughout the Tokyo Bay area.

Batteries as an enabler As a leading supplier of energy storage systems for maritime, offshore, subsea and port applications, Corvus Energy has, to date, installed battery systems onto 400 vessels – a quarter of which are fully electric and most of which are ferries plying Norwegian fjords, where operators have for some time faced strict restrictions on emissions of CO2, NOx and SOx. It also recently installed the world’s largest cruise vessel battery package – a 10MWh Energy Storage System (ESS) – on board AIDAperla, and earlier this year introduced a containerised battery room application – the Corvus BOB (Battery‑On‑Board).

“Batteries are the enabler for all future fuels,” insists Halvard Hauso, Corvus Energy’s chief commercial officer. “We have had a lot of inquiries from all over the world and expect the uptake of batteries to increase significantly in the next few years.

“The Corvus BOB container system will make it easier for shipowners to invest in green technology to modernise their fleets and help push the green transition towards a more sustainable shipping industry.”

This autumn, Norwegian inland waters will also see Yara Birkeland – a long‑awaited, fully electric, autonomous, 80m (260ft), 120 TEU container ship powered by a 9MWh battery propulsion system – start to travel on a regular 31nm voyage to deliver fertiliser cargoes to coastal deep‑sea ports.

IS THERE A BETTER BATTERY?

BY JONATHAN WILLIAMS, SIMON POWELL, ANTHONY PRICE AND CHRIS PRICE

It’s relatively easy to install a simple battery system to power a ship, but the complications soon begin to mount up. Lead acid batteries need careful management, and temperature control and fire protection are important with lithium‑ion batteries. A battery‑powered ship needs to recharge alongside, imposing a dominant demand on a port’s energy infrastructure. For example, the rapid charging point for the Elsinore‑Helsingborg ferry service between Denmark and Sweden requires a 10MW 10kV charging point connected direct to the local power station. This is 40 times the power of a 250kW Tesla Supercharger, or 1,400 times the size of a typical domestic electric vehicle charging point.

However, vessels do not need to recharge electrically. Rapid

Energy storage capacity can be expanded by increasing the tank capacity independently of the battery’s power rating

recharging could be achieved by exchanging discharged cells with charged ones, requiring cranage.

Flow batteries An alternative is flow batteries, where charged electrolyte can be pumped into batteries and tanks, replacing discharged electrolyte.

In a rechargeable flow battery electrolyte flows through electrochemical cells from tanks.

Energy storage capacity can be expanded by increasing the tank capacity independently of the battery’s power rating. The cells can be connected in series or parallel, determining the power. The system is suitable for electrical and hydraulic recharging. Hydraulic recharging offers improved efficiency as well as fast recharging: it avoids chemical‑electrical conversion to transfer onto the ship followed by electrical‑chemical conversion in the ship’s batteries.

After allowing for engine inefficiency, the energy density of diesel equates to 2,560Wh/L, whereas for the commonly used

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As decarbonisation gathers pace, ports will be required to function as major energy hubs closely integrated into renewable energy generation

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vanadium‑based electrolytes it is around 30Wh/L. At first sight, this means 85 times as much electrolyte would need to be exchanged compared with diesel fuel. Other electrolyte types are under development that may offer great energy densities.

However, after allowing for low load‑factor inefficiency, the use of shore power and more frequent bunkering, electrolyte refuelling becomes feasible in some applications. Electrolyte replacement could be viable for ferries on short routes, including cross‑channel services.

ART PRODUCTION

FLO‑MAR CLIENT

In the FLO‑MAR project, an engineering design exercise for a flow battery on the Portsmouth to Gosport ferry has been performed, to compare with the diesel‑powered Harbour Spirit.

Because the vessel would be able

Pushing through ice fields The most high‑profile lithium‑ion‑powered vessel at the moment is, arguably, the UK’s 128m (420ft) polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is still completing sea trials delayed by the pandemic.

Energy storage specialist Saft supplied two Seanergy marine lithium‑ion battery systems, which provide a combined 1,450kWh capacity with a maximum voltage of 1,011V – helping to deliver the peak power required by the ship when operating in dynamic positioning mode, and allowing the vessel to be fully fuel self‑sufficient for transoceanic voyages of 19,000nm.

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to top up its batteries when at berth, the battery volume can actually be smaller than the space taken up for fuel. The ballasting requirements would also be simplified. The design exercise included an appraisal of the benefits of flow battery storage for maritime use, which found: l Hazard analysis: A HAZID, led

by Lloyd’s Register, identified no major risks in the use of flow batteries. The electrolyte is non‑flammable and the high thermal mass of the system quickly dissipates any heat generated. l Configuration: Cell stacks can be separated from electrolyte tanks, allowing installation flexibility compared with lithium batteries. l Battery duty cycles and performance: For many battery types, lifetime is dependent on the method of use. Flow batteries offer 100% depth of discharge and unlimited cycle life, allowing greater flexibility in operation. l Battery degradation: Flow battery systems have been operating for more than 10 years, showing no degradation or loss of performance.

The predicted lifetime is high. l Environmental: Flow battery electrolytes are recyclable and retain

“The trend for electric propulsion is being driven by the needs of the marine industry to demonstrate that it is sustainable and energy efficient” The lithium‑ion batteries will also help push Sir David Attenborough through ice fields up to 1m thick while towing equipment over the side, with extremely low underwater radiated noise, and avoiding disturbing marine mammals and fish shoals or interfering with sensitive survey equipment.

“New concepts in ship architecture are now incorporating advanced battery technology

their financial value. Whole system recyclability is high. l Commercial: The lifetime cost of energy supplied for a flow battery is one of the lowest for any storage technology. Few strategic or critical raw materials are used in its construction.

As maritime decarbonisation gathers pace, ports will be required to function as major energy hubs closely integrated into renewable energy generation as

for pure electric propulsion that will change the way our seas are travelled,” says Didier Jouffroy, Saft’s marine product manager.

“The trend for electric propulsion is being driven by the needs of the marine industry to demonstrate that it is sustainable and energy efficient – and the growing adoption of full‑electric propulsion architecture for new ships is now proving itself as a strong alternative to conventional propulsion systems.

“This can be largely attributed to the recent introduction of new high‑power lithium‑ion batteries, which significantly alter the power management system of the vessel, with the goal to reduce fuel

Batteries, 2

BATTERIES

used to create the electrochemical cell. The all‑vanadium system is the most widely used, but others include zinc bromine and a range based on organic compounds.

These aqueous organic electrolytes appear to be particularly suitable for marine deployment due to their safety and low toxicity.

However, this organic technology is relatively immature and needs further validation work to support wider adoption.

Building on the success of the FLO‑MAR project, MSE and its partners are actively pursuing plans for developing and validating these technical options.

well as power‑to‑x infrastructure.

Grid‑scale energy storage in ports will be a key part of the mix to achieve security of supply for vessels and to minimise ports’ exposure to high grid‑reinforcement costs. Flow batteries have a key role to play in this transition.

Organic technology There are several flow battery chemistries, as different combinations of electrolytes can be

consumption, CO2 emissions and overall maintenance. By adding high‑power batteries on each engine – or more globally – to the overall power distribution, the new power generation has a completely different behaviour.”

In the ferry sector, Stena Link has just announced details of the

MSE International and partners Houlder, Swanbarton and LR are exploring an alternative battery system for ship electrification.

Jonathan Williams is CEO, and Simon Powell is operations director, at MSE International. Anthony Price is managing director, and Chris Price is a consultant, for Swanbarton.

new all‑electric vessel it intends to bring into service by 2030 – Stena Elektra – which will carry 700 cars and 1,500 passengers between Sweden and Denmark.

The conditions for change But, according to Patrik Almqvist, Stena Line’s head of fleet, there are still a number of fundamental reasons why the shipping industry has been lagging so far behind other transport sectors in the field of electro‑mobility.

“Batteries are a considerable challenge for large ferries,” he explains. “It takes a huge amount of energy to move a ship across the water – which, in turn, affects the bulk of batteries needed.

“Another obstacle is overcoming how to charge those batteries when in port. An average Stena Elektra crossing will require 30MWh of energy – equivalent to the daily electricity consumption of 850 households. Few ports, as yet, have the infrastructure required to meet such a demand – especially when the ship will only be docked for 60 to 90 minutes. Stena Elektra will, though, send out an important signal to the industry – if we want to achieve our climate goals, we must carry out these kinds of projects.

“We all agree it’s time to make a change, but it’s imperative that the industry’s decision‑makers provide the conditions needed to make it happen.”

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Digital transformation in full swing

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(but the way forward is still a path untrodden)

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Digital twins, real‑time operational data and digital business technology platforms are set to transform the marine sector in the next 10 years, a new survey has found

BY JOSEPH FLAIG

PRODUCTION CLIENT

As marine companies react to global challenges such as climate change and the COVID‑19 pandemic, cutting‑edge technologies and the solutions they enable are swiftly moving from futuristic possibilities to business‑critical capabilities.

Digital twins, real‑time operational data and digital business technology

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

platforms will all become firmly embedded within the sector in the next 10 years, according to a new survey of 323 marine professionals.

Carried out in association with AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software and driver of digital transformation, the survey reveals the key areas of focus as the marine ecosystem strives to take advantage of rapidly evolving digital technologies.

“Digital transformation seems inevitable, but there are many unknowns and many details to be figured out,” said Matthew Miller, transportation industry principal at AVEVA. “There is a massive potential for shipbuilders and design companies to provide more digital services to their end customers.

Real‑time operational data is generally considered a must‑have,

THE BIG NUMBERS

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67%

82%

75%

TWO‑THIRDS OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY EXPECT SHIPBUILDERS TO PROVIDE DATA LOGGING IN THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS.

MORE THAN FOUR‑FIFTHS EXPECT TO SEE CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES PROVIDE REMOTE INSPECTIONS IN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS. 54% PREDICTED DIGITAL TWIN MANAGEMENT SERVICES, FOLLOWED BY 3D CLASSIFICATION (51%) AND SIMULATION AS A SERVICE (41%).

THREE‑QUARTERS SAID MAINTENANCE IS THE PROCESS IN THE SHIP LIFE CYCLE THAT IS MOST LIKELY TO BENEFIT FROM DIGITALISED STRATEGIES IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY INSPECTION (68%) AND DETAILED DESIGN (64%).

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93%

EITHER AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT THERE WILL BE AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR MORE DIGITAL SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

BY SHIPYARDS IN THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS.

Survey, 1

to allow organisations to optimise and further increase their resiliency in times of rapid market changes.

However, the survey highlights that there are several challenges facing the industry in terms of digital transformation, particularly around the creation, ownership and maintenance of a digital twin.”

Digital twin With the amount of hype around the term, it might be tempting to think of digital twins as just another buzzword – but that would be to ignore their deep power to optimise entire systems. Our survey revealed huge support for their development in the initial phases of a vessel’s life cycle, with 90% of respondents agreeing that it is extremely important that shipyards hand over accurate, as‑built digital twins of vessels for improving operational optimisation.

Digital twins can take many forms. When asked which digital twin (design, engineering, manufacturing or operations) will deliver the most value over an asset’s lifetime, respondents said that

13%

ARE VERY PREPARED AND 34% ARE PREPARED TO INTRODUCE A DIGITAL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM.

operations are the most valuable subject, followed closely by design.

“The cost of maintaining a vessel could be six times that of design and manufacture, so it is in reducing the cost of operation that the greater benefit will be realised,” one respondent wrote.

Another added: “For the digital twin concept to be successful in the marine industry, it must be applied seamlessly and be additive through the entire project life cycle of a vessel – from design through construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance. That is the challenge: to strengthen the links through collaboration and partnerships.”

Owners and operators (40%) are best placed to effectively manage digital twin models, the survey found, followed by classification societies and shipbuilders (both 24%).

Real‑time data The global challenges facing marine organisations are many and varied.

Pandemics, climate change and cyber‑attacks all pose serious risk to operational resilience.

70%

SAID THE SKILLS GAP IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO IMPLEMENTING A DIGITAL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM, FOLLOWED

BY RESISTANCE TO CHANGE AND COST OF IMPLEMENTATION (BOTH 65%).

90%

OF RESPONDENTS EITHER AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT SHIPYARDS SHOULD HAND OVER ACCURATE, AS‑BUILT DIGITAL TWINS OF VESSELS.

Thankfully, real‑time operational data can help. Most (68%) said it is essential to strengthening business operational resilience, such as the ability to react to changes in markets and regulations.

“Without real‑time data it will become impossible to compete,” claimed one respondent. Another said it will be an important enabler for predictive maintenance, while another said it will help minimise the environmental footprint.

Platform for change Digitalisation is in full swing, and digital business technology platforms are playing an important part in enabling new business models and new ways of collaborating in the maritime ecosystem. These platforms, according to global research and advisory company Gartner, provide “the architecture to allow software engineers to build initial capabilities and add to them over time as business needs and technology change”.

Almost two‑thirds (62%) of respondents said it is likely or very likely that they will implement

40%

SAID OWNERS AND OPERATORS ARE BEST PLACED TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE DIGITAL TWIN MODELS, FOLLOWED BY CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES AND SHIPBUILDERS (BOTH 24%).

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a digital business technology platform as the basis of a digital transformation in the next five to 10 years, while only 12% said it was unlikely or very unlikely.

More preparation is needed, however, with only 47% ready to introduce a digital business technology platform. The skills gap was seen as the biggest barrier to implementation, selected by 70% of respondents.

“Suitable training and availability of skilled manpower with standardisation of basics in the marine world will take some time, owing to the international nature of shipping crews and varied training,” one said.

The other big barriers to implementation were identified as resistance to change (65%) and the cost of implementation (65%).

“Digital business platforms are key to enabling large‑scale digital transformation across an entire business,” said David Thomson, marine solutions manager at AVEVA. “The key question for our customers is: do you implement a fully end‑to‑end platform from a single software vendor, or do you build your own platform from major components?”

Digital services One thing was very clear from the data – shipyards will play a huge part in the downstream digitalisation of the industry. Nearly every respondent (93%) agreed or strongly agreed that there will be an increasing demand for more digital services to be provided by shipyards in the next five to 10 years.

Of those digital services, two‑thirds said they expect shipbuilders to provide data logging in the next five to 10 years, more than any other service – although only 43% predicted extended warranties if data logging is enabled.

Maintenance services followed on 61%, then asset performance management services on 57%.

“Handover of IoT‑ready vessels is a key expectation of digital savvy

ship operators, and we expect to see the first cases of this being mandated into newbuild contracts in the next few years,” said Miller.

operations, where standardised platforms will most likely be required for the evolution to fully autonomous shipping.”

Step change

Climate crisis

While the survey focused on digitalisation, half of respondents said innovative construction techniques such as modularisation and platforms will be the most important innovation to improve ship design and production phases.

“Further digitalisation of the shipbuilding process will be focused on designs that are more optimised for the operational phase of life and not only to minimise capital expenditure in the building phase,” said Thomson. “Standardisation and modularisation will support more reliable and optimal machinery selection and act as a foundation for the automation of marine

Finally, and while not strictly an innovation, several respondents felt that the climate crisis will inevitably become the most significant factor in ship design and production.

“Global weather conditions will continue to deteriorate before – if ever – they improve,” one said. “The likely increased frequency of extreme meteorological events suggests a commensurate increase in safety margins.”

Want to hear more about the research? Don’t miss our online On The Radar session discussing the findings on 28 September. Find out more at www.imarest.org/events

THE LAST WORD The marine industry is heading for profound transformation as social, political and economic Matthew Miller, forces drive transportation massive industry disruption principal throughout at AVEVA the industry.

With all the industry hype and inflated expectations floating around, this industry feedback provides a grounded perspective on where the industry may land on key digital topics moving forward.

Digital twin concepts can unlock value in the digital handover, building IoT‑ready vessels that improve operational efficiency, but issues with data quality, governance and ownership still inhibit progress.

As the entire ecosystem looks to engage in the digital future, it’s important to remember that no one can do this alone, and it will require extraordinary collaboration to meet the ambitious industry goals.

Researchers, shipbuilders, owners, operators, OEMs, regulators and technology and service providers will each have a role to play and will exchange ever more data in our digital future.

For smart ships to become a reality, the whole industry needs to become comfortable with the ever‑expanding technology base to deal with the increased design and operational complexity of the next generation of sea‑going vessels.

Our thanks to those who participated in the survey. We’d like to continue the discussion and share how AVEVA is moving to address the market needs for performance intelligence in marine and how we can help build a stronger data ecosystem.

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Forever blowing bubbles

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Having struggled for decades to appeal to the shipping industry, air lubrication may now, finally, be starting to find success in the cruise and LNG sectors

PRODUCTION

BY DENNIS O’NEILL

CLIENT

When the US Navy developed a technique in the 1960s to create a curtain of air bubbles beneath the hulls of ships to disguise their acoustic signature, they quickly realised that the bubbles were also reducing the hulls’ drag resistance.

Sixty years on, and what we now refer to as ‘air lubrication’ is only just beginning to make significant inroads with designers in the commercial shipping sector. Why then – if air lubrication technology is really that effective – has it taken so long for naval architects in the commercial sector to start incorporating it?

“Powerboats and navy patrol vessels have been using air lubrication for many decades to increase their cruising speed without much consideration to their fuel economy,” explains Alex Shiri, a senior researcher at the Swedish marine innovation consultancy SSPA. “The shipping industry, though, is now starting to recognise the potential of employing it on cargo ships and the future generation of green vessels.”

Air lubrication technology reduces a vessel’s frictional drag – without the need for any major changes to its hull form or

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operational speed – by generating a flow of air bubbles to partially separate the flat bottom of a ship’s hull from the water. The two leading technologies available to the industry at the moment are the Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System, which uses three air outlets installed into the hull, and the Silverstream System, which uses up to 18 air release units.

Other less commercially successful systems include the Winged Air Induction Pipe System, a series of small air chambers fitted to a foil for ultra‑fine micro‑bubble generation, and Samsung Heavy Industries’ SAVER System, which uses air dispensers installed on the bottom of the ship to spray out air bubbles.

Propulsion efficiency for LNG carriers The Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System was the first such system developed directly for commercial shipping. Using bubble drag reduction, it generates a flow of micro‑bubbles, each measuring less than 0.1mm in size. However, once these micro‑bubbles start to expand, they can no longer maintain their spherical shape, making them prone to deform in turbulent flows.

The most recent Mitsubishi systems were installed on two AIDA Cruise vessels in 2016 and 2017, but details of any efficiency savings they may have produced have yet to be published.

The most commercially successful air lubrication application at the moment, by far, is Silverstream Technologies’ Air Lubrication System, which generates a thin, rigid carpet of small gas (usually air) bubbles, less than 3mm in diameter, into the boundary layer of a ship hull through either porous sections of hull or jets in the hull surface to reduce turbulence intensity and thus skin friction.

The system can be used in all sea conditions and is suitable for a wide range of vessel types – both retrofits and new‑builds – including LNG carriers, bulkers, ro‑pax and ro‑ro vessels, container ships, tankers and cruise liners. Capable of being retrofitted in 10 days or less, the system has been approved

“The potential for machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to improve the performance and efficiency of the maritime sector is truly staggering”

Propulsion, 1 An animated rendering of vessels with Silverstream’s system installed

by a number of independent third parties, including Shell, HSVA, Lloyd’s Register and the University of Southampton.

A full‑scale investigation into how the Silverstream system can increase the propulsion efficiency of LNG carriers is currently being carried out by Wärtsilä.

“LNG carriers are a perfect match for air lubrication technology,” explains Piet van Mierlo at Wärtsilä Propulsion.

“Their size, low draft variation, high speed compared to other merchant applications, long operational time and large flat‑bottomed area are all ideal for air lubrication.

Expected savings are in the order of 6–10% for a 174,000m3 LNG carrier consuming 115 tonnes of fuel daily – approximately 10 tonnes of fuel savings a day.

“LNG carriers are among the biggest polluters in the industry, but air lubrication can be applied alongside other technologies such as batteries, hybrid systems and wind energy to help designers

and operators more easily comply with emissions regulations while maintaining the operational flexibility of the ship. The technology has already been implemented in a variety of vessels of different sizes and types with great success.

“It is relatively simple system that has been designed for a high utilisation rate with low maintenance requirements. It also has the added benefit that air bubbles keep the flat‑bottomed area clean, stopping marine growth from creating drag.”

Machine learning The University of Southampton is also now conducting a two‑year research programme with Silverstream to apply machine‑learning techniques to the design of its air lubrication system – led by Dr Adam Sobey, associate professor in the university’s Maritime Engineering Group and co‑lead of the marine and maritime group in the Data‑Centric

“It is relatively simple system that has been designed for a high utilisation rate with low maintenance requirements” Engineering programme at the Alan Turing Institute.

“The potential for machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to improve the performance and efficiency of the maritime sector is truly staggering, which is why this partnership with Silverstream is so important,” says Sobey.

“It will allow us to build on fundamental research on machine learning to accelerate the push for efficiency that the maritime sector desperately needs to meet its decarbonisation goals.”

The team will analyse data taken from Silverstream systems already fitted to commercial vessels to project its optimal theoretical maximum savings potential.

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A 3D depiction of the fully integrated Silverstream system

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in‑operation installations of the Silverstream system that can be used for performance prediction and optimisation,” says Noah Silberschmidt, CEO of Silverstream Technologies. “The development of new expertise will help us understand and master this vast source of potential improvement.”

Green fleets Earlier this year, the Silverstream system demonstrated 5.1% fuel and emissions savings during trials, in a range of sea states, of Grimaldi Group’s new‑build ro‑ro vessel Eco Valencia – the first of nine Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) designs to be installed with the technology.

“The trials conducted – with the ship in fully loaded service – showed the air bubbles covering the entire hull bottom,” says Alberto Portolano, AirLub project manager at Grimaldi Group, “and the CO2 reductions that it is able to generate are an important step in our aim to lead on shipping sustainability.”

Silverstream is also about to install its system on Grimaldi Group subsidiary Finnlines’ three new‑build GG5G ro‑ro vessels and two new ro‑pax vessels.

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku, meanwhile, has just

Grimaldi Group has ordered nine new ro-ro vessels with air lubrication

begun construction of Icon of the Seas – the first in a series of three LNG‑powered, 200,000‑tonne cruise ships for Royal Caribbean International, all designed with a special focus on environmental technologies, including air

lubrication and an advanced waste‑heat recovery system to turn waste heat into up to 3MW of extra energy.

“With the new sulphur cap and decarbonisation targets, the commercial case for proven clean technology has never been stronger,” says Silberschmidt. “Now is the time for shipowners to take action to reduce their operational costs and their impact on the environment – and systems like ours will help unlock the power of air lubrication technology for more and more vessels across the sector.”

GET IN TOUCH To continue the conversation, contact the IMarEST’s Marine Fuels and Emissions SIG at www.imarest. org/special‑interest‑groups/ marine‑fuels‑and‑emissions MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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Revisiting stern tube lubrication options

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Could the water‑based solutions of the past offer a greener and cleaner solution?

BY PATRIK WHEATER

ART

Some shipowners want to return to a water‑lubricated propulsion arrangement, but shipyards are preventing the wider take‑up of the environmentally sustainable solution, preferring to maintain the status quo by supplying standard ships with local equipment for financial benefit.

That was the opinion of some of the panellists speaking at an industry webinar in which representatives from oil supplier Gulf Marine Oil, polymer bearings pioneer Thordon Bearings and ship manager Delta Corp Shipping were asked if it is time to give up the oil‑lubricated propeller shaft.

Discussing the pros and cons of oil‑ and water‑based stern tube lubricants, all three companies agreed that the water‑lubricated approach is the better solution, although there were differences of opinion when it came to technical performance and pollution data.

PRODUCTION CLIENT

Oil loss debated Gulf Marine Oil’s technical director Don Gregory, for instance, was sceptical of the statistics, dismissing data compiled by New York‑based Environmental Research Consulting that found 240 million litres of operational oil escape from ships annually.

Unable to find any other related data, Gregory said: “I challenge the data and the implications. [The study] contains little or no real measurements, only estimates.”

He then went on to provide his own estimation of the amount

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leaked: 10 litres per month per ship.

However, when you consider the commercial shipping fleet comprises a conservative 50,000 ships, even Gregory’s trickle amounts to six million litres of oil spilling into the marine environment each year.

Quantity aside, and admitting that oil losses do occur from stern A COMPAC bearing, part of Thordon Bearings’ open seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing system

“Costs seem to be driving the stern tube more to water lubrication. It appears water lubrication is turning back history” seals with the “flexing of the shafts”, Gregory said water‑lubricated propulsion is gaining ground. “Costs seem to be driving the stern tube more to water lubrication. It appears water lubrication is turning back history,” he said.

There are technical merits to both solutions, agreed the panel, largely dependent on the type of vessel and the operational profile – whether it is slow steaming, for instance.

Caroline Huot, senior vice president, ship management, at Delta Corp Shipping – a company with more than 50 vessels under its charge – acknowledged the possible long‑term operational cost benefits

of water‑lubricated propulsion, but questioned the technical complexity of transitioning from oil to water.

“Until now I have only experienced an oil‑lubricated system [but] I am interested to know about the shipyards proposing this technology. The question is: when you look at water‑lubricated shafts, are the guarantees sufficient?”

Balance of power While Chinese yards are delivering water‑lubricated newbuilds, George Morrison, regional manager of Thordon Bearings, said that, in the main, shipbuilders are blocking the wider return to water‑lubricated propulsion – a solution common to most ships until the 1950s.

He said that the relationship with the shipyard is one of the biggest challenges, because shipyards are used to producing standard ships, with oil‑lubricated systems. “The shipyard, as a business entity, largely speaking, doesn’t care about the environment or the through‑life costs of the vessel.”

Morrison said when shipowners approach yards for water lubrication, shipyards have, in his experience, used it as an excuse to bump up the price. “In reality, the difference in the build cost is pretty much zero. I would argue it is even lower. A lot depends on the balance of power between shipowner and shipyard.”

Morrison claims that substantially more ships would George Morrison be operating

Lubricants, 1 Oil-lubricated stern tube illustration

water‑lubricated shaft lines today if shipbuilders took a more pragmatic approach to protecting not only the marine environment, but also their customers’ bottom line.

“Shipowners are concerned about the environment, but also the cradle‑to‑grave costs of the ship right through to the disposal. They are interested in trying to push forward with this technology.”

Collective responsibility There’s also the cost of the lubricant itself. A typical ‘sealed’ oil‑lubricated stern tube system is filled with about 1,500 litres of mineral or synthetic oil. Despite this being considered a closed system, frequent propeller shaft seal oil leakage and topping up of the head tank is viewed as normal operational consumption and acceptable.

On a practical level, Huot asked how the condition of a water‑lubricated shaft is monitored, “considering the shaft is one of the most important elements for safe navigation”.

“If you’re measuring a high temperature, it’s probably already too late,” said Morrison. “The reason is these materials are largely insulators. The basic principle is that you measure the quality of

“We need to think about who is accountable. We have been going through 30 to 40 years of shipbuilding and optimising costs” the inputs, so if you’re supplying appropriate water at appropriate temperatures and appropriate flow rates, then you can have absolute confidence that the system is operating correctly. Through‑life measurements of bearing wear rates also provide information on what the bearing is doing.”

Another point raised was that water is better than oil in terms of removing heat. And when a water‑lubricated stern tube is operating within its design parameters, at full power and speed and at lower RPM, the system “operates hydrodynamically”, in the same way as an oil‑lubricating system.

When asked whether they would consider requesting an open seawater‑lubricated shaft line if it was available at roughly the same price as a sealed oil‑lubricated shaft line, the panellists said yes.

They went further, stating that the industry has to take collective responsibility in dealing with pollution, whatever the source.

“We need to think about who is accountable,” said Gregory.

“We have been going through 30 to 40 years of shipbuilding and optimising costs. But we’re into a future now where we don’t want to be discharging oil or we don’t want to be increasing CO2 emissions. Somebody’s got to take responsibility, otherwise we’re going to come to a dead stop.

“We really need to start thinking about the problems we are trying to solve. And if we take a singular view on it – say, we just try to solve oil leakage – I think we miss a lot. The shipping industry doesn’t seem to be moving along in that direction whatsoever. It all seems to be driven by cost and this needs to change if we are going to advance.”

FIND OUT MORE To get involved in the IMarEST’s efforts to support safety in ship design, maintenance and repair, register your interest in becoming a member of the Ship Maintenance, Repair and Safety Special Interest Group committee by contacting technical@imarest.org

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Hurdles to predictive maintenance take‑up

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Few would argue against the potential of data analytics to transform predictive maintenance. So why the hesitancy in moving ahead?

CLIENT

BY FELICITY LANDON

It seems there is huge interest in using data analytics to sharpen on‑board maintenance, but a lack of confidence, understanding and clarity is holding some back, while broader issues such as integration, standardisation and trust are also creating obstacles.

Don’t think this is a simple issue, says Frank Paleokrassas, head of data governance and analytics at ship manager BSM. “Whenever someone thinks about predictive maintenance, they think you just take a piece of equipment, install some sensors and that is it. Unfortunately, it is more complicated. There needs to be a holistic maintenance concept to support it all – otherwise, you just buy equipment from a certain maker, it is only working on a specific ship and Frank Paleokrassas you rely on their

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analysis – and that is something not connected with your own maintenance system.”

To put things into perspective, BSM has over 400 vessels in full management and almost 200 in crew management, across numerous types and sizes. “We have worked on many pilot projects, but ultimately it must all bind together and work holistically within our integrated system,” says Paleokrassas.

Informational silos BSM is working with a third‑party vendor on a vibration analysis pilot.

“More importantly, we are revising our own maintenance system so that it can consolidate this type of data to actually create a more complete picture of what is happening. You might have vibration analysis at one end and periodic lubricant analysis at the other; once you start putting it all together, you get a better picture of what the machinery altogether is doing.”

In fact, he says, while vibration analysis can give an early indicator

Engine fault diagnostics is one area where data analytics could assist with maintenance

of “a failure about to happen”, it doesn’t go far enough. “We are more interested in being able to determine the exact remaining useful life of the component in question and moving to a scenario where we do proper predictive and reliability‑centred maintenance, extending time between overhauls and thus reducing spare part consumption.”

In another trial, BSM is focusing on engine fault diagnostics, combining data from various locations and putting this through internally developed algorithms, and it is also trialling combining this with edge computing and on‑board analytics (as opposed to onshore) on four ships.

Paleokrassas finds the “informational silos” of equipment

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“Increasing the amount and accessibility of data will increase transparency and insights for the shipowner” makers frustrating. “You have an engine maker, alarm monitor maker, navigational equipment maker – they exchange the bare minimum information and this makes any integration work very difficult. More often than not, when you need extra information from one maker – even though it is your ships, your data – you still need to pay someone to go on board and unlock all these signals so you can finally access them. Even more annoying is when makers say, ‘you need to subscribe to our service

where we do it for you’, so they have control over our data.”

According to DNV, data ownership, trust and cost are key concerns among shipowners.

“Increasing the amount and accessibility of data will increase transparency and insights for the shipowner, but at the possible risk that this data is more available externally,” says principal researcher Silje Brathagen With, head of DNV’s Data Driven Services Group. “If it means the regulators will increase the required safety level, what might the costs of that be? Some actors are sitting on the fence, very happy with their existing business model and margins, and they worry that this increased transparency might threaten that business model.”

Data concerns There are also concerns about who owns the data, says Thomas Knödlseder, principal engineer at DNV. “Our clients have become very interested in the time the data will be retained, and if they can have an influence on that: what are the uses, how long do we keep it, etc.”

Also, he says, data can reveal things that it was not intended to reveal. That can be good, or not, depending on the situation and your point of view.

“Interestingly, this is also opening up secondary uses for data – suddenly you can use data again Thomas for something Knödlseder different.”

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A more future-proof maintenance strategy is now within reach for shipowners

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Over the past five years, data that previously seemed unrelated has become useful and possibly even valuable, says Knödlseder, “because we have the means and methods to more easily combine these different data streams. That certainly has changed the industry’s mindset, with the question now becoming: do we keep on going with the existing sensors, add more or add different ones to see if this shows us something new?”

More control There is increased awareness of the need for standardised interfaces for exchanging data, says DNV principal researcher Steinar Låg, while contracts should make clear what data the shipowner requires from the OEM and vice versa. “Clearer contracts and standardisation of technical interfaces will help to remove these constraints.”

Another bottleneck is Knut Erik Knutsen that ships rely on

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“There must be concrete outcomes and value‑adding features of the services, on top of the good sales pitches and marketing material” wireless communication – which reduces bandwidth and impacts connectivity, reducing the data you can send onshore in real time.

However, connectivity is increasing and new technologies will enable storage and processing of more data on board, he says.

Knut Erik Knutsen, principal researcher, expects to see more OEMs involved in data analytics, firstly because they have good knowledge of their products and the failure points, and can install sensors during production, and secondly because it will allow more control over maintenance planning. This could enable OEMs to explore new business models involving sensor data and analytics. “But we also see that some are holding back because this involves risk – risk that currently sits with the shipowner and their maintenance department.”

Knödlseder says shipowners today have a better understanding of the potential of data analytics. “Very often, shipowners or operators aren’t fully aware of their status quo.

If you want to do the investment, install sensors and change your maintenance strategy to be more future‑proof, then the question is: where are you today? What machinery should you pay more attention to, based on the data and reporting that is already available?”

Customers are very interested in solutions like AI and advanced diagnostics‑powered predictive maintenance, says Patrik Strand, general manager, performance service product management, at Wärtsilä.

“Many are eager to try out new things. However, seeing and experiencing is believing,” he says.

“There must be concrete outcomes and value‑adding features of the services, on top of the good sales pitches and marketing material.”

He says many want to move in the direction of ever‑more data‑driven decision‑making, but customers and shipowners still appreciate the ‘human in the loop’ factor, having an expert review the outcomes and add knowledge and expertise.

“What’s important is not only proactively knowing of an anomaly or emerging potential failure, but also what the severity and underlying reason is, as well as what proactive measures and next best actions should be taken by the on‑board crew for continued safe, reliable and efficient operations.”

GET INVOLVED To contribute to the IMarEST’s efforts to support safety in ship maintenance, register your interest in becoming a member of the Ship Maintenance, Repair and Safety Special Interest Group committee by contacting technical@imarest.org

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Safety first when choosing alternative fuels

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Whichever fuel solution is chosen, handling risks need to be carefully considered

Hydrogen is highly flammable with a lower ignition energy than gasoline or natural gas, which means it can ignite more easily.

Consequently, adequate ventilation and leak detection are both important elements in the design of safe hydrogen systems.

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The risks

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BY MARTIAL CLAUDEPIERRE CLIENT

Fuels remain firmly in the spotlight as shipping strives to decarbonise. From bio‑LNG and synthetic LNG to hydrogen and ammonia, the industry must focus its efforts on understanding which future fuels have the potential to deliver safe, scalable and commercially viable solutions to the market.

Bureau Veritas is actively supporting the energy transition by providing rules and guidelines for safety, risk assessments and performance requirements for innovation.

LNG is both a technically proven and a commercially viable solution. Although the safety considerations of integrating an LNG propulsion system require shipyards, owners and designers to understand the challenges, LNG is now one of the most extensively used alternative fuels.

The hazards for LNG are well known. When considering LNG

bunkering, the primary hazards are LNG leakage or spillage, vapour release, tank over‑pressurisation, overfilling or unexpected venting.

Although current guidelines are well developed, the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel is working on new bunkering safety guidelines.

Biofuel is expected to be purer, and therefore easily managed with current industry knowledge.

Ammonia and hydrogen While ammonia is viewed as a promising alternative fuel and could be considered as a hydrogen carrier, it has a lower energy density compared with other fuels.

Toxicity is the major concern.

Stringent measures will be required to protect crew and passengers from exposure.

Ammonia usage as a fuel on vessels is complex and requires a highly trained crew, and exclusion zones are necessary. Its advantage is that it is fairly soluble in water, but although Bureau Veritas has released its in‑depth fuel notation and associated rules, NR671, we continue to undertake studies.

Due to its nature, gaseous hydrogen can generate risk of surface metallic adsorption and embrittlement, and when stored in liquid form it requires storage at cryogenic temperature, so selecting the appropriate materials is important to the design of safe hydrogen systems. Training in safe hydrogen handling practices is also key. We are in the pilot phase for hydrogen, but future use on a larger scale is difficult to predict. Research is being undertaken on the value of different solutions, such as solid oxide fuel cells or reformers and internal combustion engines for vessels to carry ammonia or methane to extract hydrogen, and then storing the carbon using carbon capture systems.

Providing new fuel rules and notations is a critical step in enabling cross‑industry efforts to develop new fuels. It is essential for class societies to support marine engineers, shipowners, designers, shipyards and charterers in advancing their journeys toward a zero‑carbon future. Considering the properties of all potential future fuels, and their suitability for specific vessels and operations, is key to ensuring a safer shipping industry as we move towards industry‑wide decarbonisation.

Martial Claudepierre is the sustainable shipping global technology leader at Bureau Veritas MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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The rise and fall of Doxford engines

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Some early slow‑speed marine diesel engines were weird, very few were wonderful. The Doxford design came to dominate, but unfortunately, it wasn’t only their pistons that went up and down

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BY TIM GIBBS

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Around a century ago, the William Doxford & Sons shipyard in Sunderland was building steam‑powered ships with reciprocating machinery.

The potential for reduced fuel consumption and manning costs from diesel engines prompted the development of its own engine, but WW1 delayed the first production engine until 1921.

Doxford experienced difficulties using Rudolf Diesel’s principle of constant pressure combustion but found excellent performance using part constant volume and part constant pressure. As a result, Doxford always referred to its engine not as a diesel but as an oil engine.

The Yngaren, a 9,300dwt freighter, was the first to be fitted with the engine and was considered the first successful large deep‑sea motor ship.

The relatively long stroke led to the engine being known as the L‑type.

It had four cylinders of 580mm bore, producing 2,700bhp, had the nomenclature 58L4 and its success was the springboard for nearly 60 years of Doxford engine building.

By 1922, Doxford was concentrating on building oil engines, producing over 20 in the next decade and developing designs for a range of cylinder bore sizes and also a short‑stroke engine, the S‑type.

Their opposed piston arrangement resulted in no combustion loads being transmitted to the engine structure as they were all carried by

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the crankshaft, enabling the structure to be lightly built. However, top and bottom pistons having equal strokes caused unbalanced reciprocating forces, and in 1928 the top piston stroke was shortened, allowing the forces to be balanced and giving the LB and SB‑type designation.

The war years Many Doxford licences were taken up in the 1920s, the most interesting being Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co in the US. At the beginning of WW2, it built four passenger cargo liners powered by a twin‑bank 2x535LB6 engine producing 9,000bhp driving a single propeller. They were converted to escort carriers for the Royal Navy and two survived the war, apparently no thanks to the engines. One was later converted Below: In 1921, Yngaren was fitted with this 58L4 engine, which produced 2,700bhp at 77rpm. Right: The first production turbocharged P-type engine, a 67PT6

to a passenger/immigrant ship and operated until 1969.

The Doxford crankshaft design with the three crank throws per cylinder led to problems with crankshaft flexing requiring the main bottom end bearings to be carried in a spherical housing to allow the bearing surfaces to align correctly with the journals and pins.

While mechanically complex, the Doxford concept was ahead of the competitors. Its uniflow scavenging, common rail fuel system and large stroke‑to‑bore ratio combined to give excellent fuel efficiency and so became very popular with shipowners and shipyards around the world. Eventually over 20 shipyards took up licences for the engine.

Immediately preceding WW2, the 27,000gt Dominion Monarch was delivered. It was then, by some way, the most powerful motorship in the world, having four 725LB5 engines totalling 32,000bhp.

At the start of the war, 11,000dwt Empire class vessels needed a 2,500bhp engine to give a service speed of 10.5kn, suiting the 60LB3, which consumed only nine tons of fuel per day. Production was relatively easy with its fabricated bedplates, columns and entablature, and the engine had cooling water and oil pumps attached, simplifying outfitting at the shipyard and operation and maintenance in service. Known as the Economy Doxford, several hundred were produced around the country and demand was such that there was no

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time for trials. When completed they sailed directly into service.

Power requirements increased after the war and licensees were left to build the more powerful engines, but the designs were developed

by Doxford and tested on its single‑cylinder development engines.

From early on, the Doxford engine had the ability to burn low‑grade fuels, but as the need for ever poorer fuels increased, a design problem was exposed: combustion products blowing past the lower piston entered the crankcase and polluted the lubricating oil. This was overcome by redesigning with a diaphragm below the liner, and this engine became the LBD‑type. Also, mechanically operated fuel injectors were replaced with conventional injectors and camshaft operated timing valves.

Lower piston cooling was changed from water to lubricating oil.

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CLIENT

After the war, licensees were building six‑cylinder engines with 750mm bore cylinders producing 8,000bhp, but a crankshaft design problem left 14 ships with this engine to have modified crankshaft flexible couplings fitted within the first four years. Even then, problems persisted with bearing failures and one ship was immobilised for nine months with two crankshaft fractures.

By 1960, the design was reaching the limit as a naturally aspirated engine, and so the turbocharged PT‑type was developed, to provide 9,000bhp from the 67PT6 engine. The other significant change was making the crankshaft stiffer, negating the need for spherical bearing housings.

A more radical redesign, the J‑type, overcame the soon obvious need for even more power. The conventional main bearing journal was replaced by using the side crank web as a large diameter main bearing journal. Bravely, no development engine was built, and the first version was a production engine with nine cylinders producing 20,000bhp, designated 76J9. It was fitted on the locally built tanker North Sands.

5,500bhp, convincing itself and shipowners this was but a short design step from the Seahorse engine previously developed jointly with Hawthorn Leslie. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The first engines were very late and not fully developed when they entered service and so had problematic lives.

End of the road

Top: The first 58JS3 engine awaiting delivery for fitting to the 300 TEU container ship City of Plymouth. Above: North Sands was fitted with the first J-type engine, a 76J9

It is remarkable how successful the design had been and how much had been achieved over 60 years After some issues with the crosshead bearing and the three‑part liner were overcome, the 76J4 and 67J6 engines – producing 10,000bhp and 12,000bhp respectively – were particularly successful. However, when, in the early 1970s, shipbuilding started to move from Europe towards the Far East, Doxford management refused to issue licences for the J‑type to any foreign engine builders. This probably precipitated the demise of the Doxford design.

In 1972, Court Line bought Doxford, but it soon found itself in financial difficulty.

Then, nationalisation by British Shipbuilders in 1975 made finance and innovation increasingly difficult.

Around 1976, Doxford, however, sold the concept of a three‑cylinder short‑stroke engine (58JS3) producing

Engine production ceased in 1980 as government support for the industry was withdrawn. By then, Doxford had produced 105 J‑type engines out of the 1,750 engines built worldwide since 1921. It is remarkable how successful the design had been and how much had been achieved over 60 years by a small team of designers working with limited resources.

Doxford had occasionally considered alternative engine designs, but they remained only concepts. All were opposed piston arrangements as apparently the Doxford ‘DNA’ couldn’t countenance anything with a cylinder head.

Maybe the opposed piston concept wouldn’t have had a long‑term future anyway. The two main remaining contenders in the large bore two‑stroke market have clever electronics controlling fuel injection and exhaust valves to give excellent fuel consumption and exhaust emissions across a range of powers and fuels. The Doxford exhaust timing was fixed by the crankshaft design and there wasn’t a practical way to vary it as has been possible with poppet valve engines.

Today, the most powerful engine in service is the 14‑cylinder Wärtsilä RT‑flex96C, claimed to have produced a maximum of 114,800bhp – equivalent to 43 of the Doxford 58L4 engines that entered service exactly 100 years ago.

Tim Gibbs CEng CMarEng FIMarEST started his career as a merchant navy engineer officer for 12 years and subsequently worked in various senior positions, designing, constructing and managing a diverse range of vessels MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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Not clocking up sea hours CADET TRAINING

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With sea time curtailed, cadets have felt the sting of COVID‑19, but government and industry have stepped up to find solutions Carly Fields Editor, Marine Professional

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he myriad problems caused by the pandemic have been manifestly worse for seafarers, who have been hit by extended contracts, overzealous quarantine in unfamiliar lands, and remoteness from friends and family at a time of need.

And the challenges have affected cadet training, with many unable to complete the sea time required in time to take up jobs.

and predictable crew changes that are necessary to fit in with maritime education and training schedules. It also noted difficulties in maintaining cadet berths and programmes due to changes in sailing schedules and trades.

Seeking a solution

CLIENT

The Committee proposed the following to address the sea‑time shortfall: l Defer the placement of cadets on board ships. l Increase the number of cadet berths on ships. l Place cadets on board ships that are Disruption Sea time has been disrupted trading in limited areas Speaking to Marine where crew changes and Professional, experts from other factors are not a problem. the Merchant Navy Training l Reduce the intake of new entrants Board (MNTB) said: “We have from maritime institutions to ensure seen sea time severely disrupted, enrolled cadets have the opportunity last‑minute changes to COVID to receive the on‑board training guidance both on board ship and and sea‑going service experience ashore, and plenty of opportunities required to qualify for the issue to exercise patience while situations of their first certificate under the are assessed.”

STCW Convention.

IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee l Encourage administrations to discussed the issue at its session in accept approved simulator time in October 2020. Challenges it noted lieu of sea‑going service experience included difficulties for cadets in: or the sitting of exams prior to obtaining visas due to embassy and completion of the sea‑going service consulate closures; travelling to join experience required to qualify for ships due to logistical and planning the issue of their first certificate challenges; and joining ships due under the Convention. to challenges in conducting timely

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l Seek recognition from administrations of sea‑going service experience obtained on various vessel types for a portion of the months required to qualify for the issue of their first certificate under the Convention.

Trainee seafarers, nautical colleges, sponsoring companies and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been working together to minimise disruption to seafarer training. “Whether this has meant adapting the structure of college

Many cadets have been unable to complete the sea time required in time to take up jobs training, managing additional procedures for safe travel and sea time or developing new assessment procedures, training within the Merchant Navy has been adapted in response,” the MNTB said.

The UK shipping industry has also offered support. The MNTB launched a ship berths initiative, where companies offered spaces for cadets to continue their training on board where it was not possible within their sponsoring company’s fleet.

Additionally, the UK government agreed to extend Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) funding for six months to ensure sponsoring companies support cadets should they need to go beyond 150 weeks.

“As the world returns to a new normal, there are likely to be further discussions on the delivery of seafarer training and education, but the lessons learnt over the past year will certainly influence any changes made,” concluded the MNTB.

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Accounting for the sea SUSTAINABILITY

A more sustainable ocean economy will be harder to realise if we do not measure it effectively James Jolliffe, Claire Jolly and Barrie Stevens OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation

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s policymakers begin to regain control of their economies after the turbulence generated

by COVID‑19, the hunt is on for investment opportunities that stimulate a rapid and sustainable economic recovery.

The ocean economy – a relatively new concept that collects all of the economic activities and environmental services associated with the ocean under one umbrella – has been highlighted as a source of unrealised potential. Calls for a ‘blue New Deal’ and to ‘grow back bluer’ are now commonplace at meetings of decision‑makers discussing matters of international concern. Yet, in general, we still do not have a good grasp of the ocean economy and its contribution to society – knowledge that is critical to effective policymaking.

The ocean economy represents a complex system of interactions and interdependencies between

ocean economic activities and the marine environment, making it particularly difficult to comprehend fully through traditional national statistical provisions.

As a result, much of the ocean economy is not readily visible in official statistics and the state of the marine environment tends not to be recorded in a way that is comparable with data on the economic activity that affects it.

All of this is despite the fact that the ocean economy is under threat from multiple environmental pressures and its potential may never be realised if such risks are not addressed quickly.

Data collection The foremost objective of all modern measurement strategies should therefore be a statistical information system that measures and monitors all the ways that the ocean contributes to wellbeing, as well as the impacts that economic activities have on the marine environment.

Satellite accounting – a methodology used by national statistical offices and their partners to highlight specific economic sectors in a manner that is comparable with the core national accounts – represents perhaps the best chance that countries have for achieving this objective. Satellite accounts are also particularly well suited for combining economic data with environmental information, thereby providing

scientists, governments, businesses and other ocean stakeholders with the evidence and tools to support the move towards more sustainable ocean economic activity.

Natural capital Some OECD member countries with important links to the ocean are already pursuing this approach to understanding their ocean economies. Portugal became the first country to produce a ‘satellite account for the sea’ in 2016 and the US has recently followed suit with its own example. Beyond the OECD, an increasing range of countries from across the national income scale are beginning to develop the capacity required to better measure their ocean economies through satellite accounts.

Alongside these pioneers, the OECD is working to improve international ocean economy statistics so that policymakers have the information they require to guide efforts towards a more sustainable ocean economy of the future.

Initially, this work will focus on covering the full spectrum of ocean economic activities and will eventually expand to include the vast array of natural capital and ecosystem services that the ocean provides. Informed by coherent and timely statistics, the prospects for an ocean economy characterised by opportunity, prosperity and stability are surely to be realised.

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No excuse for connectivity blind spots on today’s ships HEALTH AND SAFETY

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Embracing digital and data to improve crew safety

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Sebastian Hamers CEO and co‑founder, Sealution

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he maritime industry is a vital contributor to global trade, carrying approximately 90% of traded goods around the world today, with freight demand forecasted to triple by 2050. Yet the industry continues to lag in digital innovation to enhance safety, health and productivity on board merchant vessels.

One particularly frustrating challenge is that vessels’ steel walls prevent connectivity between the bridge and crewmembers. Between 2014 and 2019, 19,418 incidents were recorded on board ships, and 496 lives were lost, of which 88% were crewmembers. A total of 70% of all accidents occur in areas where there is no connectivity or other means to contact crewmembers.

With crewmembers working across 20 to 30 different levels on a standard merchant vessel, improving connectivity at all times is crucial to enhance the safety and wellbeing of the crew, and improve vessel performance.

Sealution’s answer is the creation of the Crew Safety System (CSS), a network of IoT devices that collect and process data on the vessel’s crew and environment, and feed it to a central database to gain an accurate overview of processes, performances and irregularities on board. The system comprises three key elements: a smart bracelet, room modules and a central module.

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Poor connectivity below decks can lead to accidents

The time between incident and assistance can be significantly reduced from an average of eight hours to just 15 minutes Bright as a button Comparable to a smartwatch, the smart bracelet allows crewmembers to alert the bridge of an incident by clicking a single button to send out a distress signal. Similar to the BNWAS system on the bridge, an ‘unresponsive alarm’ is triggered when wearers fail to send a safety confirmation every 15 minutes, notifying the bridge about a crewmember’s possible unconscious state.

Furthermore, by tracking crewmembers’ real‑time location, the time between incident and assistance can be significantly reduced from an average of eight hours to just 15 minutes. Captains are also able to muster a specific crewmember or full crew to the muster station for training or emergency purposes, where those present will be automatically counted by the system.

To enable this data generation, the smart bracelet is wirelessly

connected with room modules. The room module functions as a signal transmitter and receiver that enables the exchange of data between the IoT devices – in this case, the smart bracelet and central module.

The central module is the brain of CSS. Similar to the room module, it is a transmitter and receiver, but differs in that it is required to receive and process signals from multiple room modules simultaneously.

The module analyses and ranks the data by relevance and passes it to a server for visual representation on the bridge. It allows the captain to understand what’s going on with their crew and ship at all times.

Effectively adopting IoT solutions is a crucial step for the maritime industry towards improving its digital and data capabilities to ensure the wellbeing and safety of crewmembers and enhance on‑board productivity.

Systems such as CSS are easily installed by on‑board crew, and enable the maritime industry to transform traditional ships into smart ships, introducing much‑needed digital innovation to the industry – simply by wearing a bracelet.

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COMMENT

Looking at the detail on fouling BIOFOULING

How increasing regulations could make biofouling one of shipping’s biggest focuses Dr Markus Hoffmann Technical director, I‑Tech

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he challenges posed by hard fouling and biofouling are multifold and complex. From danger to vessel health and operations to the consequential impact on the environment, fouling presents a very real risk to the maritime industry.

While most attention focuses on hull fouling, niche area fouling threatens the industry’s environmental footprint. Niche areas – such as boot tops, sea chests and gratings – make up about 10% of the total underwater surface of the global shipping fleet, and pose a significant biosecurity threat to marine ecosystems through the spread of invasive aquatic species.

Despite this, the issue has been largely omitted from the fold of conversation.

Now that could change.

Regulatory challenges such as EEXI and CII, particularly in the wake of MEPC26 in June, as well as regional regulations to protect ecosystems, are shifting owners’ and operators’ focus, urging greater action against hull fouling. It is essential that this does not overlook niche area fouling.

Because of factors such as restricted water flow, ineffective or damaged coatings and difficulty reaching areas for maintenance, niche areas are a favourable

environment for biofouling accumulation; and one that is not often readily addressed.

A 2020 study by I‑Tech and Safinah Group showed that nearly every vessel in the global fleet poses a biosecurity threat. Of the vessels analysed, at least 95% presented an unacceptable level of heavily fouled niche areas, providing a vector for the transport of invasive aquatic species.

Marine invaders According to IMO, vessel biofouling has been a comparable if not more significant factor than untreated ballast water for the introduction of invasive aquatic species, compromising the health and security of marine ecosystems regionally and globally, not to mention its economic impact.

While it’s difficult to obtain data on the true extent of invasive species’ impact, examples include the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels in the US, which have been estimated to cause $1bn a year in damages and associated control Left: The Calypso being coated with an anti‑fouling Selektope‑powered coating. Below: A section of the hull protected by Selektope‑powered coating, which effectively repels fouling.

costs. This doesn’t even begin to speak to the lasting effects they may have on the ecosystem itself.

Global or collective regulations surrounding biofouling may not yet be established, but an increasing number of regional measures have come into force in recent years.

In California, all incoming vessels of 300 gross tonnes or more must submit a reporting form at least 24 hours prior to arrival at a state port, as well as presenting a Biofouling Management Plan and recording all management actions. Authorities in New Zealand require all vessels to have a clean hull prior to docking.

However, the EEXI and CII regulations could put anti‑fouling efforts into the spotlight on a wider level. Owners and operators looking to meet energy‑efficiency and carbon emissions regulations

Niche areas pose a significant biosecurity threat to marine ecosystems through the spread of invasive aquatic species may turn to tactics such as slower speeds. However, the slower a vessel travels, the easier it is for organisms to foul the hull and niche areas – particularly in ‘hotspots’ where fouling is more prevalent. Certain coating technologies also perform less well at low speeds.

Coat of armour It’s increasingly apparent, then, that effective anti‑fouling coatings will play a major role in the coming years, particularly as EEXI and CII regulations continue to develop, and measures to combat invasive species’ spread escalate, making active agents all the more vital.

Given its role in species transfer, barnacle fouling in niche areas must be higher on the agenda. Coatings will remain the optimal choice for its prevention. When added to coatings, active agents repel organisms and are designed to cope with the toughest fouling conditions, such as long periods in high‑risk areas.

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House Ad VERSION REPRO OP

ENGAGE 18,000 MARINE PROFESSIONALS

Branding • Thought leadership • Content • Lead generation • Reports Across print, digital and bespoke events

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To discuss opportunities: MICHAEL COULSEY michael.coulsey@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7232

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The IMarEST’s shared knowledge hub In this section:

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53 How scrubbers affect marine environments 55 Heating and cooling 57 Attracting young maritime professionals 58 Fellow Q&A: Professor John Prousalidis 61 Branch spotlight 62 SIG update 64 Institute news

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What’s really in scrubber wastewater?

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New methods answer IMO’s call for assessing pollutant risks

BY SUSAN KANE DRISCOLL, DAYANG (CINDY) WANG, NEIL COOK AND MICHAEL BANNING

ISTOCK

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hipping continues to face challenging requirements set forth by the IMO 2020 sulphur cap, which aims to limit the sulphur content in fuel oil in order to reduce emissions of oxides of sulphur oxides (SOx) into the atmosphere.

A section of the shipping industry, principally those with large vessels of high cargo‑carrying capacity, have invested in exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) – more commonly known as scrubbers – to comply with IMO requirements.

These installations target the price differential between very low sulphur fuel oils and traditional high sulphur fuel oils to offset installation costs. In many cases, retrofitting

scrubbers to existing vessels has extended their operating life.

However, port states and harbour authorities are wrestling with methods to assess the effect of scrubber washwater on their marine environments. The list of countries, states and ports banning the use of open loop scrubbers is increasing, as is the number of scrubber units in service. The shipping industry and port states are seeking help in making informed decisions on the net effect of scrubber use upon specific marine environments.

Environmental scientists, aided by the marine team at Exponent, offer expert advice and provide the following points for consideration.

Collect the data In November 2019, the UN convened an advisory team to provide an opinion on potential environmental and public‑health effects of scrubber washwater. The advisory team concluded that currently available data on the chemical characterisation of scrubber washwaters was insufficient for the purposes of assessing risk.

Concentrations of bioavailable contaminants in washwater are expected to be better predictors of potential risk to aquatic organisms as opposed to concentrations of total measured contaminants.

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of bioavailable hydrocarbons constituents, including monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – of particular concern in washwater.

‘Not well defined’

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Use of passive sampling devices is expected to be a more accurate indicator for potential toxicity, since washwater is also expected to contain PAHs and other hydrocarbons in particulate forms that are not available for uptake by marine organisms.

Concentrations of bioavailable hydrocarbons determined using passive samplers could be used to validate results of commonly used inline fluorescent monitoring methods.

IMO guidance states that the PAHs in the washwater (measured using optical sensors and normalised for a washwater flow rate) should not be greater than 50μg/L Phenanthrene (phe) equivalents above the inlet water PAH concentration. Inline optical sensors with ultraviolet or fluorescence detection allow continuous monitoring, which is an advantage over laboratory analysis by gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry (GC‑MS). However, the UN advisory team report concluded that: “This PAHphe limit should be revised because it was not well defined and its level of protection was questionable. The optical measurement of PAH was introduced to have a permanent control of PAH and so indirectly oil discharges during operation of an EGCS, similar to an oil in water monitoring device for bilge water alarms.

“However, its operational application was frequently failing whereas GC‑MS analysis of PAH was demanding and required trained technicians and could only be done in a laboratory after discrete

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samplings. Generally, the examined results determined by GC‑MS met the IMO criteria for PAH discharge in open loop EGCS washwater, whereas the rarely presented optically determined data showed frequent anomalous readings which were not comparable with GC‑MS determination (BSH, 2019).”

The Target Lipid (TL) Model is a reliable and globally utilised model for predicting potential toxicity of hydrocarbons. This model could be applied to results of traditional laboratory GC‑MS analysis of individual PAHs in washwater (as well as data collected using passive samplers), and the results could be used to support and validate inline optical monitoring approaches.

Exponent recently applied the TL Model to scrubber washwater data from a cruise ship and demonstrated that the potential toxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons in scrubber washwater was not substantially greater than that of ambient intake water. Additional datasets should be analysed using this approach.

Model to assess compliance The discharge of sulphuric acid is also of concern owing to the potentially deleterious effect of low pH on marine organisms. Current criteria specify that: “The pH discharge limit, at the overboard monitoring position… will achieve as a minimum pH 6.5 at 4 m from the overboard discharge point with the ship stationary… The overboard pH discharge limit can be determined either by means of direct measurement, or by using a calculation‑based methodology.”

Computational fluid dynamics and geochemical modelling can be used to calculate the pH of seawater at the 4m point of compliance and to estimate how much sulphuric acid may be discharged to seawater and remain in compliance with regulations.

Fate and transport models can be used to account for dilution and mixing of the washwater at

different spatial scales (e.g. open seas v harbours). The modelling analysis could be used to assess the risk of overdosing or underdosing with the neutralising agent.

New approaches needed Laboratory tests have also been used to assess washwater risk. However, the UN advisory team concluded that adverse effects observed in toxicity tests were in some cases predominantly caused by both low washwater pH and dissolved oxygen levels. These effects may be mitigated in the actual environment by dilution and the buffering capacity of seawater.

Whole‑effluent toxicity tests and toxicity identification evaluations are standard methods that could be used to identify and address specific constituents causing the toxicity of washwater.

New approaches for assessing the potential risk of scrubber washwater will help to inform decisions for the marine environments where the shipping industry operates, as well as assisting in the development of strategies for addressing key issues as highlighted above.

Susan Kane Driscoll PhD is a senior managing scientist, Dayang (Cindy) Wang PhD is a scientist, Neil Cook CEng CMarEng MIMarEST is a senior engineer, and Michael Banning CEng CMarEng MIMarEST is a technical consultant, fuel specialist and surveyor, at Exponent

FIND OUT MORE The MarEST’s Marine Fuels and Emissions SIG aims to understand shipping’s role in GHG emissions and air pollution, and the measures being discussed to address them, including new regulations, new fuels and associated implementation issues. To find out more or to join, please email technical@imarest.org

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Heating and cooling marine innovation

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Marine‑based technologies are evolving to support the management of temperature equilibrium

BY ED WALKER

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he push towards net zero is leading to a major drive for generation of electricity through renewable technology. Confidence in the low‑carbon power industry is continually growing, yet equally, the cold reality of such a wholesale change in our energy system is becoming clearer. While major successes such as offshore wind rightly gather substantial attention, what role do our UK coasts play in less well‑discussed topics of heating and cooling?

Alongside support for a range of low‑carbon technology, the UK government has set out its clear support for the electrification of heat; in simple terms, this means using technologies such as heat pumps, which seek to exploit the natural ‘low‑grade’ heat from a renewable medium, such as the air or water, instead of conventional fuels (such as oil and gas). In 2014, the National Trust installed what was then the UK’s largest marine‑source heat pump at Plas Newydd, a historic property in Wales, and there is a growing number of commercial/ industrial‑scale projects emerging around the UK. Marine‑source heat pumps comprise an intake (called ‘open loop’) or submerged pipework (‘closed loop’) and the heat pump

unit itself. Broadly, the heat pump unit draws on the principles of the refrigeration cycle to elevate the heat from the surrounding environment; this process is powered by electricity. This is still a relatively young technology and there are lots of challenges associated with operating complex equipment in a hostile, corrosive environment. As the volume of installations increases, I am hopeful that collective experience will help future schemes to overcome these challenges and reach higher system efficiencies.

Playing it cool Seawater is very well established as a medium to cool coastal power stations. But what other applications does it have? Globally, we have become accustomed to virtually instantaneous access to vast volumes of information, and the internet plays an increasingly large role in all our lives. The volume of data being processed in our society is vast. With this increasing reliance on computing power, the internet and cloud‑based solutions, there is an inevitable global increase in data management and associated cooling requirements.

In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the presence of marine‑cooled data. Marine‑cooled data centres typically have a far smaller footprint than a comparable

The Northern Isles data centre was retrieved from the sea floor off Scotland’s Orkney Islands after a two‑year deployment

facility on land and, similarly, they perform far more efficiently with lower water demand and electricity use than a similar terrestrial facility; recent studies have found that they are 70–80% more efficient than comparable land‑based centres.

Although energy consumption can be greatly reduced with the use of water, some schemes are pushing low‑carbon boundaries even further.

In Orkney, Scotland, Microsoft’s Project Natick demonstrator has seen the deployment of the Northern Isles data centre, which was first laid on the seabed in 2018. Aside from benefiting from increased efficiencies from seawater cooling, the residual electricity requirement is provided by 100% wind, solar and experimental green energy technologies under trial at the adjacent European Marine Energy Centre.

It is considered that more than half of the world’s population live within circa 120 miles of the coast.

With this in mind, the potential for heating and cooling technologies is huge. As a professional community, we will need to draw on a whole suite of technologies to help tackle the vast challenge of climate change and think beyond the now more ‘conventional’ sources of renewable energy. I look forward to embracing the challenges of evolving marine technologies in this industry.

Ed Walker MIMarEST is a principal environmental consultant for environment and planning at Aecom MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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Can the year you were born influence your success as a seafarer?

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BY YRHEN BERNARD SABANAL BALINIS

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ould maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) augment the declining supply of seafarers by attracting young maritime professionals? Could the industry, which is yet to recover from the impact of the pandemic, capitalise on MASS advancement to regain its reputation as a viable profession?

Research from Citrix Systems reveals that people born after 1981 (the ‘Born Digital’ generation) are “no longer interested in working full time in offices and are vastly more tech‑savvy than any generation before them”. Citrix found that 87% of respondents – 1,000 business leaders and 2,000 knowledge professionals from the financial services, healthcare, technology and manufacturing sectors – were focused primarily on career stability, security and a healthy work‑life balance. This flies in the face of the expectations of most business leaders, who think that their younger personnel are attracted by workplace technology and training prospects.

“The success or failure of business and the global economy will be in [the Born Digital generation’s] hands,” notes Tim Minahan, executive vice president of business strategy at Citrix.

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‘Diminishing attractiveness’ The International Labour Organization’s report on recruitment and retention of seafarers echoes the Citrix survey’s findings: “Career progression, work, life balance, working and living conditions,

isolation, and loneliness due to long periods on board can determine how long a seafarer stays at sea.”

Of Citrix’s 2,000 respondents, 750 were born after 1997 (Gen Z), while 1,250 were millennials.

Unsurprisingly, this figure also reflects the reality on board vessels.

Millennials and early Gen Z are starting to climb the maritime

Born Digital generation is more tech‑savvy and is interested in career stability, the move towards MASS is a promising transformation that could attract new entrants during the post‑COVID recovery period. With remote stations operating MASS, it will significantly improve work‑life balance by reducing prolonged periods of isolation.

Critical MASS

Students in front of monitors in a ship’s engine room simulator

ladder. Out of the 74 people I have worked with during my last three contracts, 37 belonged to the Born Digital generation: a staggering 49.3%.

The BIMCO/ICS Manpower Report released in 2015 predicted a need for an additional 147,500 officers by 2025 to service the world merchant fleet. This is further supported by Drewry’s latest Annual Review and Forecast report, which anticipates the supply/demand gap will by 2026 widen to a deficit equating to over 5% of the global officer pool and to its highest level since 2013. Drewry gives the principal reason for this as a slowdown in officer supply due to the diminishing attractiveness of a career at sea.

This leads me to wonder if the year you were born in can influence your success as a seafarer. If the

MASS will also create new career paths. Just as the role of data scientist was unknown until the need for analysing huge chunks of data arose, maritime will create new roles to accommodate the industry needs of the times. MASS also caters to Gen Z’s natural inclination towards technological expertise. As a final benefit, diversity and inclusion will flourish as MASS develops and the male‑dominated stereotype of the industry is forgotten.

Digital transformation is as much about technology as people. It’s about time we see technology as complementing, rather than substituting for, our skills. My generation is best placed to face this industry transformation. Think about it: the millennials have enough experience as deck crews, officers and engineers, while the early Gen Z cadets have fresh insights that may have eluded the attention of more experienced seafarers. Together, these young sailors will steer the helm for the next generation.

Yrhen Bernard Sabanal Balinis MRIN AMNI SIMarEST is deputy director for Albay, YouLEAD Initiative Inc, and member advocate of the 2030 Youth Force in the Philippines MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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Professor John Prousalidis wants more focus on the electric load of ships at an early stage in the design process

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In your view, is there enough focus on the electric load and limitations of ships today?

I am afraid there has never been enough focus on the electric load of ships. Designing the electric energy system of a ship requires special attention, as the energy system is completely autonomous.

Therefore, a designer must predict beforehand all the load demands in all operating conditions and select the gensets properly while setting the rules for optimised operation during peak demands and transient load electrification. The electric load analysis (ELA) is based on semi‑empirical formulae, on load factors derived from sister ships, on the experience of the designing team and not on a trial‑and‑error approach. ELAs are restricted to estimating active power demands in AC systems and reactive power flows too. No analysis for the reactive power is performed and often there are no datasheets for the generators regarding the permissible limits on the so‑called P‑Q (active v reactive power) plane. The generator can supply limited amounts of energy comprising both active and reactive power. Extensive electrification along with the continuous demands for retrofitting raise considerations which are not always thoroughly examined. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to simply over‑size the rated power of the

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installed gensets, but that leads to higher fuel consumption and emissions. A different issue, but of equal importance, is the harmonic distortion problems that stem from introducing power electronic converters as energy‑saving devices, or as energy optimal control devices.

Having recognised these problems, we have decided within the IEEE/ MSCC to concentrate on the way ELA is performed at the design stage and describe it thoroughly within the IEEE 45.1 standards planned to be amended.

Do you see a time when fully electric propulsion is the norm, not the exception, in shipping?

Electric motors are by far the most efficient propulsion engines, reaching efficiency values of up to 98%. So, from this point of view, they are the most attractive.

However, the problem is how efficiently electricity is produced – with efficiency nowadays including not only power losses, but also the related emissions – and how the energy is stored on board. Therefore, the question ought to be: will the engines of alternative fuels under consideration be able to cooperate properly with electrification?

Or are we going to have techno‑economically feasible means to generate and/or store electric energy on board? Electric propulsion could prevail provided that the overall efficiency is the best one compared with other alternatives.

What have you learnt from your work on investigating and improving the earthing scheme of ship electric grids?

In general, earthing is the major difference between a ship and an inland electric grid. More specifically, while in most inland grids, low‑resistance grounding earthing schemes dominate, in ships it is completely the opposite, as either pure ungrounded (IT) or high‑resistance grounding schemes are applied. The main reason for this difference is that we do not want the circuits to be tripped when a short‑circuit fault takes place due to the current flowing.

In the ungrounded case, the fault current is ideally zero or of fairly small value. However, there are some adverse phenomena such as the circulation of leakage stray currents, and insulation stresses due to over‑voltages. High‑resistance grounding has been developed as a concept, but it has to be tailor‑made for each ship based on the resultant network. This decelerates the whole design process, as the whole system with all components must be well known so that the value of the resistance connected to the neutral node of generators and/or transformer is properly sized.

Your research has covered the topic of hybrid ships for over a decade.

What has changed in that time?

The concept of all‑electric or hybrid‑electric ships with electric propulsion as the predominant component has been long discussed.

Naval warships were the pioneers due to the flexibility, reliability and minimised vulnerability such technology offers. In the commercial sector, cruise ships have been

Fellow QA, 1

“In all cases, the critical parameter is the energy storage unit, and its volume, weight and cost continues to be a challenge” leading in implementing these in an attempt to manage energy consumption used for service, propulsion and hotel loads in a more efficient manner. LNG carriers have followed, but for different reasons: they need to take full advantage of boil‑off gas and the temporary inability of the main engines to operate in variable speeds. In the last five or so years, electrification has transferred to short‑sea shipping vessels with batteries as the main energy sources. Shuttle passenger ferries, tugboats and offshore support vessels covering short distances not exceeding 20nm have been studied or built. In all cases, the critical parameter is the energy storage unit, and its volume, weight and cost continues to be a challenge.

Today, ships that cover short distances between ports or terminal stations are the most favourable candidates for hybridisation or full electrification. Large commercial vessels can also be hybridised mainly via batteries, but only for dedicated intervals, for example during a port call.

As an electrical engineer, where do you see the risks and opportunities for greener shipping?

Greener shipping requires solutions where electrification will play a major role, engaging with all disciplines of electrical engineering. Consider the ‘softer’ parts of electrical engineering, the so‑called C3 components of computers, communication and control. All the hot issues under discussion at the moment – such as big data (collection, processing, analysis etc), remote or unmanned control and cybersecurity – require electrical engineering. There are

also plenty of greener shipping solutions for power engineering that strongly engage electrification.

For example, shaft generators with PTO/PTI operating schemes, power converters improving the overall efficiency of electric driven rotating equipment, LED lights, and batteries and fuel cells. Even the introduction of alternative fuels engages electrical engineering issues to a significant extent, for example through combustion automation and control, interim transformation to electricity and storage.

Regarding the risks, in all cases, electrification might raise new challenges. These could include harmonic distortion problems, unbalanced loading of generators, earthing problems, electric grid stability considerations, and troubles encountered in protection coordination.

Electrical engineers must be capable enough to successfully overcome these difficulties.

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Talk us through your involvement in the ELEMED project The ELEMED project (2016–2018) dealt with the electrification of the South‑Eastern Mediterranean corridor. The project was coordinated by Lloyd’s Register (Hellenic Lloyd S.A.) and jointly implemented in cooperation with partners. The multiple objectives of the project were: to perform studies of ship‑to‑shore power interconnections (cold ironing) to all ports; to implement the first pilot cold ironing case in the port of Kyllini; to investigate the perspectives of designing and building electric or hybrid/electric vessels based on batteries and designing such a vessel; and finally to study the regulatory framework of power supply to ships (for cold ironing or charging).

The ELEMED project laid the path to other projects currently in progress, including EALING, a project focused on performing cold ironing studies for 16 ports in Europe including the Greek ports of Piraeus and Rafina, and ALFION, a project studying the transformation of the port of Igoumenitsa in Greece into an energy hub.

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What does your role as vice chairman of IEEE Power & Energy Society’s (PES’s) Marine Systems Coordinating Committee (MSCC) entail?

Being an appointed officer in any one of the IEEE committees is an honour. The motto of IEEE, the biggest technical society in the world, is “advancing technology for humanity”. The MSCC is a coordinating committee, meaning that although we focus on specific objectives, we can cooperate with all other committees dedicated to specific technical issues, such as transmission, distribution, protection and stability, and fully exploit their expertise.

As vice chairman, I act as a deputy to our chairman Dwight Alexander, meaning that I can represent MSCC in PES

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OVERSEEING BOOK STRATEGY As well as being a member of the IMarEST and of the editorial board of the Journal of Marine Engineering Technology, John is also a member of the IMarEST’s Publishing Supervisory Board, with responsibility for book strategy. Within this role, he helps IMarEST officers and executives in attracting propositions for new books and in the book review process.

The IMarEST is a pioneer in the marine engineering field, having published, among others, a series of articles entitled ‘All Electric Ship’ on the merits of electrification co‑authored by Professor Chris Hodge OBE and David Mattick. “I am more than honoured to be part of and serve such a well‑renowned scientific society,” says John.

administrative meetings, or seek liaisons with other committees, all the while promoting the role of IEEE/PES in the marine industry. I am currently working on cultivating bonds with commercial shipping, especially in relation to the extensive role that electrification has to play in the greener shipping trend.

What are you most excited about in the future in relation to the marine industry?

As a major link in the transportation sector, the marine industry and maritime transport in general faces challenges in meeting ambitions for zero carbon within the environment. This ‘race to zero’ is engaging all engineering disciplines in an endeavour to invent and

develop novel technologies that will provide a healthier environment for us, our children and our grandchildren. We all have to be aligned and well oriented.

And what is the biggest challenge facing the marine industry?

There is an ever‑increasing need to transport more goods in the least costly manner. This requires achieving economies of scale by building bigger ships with larger capacities, but with lower energy demands and a smaller environmental footprint, based on alternative fuels. Electrification is just a part of a big picture that is not completely clear as yet. The industry faces a noble challenge: how to serve humanity in the best possible and most sustainable manner.

Professor John Prousalidis FIMarEST is director of the marine engineering division of the School of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens

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Improving regional cooperation and collaboration Ken Hogan of the Auckland Branch shares plans for the wider New Zealand region

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How would you describe the New Zealand region?

Maritime influenced. If you place New Zealand at the centre of the hemisphere, the only significant landmasses that are seen are Australia and Papua New Guinea.

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How have you approached holding events over the past year?

The Wellington Branch has streamed all its technical presentations this year, which has allowed both the Auckland and South Island branches to participate in their events in real time. This approach has helped to create a national, rather than a branch, focus. The broader Australia and New Zealand branch committee members recently had an online meeting with IMarEST HQ to discuss common issues and needs. This is the first step towards building a base for future regional collaboration.

What plans do you have for further development of regional branches?

We have formed a Coordinating and Support Committee with a view to ensuring every New Zealand branch can participate virtually in any of the branch activities. This gives the branches a broader selection of activities, which will improve the value of membership. In addition to streaming, a travelling speaker visited all three branches and presented a technical presentation on ‘TSS Earnslaw – Maintaining a 108‑year‑old ship in the year 2021’.

One recent activity that added real value to our membership was the combined response drafted by IMarEST HQ and the three branches to a proposal from the New Zealand

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for the occupational regulation of engineers [available at www.imarest.org/policy‑news/ institute‑news/6149‑nz‑consultation].

What are three topics that keep your members awake at night?

How do we ensure that the IMarEST remains relevant in an evolving world with entertainment opportunities available in everyone’s pocket and global news available instantly? The traditional approach to knowledge sharing and community seems to be less relevant to those entering the maritime workforce today. There are both local and global issues that we need to contribute to. Our challenge is to harness the involvement of the breadth of members – from new joiners to the grizzled and everyone in between.

Second, as New Zealand does not presently require professional engineer status for employment, not all employers meet the costs of Institute membership. This presents the challenge of providing value to members as individuals.

A third challenge is having the bandwidth to deliver a good programme – membership is low, time is precious and members are geographically dispersed. Finding people to give their time to organise or speak at events is often difficult.

We are exploring partnering and

collaborating with other professional engineering organisations, such as Engineering NZ and marine‑focused groups such as Navy League, to help us broaden awareness of the IMarEST and share resources.

What are the big regional opportunities for your branch?

Getting involved in the discussions that are affecting our world. The challenge is gaining the useful engagement of individuals in our region. Concurrent contribution is hampered by time zone impacts.

The New Zealand branches will continue to engage with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in the discussion on the occupational registration of engineers.

What one thing would you change about your region in relation to the marine environment?

Our world (commerce, environment, spirit, culture) is dependent on the sea. We recognise our area is large and the ability to influence is limited due to a lack of proximity and lack of population. These are not physical things to change, but voices from this hemisphere need to work on being heard. Some things that we need to address through international forums and advocacy are: l support for Pacific Islands impacted by rising sea levels; l overfishing of resources in the Pacific and Southern oceans; and l pollution in the surrounding oceans.

Committee members from three branches contributed to this article: Ken Hogan CEng CMarEng FIMarEST (chair), Bruce Maroc IEng IMarEng MIMarEST (honorary treasurer) and CDR Paul Gray (committee member) of the Auckland Branch; Robyn Locke CEng CMarEng MIMarEST (chair) and Jason Locke CEng CMarEng MIMarEST (web editor) of the Wellington Branch; and Chris Bleasdale CEng CMarEng FIMarEST, chair of the South Island Branch and member of the IMarEST Council.

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The IMarEST continues to contribute to the discussion on a resource‑light method to inform IMO’s carbon intensity reduction work

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MO is continuing to progress its strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping.

In recent sessions, its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and its Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG‑GHG) have discussed operational carbon intensity.

MEPC, during its 76th session, adopted amendments to MARPOL Annex VI introducing controls on operational carbon intensity as well as approving a workplan for the development of measures to accelerate efforts to address the limited market for alternative low‑ and zero‑carbon fuel oils.

Both developments highlight the need for more progress to be made in the ISWG‑GHG workstream on life cycle GHG/ carbon intensity guidelines as a short‑term measure.

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In response to the challenge, the IMarEST submitted a paper to ISWG‑GHG 9 on fuel life cycle analysis (LCA), proposing a methodology that could enable policy, regulatory and operational decisions that will enhance IMO’s contribution to the global efforts by addressing international shipping’s GHG emissions while mitigating the risk of increasing global GHG

Both developments highlight the need for more progress to be made in the ISWG‑GHG workstream on life cycle GHG/carbon intensity guidelines emissions. As the investment required to deliver IMO’s ambition for 2050 is significant, LCA should also provide evidence of where attention and investments should be directed, as well as indications on how to avoid less effective if not counter‑productive investments,

which could in turn delay and/ or slow down the necessary decarbonisation of shipping.

The IMarEST’s comments provided: ● recommendations on how IMO’s efforts on LCA could be structured, taking into account the significance of LCA and how LCA for marine fuel oils and other energy sources will evolve over time with the wider energy system; ● recommendations on how LCA could be integrated into the work to deliver the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships; and ● observations on the approaches proposed in ISWG‑GHG 7/5/8/9 led

by Austria and Australia.

Existing methodologies In explaining the process, the proposal set out how LCAs can be delivered using mature methodologies and without posing

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COASTAL SIG LAUNCHES WORKSHOP SERIES

As the investment required to deliver IMO’s ambition for 2050 is significant, LCA should provide evidence of where attention and investments should be directed significant resource demands on IMO. To maximise the benefit that may be derived from LCA, the paper recommends that the MEPC pursue three workstreams: ● LCA workstream 1: under the existing mandate of the workstream agreed at ISWG‑GHG 6, develop IMO life cycle GHG/ carbon intensity guidelines that address the framework for the use of LCA by IMO. ● LCA workstream 2: promote the rapid provision of scientific data on the life cycle GHG/ carbon intensity by authoritative third parties, for evaluation and integration within the framework. ● LCA workstream 3: in parallel, a

workstream on integration of LCA information into IMO instruments and operationalising this information for use by industry.

The paper concludes that the risk of not having carbon intensity reduction work informed by LCA is that IMO could adopt measures that may be calibrated to encourage marine fuel oils/energy sources that are unsustainable on a life cycle basis – and which therefore undermine the efforts within and beyond shipping to achieve the Paris Agreement global temperature goals.

FIND OUT MORE The upcoming ISWG‑GHG meeting is planned for September. If you are interested in learning more about the IMarEST’s contributions and the outcomes from the meeting, contact technical@imarest.org

The IMarEST’s new Coastal Science & Engineering SIG has set out a series of topics that it plans to address in the coming months.

The first in the series considered coastal swimming safety, with presentations from Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, Winthrop professor of coastal oceanography at the University of Western Australia, and Tim Chesher, coastal and marine practice lead, EMEA region, at Advisian.

The next session in September will be on nature‑based solutions.

Following that, the SIG will address coastal resilience, blue carbon, the impact of marine activities on coastal habitation and environmental protection, pollution, marine energy, marine spatial planning, climate change and sea‑level rise, and sustainability.

The subjects will be tackled in workshop‑style meetings where members will be invited to host informal presentations and discussions on each topic. l IMarEST members interested in participating or joining the SIG can register at www. imarest.org/special‑interest‑ groups/coastal‑science‑and‑ engineering MARINE PROFESSIONAL

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The latest initiatives and member benefits from the IMarEST

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New award in marine journalism launched

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The IMarEST has launched a new prize in the form of the Kevin Tester Award for Marine Journalism. This award will aim to celebrate exemplary reporting relating to a marine or maritime issue. Through this award, the Institute aims to identify and encourage high‑quality journalism that may bring about constructive change, increased public awareness or improved understanding of a marine matter.

Writing will be judged on its relevance, craft and impact. The winning piece should approach a story in a fresh and original way with well‑researched accuracy. It should be balanced, fair, engaging and appropriate for the intended audience.

The piece might reach a large audience or spark greater media coverage of the issue as a result of its publication. It may initiate demonstrable change in policy or regulation, or an increase in industry or public awareness.

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● Find out more about the award, eligibility and details of the prize at www.imarest.org/ awards

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President Joe Biden appoints IMarEST Fellow to lead on climate An esteemed Fellow of the IMarEST, Dr Richard Spinrad CSci CMarSci FIMarEST, has been appointed by President Joe Biden as the new head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which plays a key role in protecting the environment.

NOAA has an expansive role in protecting the US economy and environment, including providing weather forecasts, monitoring climate, managing fisheries and helping with marine commerce. It oversees offices such as the National Weather Service and the National Ocean Service.

In his new role, Dr Spinrad will be responsible for the strategic direction of NOAA. He will assist in advancing US weather modelling and prediction, tackle the climate crisis, accelerate the application of new technologies for improved environmental observations, leverage non‑governmental and private partnerships and promote a sustainable blue economy.

The news highlights the crucial work of IMarEST Fellows and Chartered Marine Scientists in leading the marine sector into a new era as we strive to achieve a sustainable blue economy where humans and the environment can exist in harmony. ● To find out how to become a Chartered Marine Scientist, visit

www.imarest.org/registration

DIARY DATES SEPTEMBER 2021 1st Global Conference on Biofouling Management for Maritime Industries Online, 22–23 September

On the Radar: Digital transformation – insight, opinion and analysis Online, 28 September OCTOBER 2021 Oceans of Knowledge 2021: Climate Change

and the Ocean Institute of Physics, London, and online, 26 October NOVEMBER 2021 Engine as a Weapon Symposium IX Online, 15 November

Your institute, 1

MEMBER UPDATE

New report available: Operations and Maintenance in the Offshore Renewables Sector

What’s new on IMarEST TV? IMarEST TV featured a wide range of topics in the second quarter of the year, including webinars on digital twins, ship launching, heavy lifting, knowledge exchange and wellbeing.

Discussions on digital twins proved to be particularly popular, with an On the Radar webinar on ‘Digitalisation in Subsea Operations and Marine Assets’, opening with a presentation from DNV’s Kjell Eriksson on ‘Making Your Digital Twin a Real Asset’; and a ‘Virtual Learning of Subsea Remote Technologies to Digital Twins’ webinar providing a short introduction to some of the latest subsea remote inspection technologies.

The North East Coast Joint Branch looked at the technical aspects of launching in its 89th Andrew Laing Lecture, ‘Ship Launching Techniques: T45 vs T26’. This presentation from Inness‑Ian MacDonald, a naval architect working for BAE Systems Naval Ships, addressed the key differences in the dynamic launch of the T45 and the launch planned for the T26 and discussed why, for the T26, a conscious decision was made to move away from traditional launching methods in favour of a modern solution and the benefits that brings.

A second North East Coast Joint Branch webinar in the quarter saw Hamish Adamson, managing director of Harlyn Solutions, cover ‘Heavy Lifting for Marine Professionals’, giving a high‑level overview of the equipment used to load vessels, including ships and barges, with project and breakbulk cargo, including self‑propelled modular transporters, crawler cranes and mobile cranes.

Looking at softer skills, a webinar on ‘Knowledge Exchange Between Offshore Wind Resource and Metocean Professionals’ explored the convergence of two distinct professional disciplines, both concerned with the quantification of offshore wind. Meanwhile, as part of the IMarEST Explores series, a panel explored the mental health and wellbeing challenges faced by those who work in the maritime industry in the ‘Wellbeing Challenges in Maritime’ webinar. ● Visit www.imarest.org/tv to view lectures, conferences

and webinars

The IMarEST, together with Fugro, has produced a new report on global attitudes of engineers towards operations and maintenance in the offshore renewables energy sector. The role of offshore renewables is critical in the energy transition, and in delivering the national commitments to reduce emissions that are being made as part of the green build‑back in a post‑COVID world and ahead of COP26.

This report addresses key issues related to skills, technology, data, and health, safety and environment. ● Download it at bit.ly/3lR3xSL

Nominations open for election to IMarEST Council Nominations for election to Council are now open for positions taking office at the AGM in March 2022.

Nominate members of Council New candidates, and incumbents completing a first term as an elected member of Council, can be nominated to stand for election in Elected Member seats.

Vacancies are expected in two electoral divisions: Asia Pacific; and Europe, Middle East & Africa.

Nominate honorary treasurer Nominations to stand in the annual worldwide election for the honorary treasurer are also open; the incumbent is expected to stand for re‑election, but challengers are welcome.

How to nominate All nominations require a proposer and seconder. Forms and further information are available by emailing governance@ imarest.org. The deadline for submitting completed nomination material is 1700 GMT on Monday 1 November 2021.

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Big questions

VERSION

THE BIG QUESTIONS

REPRO OP

“I feel honoured to do the job that I do”

SUBS

Designer of the Embark pilot ladder Madelaine Dowd’s next‑gen pilot ladders reduce the potential risk in a ship‑to‑ship transfer at sea by 80%

ART

INTERVIEW BY CARLY FIELDS

PRODUCTION

What is your current role?

I am the CEO and founder of Helm Innovation Ltd, a maritime safety product design company solving life‑threatening situations through design innovation.

CLIENT

What excites you most in your role?

Our technologies have the potential to impact the global seafaring community transferring ship‑to‑ship on a daily basis and reduce the risk of fatalities at sea as a result of dangerous rigging of embarkation ladders. The IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System reports 41 fatalities in the past six years to ladder and rigging incidents, 16 of which were directly related to defective pilot ladders or pilot ladder rigging arrangements (including five deaths in 2020 alone). As CEO, I’m excited by the responsibility of getting this impactful design out onto ships and saving lives after developing it from the initial concept.

What first inspired you to get into innovation in the blue economy?

My background is in designing resilience solutions to disasters. This has involved tsunami escape routes, post‑earthquake communication systems and winterising temporary shelters. The opportunity arose to develop a solution to this dangerous transaction happening at sea. After

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gaining the Most Immediate Life Saving Potential award from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation I felt a responsibility to get our products to market and save lives.

What advice would you give to someone entering a marine profession today?

The maritime industry is full of respectable and knowledgeable influencers who are looking to promote innovation. I was very fortunate to be linked with these to support my company’s progress as a newbie to the industry. I would recommend you take the time to meet those people looking to support positive progress.

Who is your marine hero?

A hero company of mine is Atlantic Pacific, a maritime charity looking to provide lifeboats around the world in areas where there are none.

The more I learn about the sea, the more I appreciate those working hard to make it a safer place to

work and enjoy. Robin Jenkins, Kate Sedwell, Mich Creber and the team are all heroes of mine for their work.

Where do you see your career going over the next 10 years?

I feel honoured to do the job that I do, providing life‑changing and impactful solutions for people. This is something that I believe many people are trying to achieve on a daily basis but can lack the support to realise their potential. This was something I struggled with when I founded Helm Innovation.

Therefore, I have co‑founded the Cross Design Studio with the talented engineer Josh Chidwick, also chief technical officer to Helm Innovation, to support more start‑ups and innovators in bringing their solutions into the world.

FIND OUT MORE If you’re an inspiring young innovator, check out how Innovate UK could support you at bit.ly/3ADvvXc

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