Bergen lean-burn gas engine, image courtesy Rolls Royce

- By Rolls Royce Marine

Leading the way with gas engines for marine propulsion

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is becoming a popular fuel for ships, with Rolls-Royce a leading manufacturer of engines for propulsion and electric power generation.

Originally the reason for adopting LNG instead of liquid fuel was to reduce emissions of NOx, sulphur oxides, and particulates (smoke/soot). An added benefit came from the chemical composition of methane, in the form of much reduced CO2 emissions. A negative feature of LNG fuel is that any gas which is not combusted is a highly potent greenhouse gas, with an effect that offsets the gain from reduced CO2.

Although various media have highlighted “methane slip” from marine engines, the contribution to total world greenhouse gas emissions is minute.  Direct emission of methane from agriculture, mining, shale oil and gas production, industry and natural seepage is enormous by comparison.

Early marine gas engines from Rolls-Royce were the Bergen K-series. These were related to several hundred engines delivered for land power generation burning various types of fuel gas, including methane–rich landfill gas that would otherwise have escaped to add to greenhouse gas effect. This engine type had less methane slip than competing engines, but Rolls-Royce was aware of the desirability of further reducing methane slip, and so developed the C-series gas engines and the larger B-series in-line and BV-series V-engines based on the company’s lean-burn Otto cycle technology.  Extremely close control of combustion in every cylinder at all times, design of the combustion chamber using the latest computer aided design tools, and optimised turbocharging, has cut methane slip to very low levels. These engines can either be used for generator drive in a gas engine/electric transmission or for driving the propeller through a mechanical transmission directly.

The greenhouse effect of methane is estimated differently by various government authorities and environmental organizations as between 21 and 25 times that of CO2 for the same quantity. Rolls-Royce uses a rather pessimistic figure of 23 in its calculations, and presents the engine emissions figure as the net reduction of CO2 emissions after accounting for the negative effect of the very low methane slip. For example, the reduction of  CO2 itself in the gas engine compared with an engine running on distillate diesel or heavy fuel is up to 30%. Even after allowing for methane slip, the total GHG reduction is very great.

This means that the Rolls-Royce marine gas engine ranges fulfil the requirements for operation in Emission Control Areas (ECA) and the very strict IMO Tier III rules that come into force in 2016. Emissions of NOx are about 92% less than liquid fuel engines, SOx and particulates are negligible, and even after allowing for the effect of methane slip the total GHG emission is about 22% lower than a comparable diesel engine. The thermal efficiency of these engines is also very high, in the range 49-50.3% depending on the engine type. Other advantages of these gas engines include greatly reduced risk of oil spills, a cleaner engineroom, and the absence of smoke.

Image courtesy Rolls Royce

Currently  Rolls-Royce Bergen gas engines are in service in, or on order for, ferries, roro vessels, tankers, coast guard ships and offshore support vessels. To date, 35 marine engines have been sold, and about 500 land engines, with cumulative running time of over 20 million running hours.

Following excellent experience with the LNG fueled engines in five double-ended ferries in intensive service connecting main road routes on the west coast of Norway, a second generation and larger ferry has now been delivered. Boknafjord can carry 242 cars or equivalent, and 589 passengers. Three Rolls-Royce C26:33 nine cylinder gas engines drive generators to power four of the company’s Azipull steerable thrusters to maximise the vessel’s efficiency and manoeuvrability.

Torghatten Nord, operating ferries in tough weather conditions in the north of Norway, is also going for gas. Four vessels now being built in Poland will be powered by lean burn Rolls-Royce gas engines with mechanical drive to the propellers.

Ferries are a testing environment for engines. “If you can survive the ferry cycle you can survive anything. The repeated heating up and cooling down puts a massive strain on the engines,” says Odd Magne Horgen, General Manager for Engine Sales in Rolls-Royce.

MF Boknafjord

The world’s coastal and short sea vessel fleet is ageing, and alert operators are now ordering future orientated designs with LNG as the fuel. For its fleet renewal programme, Norlines has ordered 5,000dwt vessels of Rolls-Royce design to carry roro freight, containers and pallets on its North Sea/Baltic routes. The chosen power is a single B35:40L9 gas engine driving the controllable pitch propeller through a gearbox. Propeller and rudder are integrated hydrodynamically to give a very efficient and low emissions propulsion system.

Offshore service vessels can profit from changing to gas fuel, as well as reducing marine emissions. An example is Island Offshore, who are adding two platform supply vessels of Rolls-Royce UT 776 CDG design with C-series LNG fueled engines to their fleet.

Discussions are also in progress with a Japanese owner about the propulsion of a 70,000dwt bulk carrier using twin Bergen gas engines, taking LNG fuel and medium speed engines into this type of vessel.

As the LNG bunkering infrastructure expands this fuel becomes a realistic choice for commercial shipowners. The major classification societies now have rules for LNG fuelled vessels, and Rolls-Royce can engineer and supply gas engine installations, from the engine itself through the propulsion system to the design of the whole ship.

- by Jaime Tetrault, Director – Marine Product Support, CAT Marine

There are limitations in the amount of data that a human can process in a single second.  For example, a human eye has the capability to process one frame per millisecond.  While this enables us to understand vessel operational data live, when we combine multiple datasets, this limitation is significant.  Have you noticed how it is nearly impossible to catch a fly? The primary reason is that a fly can process 20 frames per millisecond and our world appears to move in slow motion to a fly as compared to how we see it.

Imagine if we could process 20 times the data from an operating vessel at a time. How would we use this data and what would we do with the information the data delivers?

Data is only one element of remote monitoring. Advancing the technology to the next paradigm requires the ability to convert the data into information, the information into recommendations, and the recommendations into action. This requires a subset of definitions that are critical to understanding the evolution of remote monitoring. We consider remote monitoring as the ability to monitor and read operational parameters from a remote location. Condition-based monitoring builds on remote monitoring by utilizing the operational parameters to define running conditions. A vast step forward is the ability to convert this conditional data being fed into a centralized location into useful advanced warnings, extended maintenance recommendations, and, ultimately, a lowered cost of operation.

Today we struggle in this area for a variety of reasons, many of which include the limitations of a single source provider to have the capabilities of monitoring vast amounts of data and making any level of useful recommendation. For this reason, we define Advanced Condition Monitoring as the ability to integrate algorithmic capabilities into the data-stream to identify critical parameters with high velocity. Considering the number of monitored assets aboard a merchant vessel today, numerous advancements will need to be made for such a solution to be offered to the marine industry by a single supplier.

As suppliers evolve in their ability to provide open architecture for asset monitoring, an element of the future challenges becomes more transparent:

How can a single supplier monitor all this data and provide value, integrate solutions into the vessel management system, and ultimately partner with the operator in sharing risk?

This is the ultimate value-add offering in remote monitoring and the future for operators who desire to partner with solution providers with the intent to lower operating costs. Arguably, ACM is the solution to this challenge. The first providers to combine a technology derived from algorithmic processes with a commercially viable solution using remote capabilities with localized support will represent the future.

The future of remote monitoring is not limited to the monitoring element alone.  The value chain of solutions will evolve for the “do it myself (DIM)” customer to an operating environment of “do it for me (DIFM)” ship owners. The methodology to achieve this milestone is a combination of technical, commercial, and legal solutions.  Selling solutions moves the suppliers into a proactive mode, partnering with the operators and predictably anticipating operational challenges and preventing them. It includes extending maintenance intervals, optimizing vessel performance and fuel consumption, reducing manpower requirements, and eventually, possibly even changing the owner environment into remote and non-remote engaged operators.  Don’t misinterpret this prediction; there will always be the need for a living operator on the bridge of the ship to anticipate risks and make corrections. However, in the future remote monitoring world, the remote operators will have the advantage of significantly reduced costs and thus can be much more competitive, eventually capturing a leading market share.

If we examine some parallel industries (for example: mining), we begin to see the usage of this data for value messaging, supply chain management and fuel consumption optimization. This capability is creeping into the marine industry, albeit very slowly, as marine vessels are significantly more complex than a mining machine. In addition to the inherent complexity associated with marine vessels, asset suppliers in the marine industry are not wholly comfortable opening up their operational architecture to third party monitoring solutions. The risk of safety, warranty validity, and the eventuality of proprietary knowledge unknowingly entering the open market is unacceptable and represents a significant obstacle that will need to be addressed prior to industry acceptance. Despite the common usage of J1938 / 39 communication architecture, we are far from connecting all assets to a single data bus on board a vessel. It is critical that the vessels being designed today anticipate this challenge and strive to bring all operating assets onto a common bus for eventual communication capability. So are we limited in reaching this ACM goal? How do we enable the next evolution in remote monitoring to take place? As with all future predictions, we need to examine the progress one step at a time.

Step 1: Predictive Component Maintenance 

This sounds much more rudimentary than it actually is today. There are numerous conflicting elements of this step that prevent it from becoming normalized, including:

• The lack of willingness by asset suppliers to share the early indicators for failure.  Most suppliers in the industry provide and promote their own operating and maintenance schedules. Few define a pre-failure predictive protocol for operating machinery.
• Most suppliers profit on the parts business and in theory, outside warranty, a failure of a component is profitable revenue. This challenge must be overcome, and we must challenge asset suppliers to become more willing to share this data and to integrate this data into a series of remote monitored asset solutions. Many operating assets are not installed with an electronic monitoring capability, preventing the ability to link to a common communication bus. Architects have the ability to incorporate this expectation today for most equipment, providing options to the owner to allow them the ability to prepare for a vessel retrofit once the technology advances.

Step 2: Commercialization of the predictive component maintenance solution.

There must be a resounding business case for a single supplier to invest in the technology and knowledge from various suppliers to build a common remote monitoring platform that will meet all the needs of the vessel owner at an affordable price.  Each operator balances on a fine line of risk and reward. No doubt, the reduction of a single off-charter day for a vessel generates significant savings, however, at what return on investment?  Today we have solutions that are targeted to individual assets (example: engines, load management systems, and bridge equipment); however, no single supplier has effectively brought all these assets into a single data system. The naval architects today should anticipate the increasing need to build into the vessel design electronic solutions that will cost effectively allow third parties to access the data-bus and export data from multiple sources at rapid rates at near zero cost. No supplier will likely be able to afford to retrofit an entire vessel in the commercial proposal to a ship operator; therefore, the ships being designed today are an important link in enabling this technology solution for the future.

Step 3: The implementation of an Advanced Condition Monitoring technology

Advanced Condition Monitoring technology can interpret millions of data-points per second for all monitored assets, translate the data into useful information, and allow a limited number of Fleet Managers to immediately make a recommendation or take action.  This milestone requires asset suppliers to be more open with their operating systems, and to allow third parties access to critical operational risk experience databases. This is likely only to be accomplished with pressure from the supplier of the leading cost assets on-board a vessel, either the power management supplier or the engine supplier.  Architects need to partner with these suppliers to select sub-systems that only utilize electronic data communication solutions. The suppliers need to partner to provide the algorithmic solutions that will enable a rapid conversion of data into useful information for the Fleet Managers. This single issue is representative of a multi-faceted challenge that is yet to be overcome.

Step 4: The creation of a vessel health management system

This solution would combine the information output of the ACM system, with a series of remote personnel who can evaluate solutions both on and off-site and make critical operational decisions. We can never fully remove the human value of diagnosing a product health situation. Additionally, we need to understand the operating profile of the vessel.

For example, we should never be in a position to shut down a critical system to protect the asset at the risk of running aground or hitting a fixed bridge structure. A vessel health management system will likely be replicated from existing land-based solutions that are in place today, and is a realistic step once the ACM technology evolves.

Step 5: A continuous improvement process is needed to constantly evaluate lessons learned and remove risk from the client solution. 

The marine industry will continue to evolve, as will the on-board technology. Each new technology presents new risks.

Consider alone the challenges presented by IMO III, and the impacted emissions reduction equipment. How will a vessel health management system balance the need to move cargo with the environmental regulations and operational needs of the ship? Who is empowered to make those rules as related to remote monitoring and what is the impact of a wrong decision?

We need a strong governing body to set limits on vessel health management and the tools utilized to provide value to the shipping company in the future.

The future of remote monitoring is full Vessel Health Management with Advanced Condition Monitoring. These potential solutions are constantly being challenged due to improved and evolving marine technology and operational regulations. We are only at the cusp of this journey in the technology evolution today, with various suppliers introducing new and improved solutions every year. Each has its own value, and each has its own limitations. When a single supplier is able to combine all managed assets into a single data-stream, evaluate the data from multiple vessels at once at very high speeds using ACM, combining a localized solution in a commercially viable vessel health management tool, we will have achieved the vision of this paper.

That future of remote monitoring is not today, but it is realistically achievable by the year 2020.

Jaime Tetrault is a US Merchant Marine Academy graduate and 15-year employee of Caterpillar.  He has 25 years of maritime experience and is currently managing the Caterpillar Marine Power System Product Support Division representing all product health, product support, parts sales and distribution development activities for Cat and MaK brand marine engines.  He is based in Hamburg, Germany.

With power generation, grids and networks constantly expanding, the need for additional efficient and environmentally friendly power has never been greater. Technologies based on direct current (DC) power can dramatically improve efficiency in many applications. ABB was a pioneer in DC power and continues to innovate its applications to help improve the way the world uses electricity.

Imagine a ship with an efficient and modern propulsion system. It is electric, with state-of-the-art equipment. Now, take this vessel and increase the efficiency by up to 20% and reduce the footprint of electrical equipment by up to 30%. Add to that the full freedom for integrating and combining different energy sources, including renewables, gas and diesel, and a greater flexibility in placing system components in the vessel design. This is the ABB Onboard DC Grid

Eric Schreiber from ABB Marine spoke with us this morning and gives insight into the power systems on board vessels at sea:

“Some maritime industry enthusiasts and seasoned seafarers might remember when DC power was the prevailing source of electricity on board ships.  Due to the simplicity of AC power, it eventually overtook DC electricity on board ships.  ABB’s recent developments in DC power technology, called “Onboard DCgrid,” are reviving the usage of DC power on board ships  because it is simply more efficient.

The Onboard DC Grid is a new philosophy in optimized propulsion and an integration of multiple DC links as used in current propulsion and thruster drives designs.  Onboard DC Grid enables ship designers to combine the benefits of AC components with the advantages of a new smart DC distribution. Just as variable speed drives allow the electric propulsion motors to be run at their optimum working point, Onboard DC Grid allows the diesel engines to run at variable speed for top fuel efficiency at each load level. And, the Onboard DC Grid enables full flexibility in combining energy sources, including renewables.

Studies based on Onboard DC Grid estimate higher efficiency levels up to 20% in addition to the advantages of smaller equipment footprint and reduced weight.

The efficiency improvement is mainly achieved from the system no longer being locked at a specific frequency (usually 60Hz on ships), even though a 60Hz power source can also be connected to the grid. This new freedom of being able to control each power source totally independently opens up numerous ways of optimizing fuel consumption. The additional benefits of size provides more cargo space while the weight reduction contribute to a more functional layout. The reduced weight and footprint of the installed electrical equipment will vary depending on the ship type and application. One comparison using the Onboard DC Grid instead of the traditional AC system for a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV), reduced the weight of the electrical system components from 115,520 kilograms (254,700 lb) to 85,360 kilograms (188,200 lb).”

Hybrid auxiliary power system consists of a fuel cell, diesel generating set and batteries. An intelligent control system balances the loading of  each component for maximum system efficiency. The system can also accept other energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Result:

• Reduction of NOX by 78%
• Reduction of CO2 by 30%
• Reduction of particles by 83%

Combined diesel-electric and diesel-mechanical machinery can improve the total efficiency in ships with an operational profile containing modes with varying loads. The electric power plant will bring benefits at part load, were the engine load is optimised by selecting the right number of engines in use. At higher loads, the mechanical part will offer lower transmission losses than a fully electric machinery.

Total energy consumption for a offshore support vessel with CODED machinery is reduced by 4% compared to a diesel-electric machinery.

Low Loss Concept (LLC) is a patented power distribution system that reduces the number of rectifier transformers from one for each power drive to one bus-bar transformer for each installation. This reduces the distribution losses, increases the energy availability and saves space and installation costs.

Result: Gets rid of bulky transformers.  Transmission losses reduced by 15-20%.

The system uses generating sets operating in a variable rpm mode. The rpm is always adjusted for maximum efficiency regardless of the system load.  The electrical system is based on DC distribution and frequency controlled consumers.

• Reduces number of generating sets by 25%
• Optimized fuel consumption, saving 5-10%

Switching to LNG fuel reduces energy consumption because of the lower demand for ship electricity and heating. The biggest savings come from not having to separate and heat HFO. LNG cold (-162 °C) can be utilised in cooling the ship’s HVAC to save AC-compressor power.

Saving in total energy < 4 % for a typical ferry. In 22 kn cruise mode, the difference in electrical load is approx. 380 kW. This has a major impact on emissions.

Waste heat recovery (WHR) recovers the thermal energy from the exhaust gas and converts it into electrical energy. Residual heat can further be used for ship onboard services. The system can consist of a boiler, a power turbine and a steam turbine with alternator. Redesigning the ship layout can efficiently accommodate the boilers on the ship.

Exhaust waste heat recovery can provide up to 15% of the engine power. The potential with new designs is up to 20%.

Delta tuning is available on Wärtsilä 2-stroke RT-flex engines. It offers reduced fuel consumption in the load range that is most commonly used. The engine is tuned to give lower consumption at part load while still meeting NOx emission limits by allowing higher consumption at full load that is seldom used.

Result: Lower specific fuel consumption at part loads compared to standard tuning.

Common Rail (CR) is a tool for achieving low emissions and low SFOC. CR controls combustion so it can be optimised throughout the operation field, providing at every load the lowest possible fuel consumption.

Result:

• Smokeless operation at all loads
• Part load impact
• Full load impact

Using lighting that is more electricity and heat efficient where possible and optimizing the use of lighting reduces the demand for electricity and air conditioning. This results in a lower hotel load and hence reduced auxiliary power demand.

Fuel consumption saving: Ferry: ~1%

Power Management: Correct timing for changing the number of generating sets is critical factor in fuel consumption in diesel electric and auxiliary power installations. An efficient power management system is the best way to improve the system performance.

Result: Running extensively at low load can easily increase the SFOC by 5-10%. Low load increases the risk of turbine fouling with a further impact on fuel consumption.

Solar panels installed on a ship’s deck can generate electricity for use in an electric propulsion engine or auxiliary ship systems. Heat for various ship systems can also be generated with the solar panels.

Depending on the available deck space, solar panels can give the following reductions in total fuel consumption:

• Tanker: ~ 3.5%
• PCTC: ~ 2.5%
• Ferry: ~ 1%

Pumps are major energy consumers and the engine cooling water system contains a considerable number of pumps. In many installations a large amount of extra water is circulated in the cooling water circuit. Operating the pumps at variable speed would optimise the flow according to the actual need.

Pump energy saving (LT only) case studies:

• Cruise ships (DE) 20-84%
• Ferry 20-30%
• AHTS 8-95%

An Integrated Automation System (IAS) or Alarm and Monitoring System (AMS) includes functionality for advanced automatic monitoring and control of both efficiency and operational performance.

The system integrates all vessel monitoring parameters and controls all processes onboard, so as to operate the vessel at the lowest cost and with the best fuel performance.

Power drives distribute and regulate the optimum power needed for propeller thrust in any operational condition.

Engine optimization control, power generation & distribution optimisation, thrust control and ballast optimisation give 5-10% savings in fuel consumption.

Power management based on intelligent control principles to monitor and control the overall efficiency and availability of the power system onboard. In efficiency mode, the system will automatically run the system with the best energy cost.

Reduces operational fuel costs by 5% and minimizes maintenance.

Part 4 will focus on specific Operational and Maintenance factors and their impact on a vessel’s efficiency.

MTU diesels help this West Coast workboat operator cut fuel costs for long-haul towing and ship-assist jobs throughout the Pacific Ocean. Other engine benefits include faster throttle response and reduced noise and vibration.

COOS BAY, Oregon— Starting with a single small wooden tug in the 1930s, Sause Bros. has grown its fleet to 60 tugs and barges, in the process becoming one of the most respected names in U.S. marine cargo transportation. One key to the company’s continued success has been a long-term fleet modernization program. A cornerstone of that program was the company’s decision to replace its existing medium-speed marine diesel engines with high-speed marine diesels from MTU . It is a decision that is paying off in big fuel savings, better performance and improved dependability.

Sause Bros. barges petroleum, lumber, plywood, paper and chemicals between many Pacific Ocean ports in the United States, Central and South America, the South Pacific and even Russia. Typical one-way trips can range from 1,200 to 2,400 nautical miles, and some are much longer. In addition to cargo transportation, the company’s vessels are hired for ocean-towing and ship-assist jobs.

Modernization program features MTU engines

To meet the demands of customers and regulators, while also controlling costs, 10 years ago Sause Bros. embarked on a 20-year vessel-modernization program. The program includes renovating old boats as well as constructing new ones.

Today, a little over one-third of the tugs and barges in the Sause Bros. fleet are powered by MTU Series 4000 and Series 2000 IRONMEN marine diesel engines. The tugs feature MTU Series 4000 engines with 12V and 16V cylinder configurations, as well as 12V Series 2000 and Series 60 engines. The most powerful of these engines, the 12V and 16V Series 4000 units, are installed in the company’s long-distance ocean-towing tugs, while Series 2000 and Series 60 engines power tugs that operate in harbors. All of the company’s MTU equipped barges are powered by Series 60 engines, which are longtime fixtures in the workboat market.

High-speed diesel engines such as this MTU 12V Series 2000, are compact for their power output, leading to engine rooms with ample space for maintenance.

Fuel economy a key to survival

“At the time we started our modernization, we were burning about 15 million gallons of fuel a year, so we were looking for a way to be as fuel-efficient as possible,” says Dale Sause, the company’s president. “In the 1960s and ’70s, fuel, maintenance and labor were all roughly the same percentage of our expenses, but as fuel prices have risen to over $3 a gallon, fuel costs rapidly became the 800-pound gorilla in the room, triple the size of the other two items.”

Thanks to the modernization program, however, Sause Bros. has been able to achieve a 30 to 47 percent reduction in fuel consumption. The company estimates that up to 15 percent of the savings can be attributed directly to the new fuel-efficient MTU engines. MTU engines also offer lower lube-oil consumption and lower exhaust emissions. Series 4000, 2000 and 60 engines all meet EPA Tier 2 emissions standards, a requirement for boats operating in California waters.

Reliability is also a key

When it came time to choose from among today’s best marine engines, Sause says that they ultimately chose MTU based on overall engine quality and reliability.

On long tows, Sause Bros.’ captains sometimes operate their vessels for weeks at a time without shutting down the engines. What’s more, these long trips can involve towing cargoes that weigh up to 25,000 tons into hurricane-force winds and seas as high as 40 feet. “During severe winter storms, you have to be up against the throttle for long periods of time, so you need an engine that’s very reliable,” Sause says.

Choosing high-speed engines

There were misgivings among some at the company about the move to high-speed engines. “The standard in our fleet, at the time, were 900 rpm, two-stroke engines,” Sause recalls. “We had tried other brands of 1,800 rpm engines in the past, but they had not been successful at handling the constant loads and hours.” With downtime costing up to $30,000 a day, those who had misgivings about the engines were concerned about reliability.

However, experience with the MTU engines has swayed the doubters, Sause claims. “If you ask them today, I think they would tell you that the quality and reliability of the engines has converted them.”

Several performance advantages of MTU engines, such as faster throttle response, reduced noise and vibration, and more compact design, have been noted by the boat captains. Reduced noise and vibration are important for crew comfort on long trips, and the more compact engine envelope opens up more space in engine rooms.

Time between overhaul improvements

Another factor that helped sell Sause on MTU engines was their extended time between overhauls. TBO for Sause’s MTU engines has been 30,000 hours, compared to 24,000 hours or less for competitive engines. That can translate into an additional 12 to 18 months between overhauls, he says.

As for the overhauls themselves, Sause reports that they’ve gone very smoothly. MTU distributors have dispatched technical representatives to supervise maintenance work and set up effective preventive maintenance programs.

So far in its modernization program, Sause Bros. has equipped more than 10 tugs with MTU engines. Over the next 10 years, the company plans to install MTU engines in dozens more tugs as part of both retrofits and new construction projects.

Via MTU

Eurodam News, Holland America’s newbuild blog, shares the secret;

When Zuiderdam, the first Vista-class ship, entered service, it quickly became evident that the aft part of the main restaurant had higher-than-usual noise and vibration levels. On all Holland America ships the aft section of the main restaurant is located above the propellers, but on Vista-class ships the main restaurant was located three decks lower and therefore is closer to the propellers.

Fincantieri engaged Danish consulting company Odegaard & Danneskiold-Samsoe to work with the shipyard’s noise and vibration department to develop a solution. They hit on the idea of installing an air-injection system that would create a cushion of air bubbles between the propellers and the hull to absorb some of the noise frequencies that would otherwise be transferred directly to the hull. A similar system had been installed on private yachts before, but the technology had never been tried on a large cruise vessel.

For the rest of the article click HERE. Also visit gcaptain’s new Free-board for Jobs In Naval Architecture.

This article was originally posted in October 2007

We first met Hydraulic Marine Systems during our coverage of the International Workboat Show in December and, like the rest of the trade show participants, were amazed by the product. Boiled down, they lease mobile propulsion units that can be readily affixed to a barge or used to provide supplemental power to any vessel with available deck space. This system has already proved valuable for salvage operations with new uses being discovered on a frequent basis.

Here is a video demonstration of the product:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The deckies run of this blog is just about over since today we are joining maritime recruiters everywhere and posting the sign “Engineer Wanted”.

If you are an engineer looking for a few extra dollars and possesses both writing and Internet skills please contact us today.

Not sure you’re sold on the idea of joining the ranks of maritime bloggers? Give YOUblog a try, it’s the simplest way to get started.

-gCaptain

MarineBuzz points us to Norway’s plan to build a One Nautical Mile long tunnel for ships. Reuters tells us:

Norway has drawn up plans to build the world’s first shipping tunnel which would save time and money for vessels passing through a coastal area known for its dangerous seas.

Strong winds, high waves and powerful currents in the area of Stad on the southwest coast of Norway cause long delays while ships wait for calmer conditions.

The tunnel, estimated to cost around $310 million and take five years to build, would cut through a peninsula, saving ships the risky journey around the coastline. Continue Reading…

While the concept isn’t new, France has been building tunnels for barges since the 19th century, this is the first tunnel of it’s size. Head over to Marine Buzz for more photos and information.

Our friend Jean Pierre de Lutz is building a new boat using green technology and writing about it on his blog. Knowing we are interested in new technology geared toward reducing ship emissions he pointed us to the European Union funded project Wartsila METHAPU. Here are the details:

After nearly one and a half years of research and development, the EU-funded METHAPU (‘Validation of renewable methanol based auxiliary power systems for commercial vessels’) project is about to start trials on a prototype of a methanol-based solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) unit. The protoype will be tried and tested for performance and emissions under real-life conditions onboard a car transport vessel involved in international trade.

According to the independent Norwegian organisation Det Norske Veritas (DNV), one of the five project partners, the world’s fleet of ships is the source of two percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, ten percent to 15 percent of nitrous oxides (NOx) and four percent to six percent of sulphur oxides. DNV specialises in risk management in various areas and operates internationally. ‘Fuel cells represent an interesting possible solution to the problem of reducing local and regional emissions,’ the DNV comments in its report on ‘Fuel cells in ships: safety & reliability’. ‘The technology is, however, still fairly unproven.’

This is what the EUR 2 million METHAPU project, to which the EU contributes EUR 1 million, is set to change: The one-year trial will help to assess the maturity of methanol-based technology and its suitability for daily use in the shipping sector.

You can read the full article HERE.