The technologies are grouped under four main headings:

• Ship design
• Propulsion
• Machinery
• Operation & Maintenance

Combining these areas and treating them together as an integrated solution can result in truly efficient ship operations.

The following are design concepts and their associated contribution to a more efficient ship design.

A larger ship will in most cases offer greater transport efficiency  – “Efficiency of Scale” effect.  A larger ship can transport more cargo at the  same speed with less power per cargo unit.  Limitations may be met in port handling.

Regression analysis of recently built ships show that a 10% larger ship will give about 4-5% higher transport efficiency. 

Minimising the use of ballast (and other unnecessary weight) results in lighter displacement and thus lower resistance. The resistance is more or less directly proportional to the displacement of the vessel. However there must be enough ballast to immerse the propeller in the water, and provide sufficient stability (safety) and acceptable sea keeping behaviour (slamming).

Removing 3000 tons of permanent ballast from a PCTC and increasing the beam by 0.25 metres to achieve the same stability will reduce the propulsion power demand by 8.5%.

The use of lightweight structures can reduce the ship weight. In structures that do not contribute to ship global strength, the use of aluminium or some other lightweight material may be an attractive solution.

The weight of the steel structure can also be reduced. In a conventional ship, the steel weight can be lowered by 5-20%, depending on the amount of high tensile steel already in use.

A 20% reduction in steel weight will give a reduction of ~9% in propulsion power  requirements. However, a 5% saving is more realistic, since high tensile steel has already been used to some extent in many cases.

Finding the optimum length and hull fullness ratio (Cb) has a big impact on ship resistance.

A high L/B ratio means that the ship will have smooth lines and low wave making resistance. On the other hand, increasing the length means a larger wetted surface area, which can have a negative effect on total resistance.

A too high block coefficient (Cb) makes the hull lines too blunt and leads to increased resistance.

Adding 10-15% extra length to a typical product tanker can reduce the power demand by more than 10%.

The Interceptor is a metal plate that is fitted vertically to the transom of a ship, covering most of the breadth of the transom. This plate bends the flow over the aft-body of the ship downwards, creating a similar lift effect as a conventional trim wedge due to the high pressure area behind the propellers. The interceptor has proved to be more effective than a conventional trim wedge in some cases, but so far it has been used only in cruise vessels and RoRos. An interceptor is cheaper to retrofit  than a trim wedge.

1-5% lower propulsion power demand. Corresponding improvement of up to 4% in total energy demand for a typical ferry.

A ducktail is basically a lengthening of the aft ship. It is usually 3-6 meter long. The basic idea is to lengthen the effective waterline and make the wetted transom smaller. This has a positive effect on the resistance of the ship. In some cases the best results are achieved when a ducktail is used together with an interceptor.

4-10% lower propulsion power demand. Corresponding improvement of 3-7% in total energy consumption for a typical ferry.

The shaft lines should be streamlined. Brackets should have a streamlined shape. Otherwise this increases the resistance and disturbs the flow to the propeller.

Up to 3% difference in power demand between poor and good design. A corresponding improvement of up to 2% in total energy consumption for a typical ferry.

The skeg should be designed so that it directs the flow evenly to the propeller disk. At lower speeds it is usually beneficial to have more volume on the lower part of the skeg and as little as possible above the propeller shaftline. At the aft end of the skeg the flow should be attached to the skeg, but with as low flow speeds as possible.

1.5%-2% lower propulsion power demand with good design. A corresponding improvement of up to 2% in total energy consumption for a container vessel.

The water flow disturbance from openings to bow thruster tunnels and sea chests can be high. It is therefore beneficial to install a scallop behind each opening. Alternatively a grid that is perpendicular to the local flow direction can be installed. The location of the opening is also important.

Designing all openings properly and locating them correctly can give up to 5% lower power demand than with poor designs. For a container vessel, the corresponding improvement in total energy consumption is almost 5%.

Compressed air is pumped into a recess in the bottom of the ship’s hull. The air builds up a “carpet” that reduces the frictional resistance between the water and the hull surface. This reduces the propulsion power demand. The challenge is to ensure that the air stays below the hull and does not escape. Some pumping power is needed.

Saving in fuel consumption:

• Tanker: ~15 % 
• Container: ~7.5 % 
• PCTC: ~8.5 % 
• Ferry: ~3.5%

Part 2 of this series focuses on ship propulsion technology.  

At 1253 feet (382m) in length, and 384 feet (117m) at the beam, this massive ship will have a footprint twice as large as the Emma Maersk.  Eight diesel generators will provide 95MW of power to 12 azimuth-mounted thrusters and for all operational needs.

This ship was uniquely designed with the ability to deconstruct aging offshore oil production structures, particularly those found in the North Sea, as well as for high capacity pipelay operations.

USS Antietam and the USS Carl Vinson battlegroup (US Navy photo)

On the bow of the Pieter Schelte is a unique system that allows her to latch on to a topsides structure and conduct a 48,000 ton maximum lift to separate this structure from the supports below that reach down to the sea floor.  To put this in perspective, 48,000 tons is about 5 times as heavy as a Ticonderoga-class Cruiser.

Once the topsides removal is complete, the ship will then turn 180 degrees and a powerful array of high capacity cantilever cranes will lift the steel “jacket” truss off the bottom and lay it flat on the aft deck.  This system will have the capacity to lift even the largest steel structures in the North Sea, the location of her primary mission once commissioned in 2013.

As a dynamically-positioned pipelay vessel, the Pieter Schelte will have a 2,000 ton tension capacity, twice that of the Allseas Solitaire, the current world record holder for pipelay capacity.  She will have the capacity to lay concrete-coated steel trunklines nearly 6 feet in diameter from her stern.

Video Flyby Of The Pieter Schelte

Click here to view the embedded video.

Decommissioning An Oil Platform

Pieter Schelte Decommissioning of an oil rig

For more videos of the Pieter Schelte visit Allseas’ movie gallery. To view other offshore behemoths visit gCaptain’s Heavy Lift section.

“This is another step in helping America’s Marine Highways move our economy and relieve congestion on our roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  “The U.S. maritime industry is vital to our economy and our security.  These vessel designs will bolster both in a way that maximizes efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.”

Eleven designs have been created for new vessels focussing primarily on roll-on roll-off vessels. The designs include six RO/RO vessels, three combination RO/RO-container carriers, a feeder container ship, and a RO/RO-passenger ferry.

Marad adds that the new vessel designs also meet a portion of the U.S. military’s sealift needs.

The detailed ship designs can be found HERE.

Photo: The 'ECORE', a VLOC concept design developed by class society DNV in partnership with FKAB, TGE Marine, Cargotec and MAN Diesel & Turbo.

Development of in-house ‘green ship’ designs by class societies risks creating conflict of interest with their core safety role.

(Houston, TX—) ABS President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher J. Wiernicki has warned that a move into ship design by some class societies creates a fundamental conflict of interest with their role as independent providers of safety approval and certification.

Wiernicki used his keynote address at the Houston Mare Forum USA conference to question the rationale of some class societies in promoting energy-optimized designs created in-house, a development he described as ‘deeply troubling’.

Wiernicki said the issue went to the heart of the underlying principle for classification, yet he was surprised to have heard no other voices questioning the growing intrusion of class into an area of ethical quicksand.

“The bottom line is that, since the objectives of the designer and the class society are so fundamentally different, having class societies promote themselves as designers is dangerous,” said Wiernicki. “It undermines the basic fabric of the industry, it destroys the credibility of class as an independent third party, it has the potential to lead to poor designs that could impact the credibility of the whole industry and it upsets the essential checks and balances between commercial pressures and effective safety and environmental risk management.”

Having trained and qualified as a naval architect, Wiernicki said he was acutely aware of the differences between the design and certification disciplines and the dangers of crossing the line between them.

“When classification societies begin developing and promoting their own designs, the essential independence of class is compromised. If ABS were to promote an in-house design for an energy-efficient tanker, how could we retain our integrity if we were then to approve that same design for construction?”

With the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) adopted for new vessel construction earlier this year, he acknowledged that the industry is moving into a period of innovative thinking with respect to basic ship design.

But this change should not have the unintended consequence of allowing class societies to become ship designers in an attempt to increase their market share. Classification’s independent reputation with underwriters, bankers, flag and port States would be fatally compromised if it designed the ships it also classes, he said.

Wiernicki said discussions internally at ABS as well as with clients and shipyards left him unable to reconcile the concept of class acting as a ship designer which then reviews and approves the same design. He went on to state that class societies need to choose between being class societies and designers – they cannot be both.

“I will go even further and say that they should not and cannot be allowed to, because wearing both these critical hats undermines the basic safety integrity of our entire industry. This is not a class issue; this is an industry issue,” he concluded.

Source: American Bureau of Shipping

Some of you may remember a cartoon which appeared during World War I, a drawing showing an inquisitive stranger talking with the gateman at a railway crossing. The gate was painted with the usual black and white stripes, and lying on the river beyond the tracks was a steamer painted with similar markings. The stranger asked, “Why do they paint the stripes on the gate?” And the gateman answered, “Oh, that’s to make them more visible.”

And then the stranger asked, “Well, why do they paint the stripes on the vessel out there?” And the gateman replied, “Oh, that’s to make the ship less visible.”

-Everett Warner [paraphrased from his lecture notes]

A ships in costume, gCaptain brings you Razzle Dazzle; history’s most unusually painted ship. What is Razzle Dazzle? GoTouring.com tells us;

During World War I, the British and Americans faced a serious threat from German U-boats. All attempts to camouflage ships at sea had failed, as the appearance of the sea and sky are always changing.  Any color scheme that was concealing in one situation was conspicuous in others. A British artist and naval officer, Norman Wilkinson, promoted a new camouflage scheme that was derived from the artistic fashions of the time, particularly cubism. Instead of trying to conceal the ship, it simply broke up its lines and made it more difficult for the U-boat captain to determine the ship’s course. The British called this camouflage scheme “Dazzle Painting.” The Americans called it “Razzle Dazzle.”

Artists were enlisted to draw up the camouflage designs. Early in the war, designs were drawn for individual ships, with each ship having its own distinctive pattern. As the war progressed, standard patterns were devised and applied to large numbers of ships. Even the great passenger liners were camouflaged for the duration of the War.

It is unfortunate that there are no color photographs of these WWI ships. People who witnessed convoys of dazzle painted ships reported that the scene was quite dramatic. Imagine sailing across the North Atlantic surrounded by dozens of brightly painted ships, each in different colors and patterns. If you compare the colored drawing with the black and white photograph of the ship “War Clover”, you can get an idea of how much we are missing. Read More…

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The problem confronting a submarine, once his prey has been sighted, resolves itself solely into estimating course and speed of the target, in order to determine how the approach to torpedo fire position should be made. The “dazzle” system of painting is based on this one consideration and that is, of rendering the problem confronting a submarine more difficult, confusing him as to how his approach shall be made and thereby adding in some degree to the safety of the vessel attacked.

U.S. Admiral William S. Sims (1917)

Camopedia has this amazing information on the World War I design team assigned to the project;

ONE METHOD camoufleurs might have used (but did not, apparently) to generate a large number of unique dazzle schemes is the stencil method.

It is indebted to American artist Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921), sometimes called “the father of camouflage,” who (circa 1909) devised a clever, easy way for individuals to design their own camouflage, using cut-out silhouettes.

Whatever the surrounding, said Thayer, a person “has only to cut out a stencil of the soldier, ship, cannon or whatever figure he wishes to conceal, and look through this stencil from the viewpoint under consideration, to learn just what costume from that viewpoint would most tend to conceal this figure.” However, the purpose of dazzle camouflage was confusion, not concealment, so, in the examples below, we have used the silhouette as a mask with which to “find” valuable dazzle designs in an abstract, geometric plan. In studies of human vision, Gestalt psychologists and others have investigated embedded figures or “puzzle pictures” (Wolfgang Köhler called them “camouflaged figures”) in which a simple shape has been adroitly hidden within a larger, more complex surrounding.

In pre-computer days, one could make arbitrary compositions in art by overlapping “systems” on layers of tracing paper, viewed on a light table. Today, it is ever so easy to do the same thing (and much more) by using the “layers” function in software such as Adobe Photoshop. This could have been useful as a way to generate dazzle designs, had all that been available in World War I.

If you are looking for more information on this topic be sure to read things magazine‘s extensive ship camouflage links section.

Photo: Rolls-Royce's "Environship" design © Rolls-Royce plc 2011

Rolls-Royce says it has received its first order for vessels based on the group’s award-winning, highly efficient, “Environship” concept.  Rolls-Royce will design and provide integrated power and propulsion systems for two technologically advanced cargo vessels purchased by the Norwegian transportation company, Nor Lines AS.

These highly efficient ships feature a wave piercing bow and hull design, world leading gas powered engines and an innovative Promas propulsion system which combined could increase fuel efficiency by up to 18 percent.  The vessel also promises numerous environmental benefits including the virtual elimination of SOx and reduction of CO2 emissions by more than 40 percent compared to similar conventional vessels.

The two vessels will be built at the Tsuji Heavy Industries shipyard in Jiangsu, China and are expected to enter service in October 2013, operating along the West Coast of Norway.

“The Environship concept is a transformational development for merchant shipping, offering significant reductions in fuel burn and emissions, as well as enhanced performance at sea” said Rolls-Royce’s President,Oddbjørn Eliassen.

The contract for the two ships includes options to build an additional two vessels of the same design. Rolls-Royce is already using the Environship concept to develop a wide range of other efficient ship designs, including passenger ferries, chemical tankers, gas tankers, bulk carriers, and superyachts.

The Rolls-Royce Environship concept received the prestigious Next Generation Ship Award at this year’s NorShipping event in Oslo, Norway.

New more efficient tanker design

Germanischer Lloyd has developed a design concept for a crude oil tanker with improved energy efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, increased cargo capacity, and minimized oil outflow in case of an accident. The design concept, the Aframax BEST-Plus design, maximises profitability by optimising the hull’s hydrodynamic performance, taking into account long-term freight rate levels and projected bunker costs.

The proposed vessel meets future EEDI requirements due to its speed and cargo capacity. The attained EEDI value is 83% of the latest published reference-line value for this ship size. The vessel would be in compliance with EEDI regulations if they were made mandatory today. The regulations are expected to come into force at the beginning of 2015 at the earliest. While newbuildings contracted before the EEDI has entered into force do not have to comply they will nevertheless have to compete with more energy efficient vessels entering the market after the introduction of EEDI.

Potential for Tanker Improvement

GL has focussed on a design concept for a crude oil tanker, because of the potential efficiency gains. Since the introduction of the double hull concept, oil tanker design has not evolved, and changes have been driven primarily by improving production at the ship yards. Little attention has been paid to performance over the life cycle and, in particular, the fuel-efficiency – as measured by the EEDI – has not improved in the last 20 years, despite the general improvement in systems.

Although oil tankers are considered to be among the most energy efficient vessels today, with an EEDI value ranging from 2 to 6 g CO2 / (t*nm), they emitted approximately 115 million tonnes of CO2 in 2009, an 8% increase from 2007. The current share of oil tanker CO2 emissions is approximately 12% of the total CO2 emissions from international shipping.

For the Aframax tanker design concept GL used an advanced optimisation environment, integrating software tools to predict required propulsion power, stability, oil outflow index, cargo capacity and hull structural scantlings according to IACS Common Structural Rules. The optimisation targeted speed at three different drafts, cargo capacity taking account of cargo volume and mass, hull structural mass, hull cargo, oil tank, and ballast tank layout.

Related design parameters were systematically varied and approximately 2,500 design variants were generated and assessed. The resulting optimized hull form facilitates a speed of 15.6 knots at design draft. For safety reasons and to reduce oil outflow in accidents, the double hull side width was eventually set to 2.65m.
To further reduce cargo tank penetration in grounding events, the inner bottom of the cargo oil tank 1 was raised from 2.10m to 2.75m. To ensure structural continuity, an inclined inner bottom is proposed between two frames.

Alternative fuels considered in design

The Aframax design concept also considers the use of alternative fuel for tankers. Oil tankers with their relatively large deck area offer sufficient space for the installation of the required gas tanks and for the gas preparation room. The design concept calculates 2,000 m3 LNG for two roundtrips. Using LNG as ship fuel could reduce SOx emissions by 90% and CO2 emissions by 20%.

The design study is based on a project by GL and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). After feedback from shipyards and oil tanker operators the design work continued resulting in the BEST-plus design concept. This design integrated hydrodynamic optimisation of the hull form in an effort to further reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

With a 7% decrease in cost of transport, 9% lower oil outflow index (outflow of oil in case of accident), and the highest speed of comparable Aframax designs, BEST-plus represents the next generation of Aframax oil tankers.

Click HERE to download a brochure of the novel BEST-plus Aframax Tanker Design Concept (PDF)

Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and DNV are pleased to announce the completion of the first milestone of a joint programme to develop the ECO-Ship 2020, a concept design for an open hatch bulk carrier (OHBC) developed to significantly lower fuel costs, meet or exceed regulatory standards and improve commercial performance.

The ECO-Ship 2020 is an energy-efficient and cost-effective concept design developed to help owners and operators improve commercial performance while lowering fuel costs. The LNG-fuelled open hatch bulk carrier concept features a number of innovative solutions, including a wide twin skeg hull, Oshima’s Seaworthy bow, air lubrication system, lean-burn four stroke medium speed gas engines and a flexible propulsion and power generation system with shaft generator/motor (PTO/PTI).

The concept also features a waste-heat recovery system that can feed electric power into the PTI to be used as a supplement to ship propulsion power, representing about 5% fuel savings at normal cruising speeds. The ECO-Ship is outfitted with four large capacity electric jib cranes and hatch covers made of a composite material that weighs about 50% less than traditional steel covers. The vessel has been specifically designed to be fully compliant with future IMO, ECA and Tier III emmission requirements, emitting about 50% less CO2 than typical existing OHBCs. A significant part of the reduction is due to the highly efficient propulsion system running on LNG.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wants to be first out

Oshima’s president Hiroshi Minami says that the company is committed to helping customers improve environmental and commercial performance. “Our objective is to be the first shipyard to deliver an LNG-powered bulk carrier,” he says. “To achieve our goal, we worked closely with DNV and other suppliers to develop a viable design concept. We are confident the results will exceed expectations.”

According to Adam Larsson, project manager for DNV, the project involved valuable input from Rolls-Royce Marine on LNG, machinery and propulsion solutions, while Kockums and FiReCo helped develop composite GRP solutions. “ECO-Ship is an innovative concept, but every feature is based on existing or emerging technologies,” he says. “And as one of the world’s leading yards for bulk carriers, Oshima’s commitment to more environmental-friendly shipping represents a clear sign that the industry is getting serious about LNG-fuelled shipping.”

Larsson notes that the ECO-Ship’s design is not only innovative but practical. “Rising demand for more fuel efficient ships combined with new technologies and Oshima’s shipbuilding expertise, will help to turn the ECO-Ship from a concept to a reality,” he says. “For any owner interested in saving on fuel costs, reducing emissions and staying ahead of new regulations, the ECO-Ship is the answer.”

Via DNV

PHOTO: This HPTIV can operate in year around weather conditions with an operational water depth range of 4.5 to 50 m – courtesy Wärtsilä

With the market for offshore wind farms rapidly developing, Wärtsilä and Aker Solutions have agreed to combine forces to develop a new and environmentally sound concept for offshore wind farm installation vessels. Under the agreement, Wärtsilä will provide the ship design, electrical power generation, propulsion machinery and high-end automation, while Aker Solutions will supply the jacking system.

Top tier technologies for this custom designed vessel will enable a highly efficient way of setting up offshore wind power generation. The vessel will rely on three Wärtsilä 6L34DF and two Wärtsilä 9L20DF dual-fuel engines operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG) to provide main and auxiliary power. Similarly, heat from the engine cooling system will be utilized to generate drinking water, and to supply hot water for use by the crew. The accommodation heating on board will also use the same heat source, while absorption chiller units will provide air conditioning during summer months.

Aker will apply a continuous hydraulic jacking system for truss legs, which have been customized for high performance turbine installation vessels. This jack system has great benefits in regard to redundancy, and a robust design for operations in harsh environments.

The new vessel concept will be marketed as a complete package, fulfilling the industry’s requirements for large deck space, sufficient crane capacity, year-round and all-weather operational capability and cost-efficient operating systems. It is designed for operating in the International Maritime Organization’s emission control areas (ECAs).

“This new concept is already generating significant interest among that segment of the industry involved with the installation and maintenance of offshore wind farms. There is a notable demand for a high technology, and fully integrated installation vessel design having significant environmentally sound features. We are delighted to be in co-operation with Aker Solutions to fill this need that is especially significant in the North Sea area. We expect to get the first orders this year,” says Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Design.

Lloyd’s Register and Shanghai-based Bestway Marine Engineering Design have completed their joint-industry project to develop a trend-setting environmental bulk carrier, with results far exceeding expectations.

According to the provisional data from the project, the new design for a 35,000 Dwt bulk carrier will achieve an 18% improvement in environmental efficiency over comparable previous versions when measured against the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index, a method by which a ship’s CO2 efficiency is measured.

“This project clearly demonstrates what can be achieved through the power of technical co-operation,” said Nick Brown, Lloyd’s Register’s Country and Marine Manager, China. “It showcased our technical expertise and ability to provide timely insights and support to innovative designers such as Bestway right from the initial design stage. This project also highlighted the leadership Bestway is taking in the area of ship design. We are confident about working together again with Bestway on safe and efficient designs in the future.”

More details on this story can be found HERE