Blue Star Ferries News

ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to a conceptual design for carbon fibre LNG fuel tanks, in what it describes as a ‘milestone’ for a project to adapt space industry technology to small-scale LNG fueling.SpaceTech4Sea project sees ABS, OceanFinance and Cimarron Composites joining forces to adapt composite technologies developed for the space industry to LNG shipping.Backed by EUR1m funding from the European Union, the project explores whether composite technology, which is lighter and more cost-effective, offers a competitive alternative in LNG as marine fuel designs, principally for short sea shipping.“The potential of this technology to reduce barriers to the utilization of LNG as fuel for short sea shipping is significant.

As part of the ongoing Blue Star Delos Renewable Energy Innovation Project, Eco Marine Power (EMP) stated that the Aquarius Management & Automation System (MAS) installed on Blue Star Delos has been updated with new fuel oil consumption (FOC) and emissions monitoring software. This updated software combined with the Aquarius MAS hardware allows for fuel consumption data from all flow meters on the ship to be displayed and logged in real-time. In addition CO2, NOx and SOx emissions are calculated based on the fuel type being used. Data is logged every minute and via a connection to a dedicated GPS unit, the ships location and speed is displayed and logged. A trip-meter is also available so that fuel consumption can be monitored for a specific time period or voyage.

As a result of the recent successful completion of sea trials on-board the high speed car and passenger ferry, Blue Star Delos, Eco Marine Power (EMP) has now cleared the Aquarius MAS + Solar and Aquarius Marine Solar Power solutions for commercial release. During two days of testing and evaluation on the 17th and 19th May, 2015, the performance of the Aquarius MAS + Solar trial system on-board Delos was assessed by both EMP and Blue Star Ferries technical personnel as part of the Blue Star Delos Renewable Energy Innovation Project. Aquarius MAS + Solar is an innovative renewable energy solution for ships and the trial system includes a 2.3 kWp marine solar panel array, a 5.4 kWhr battery pack, MPPT charge controllers, a marine computer plus associated communications and interface devices.

Eco Marine Power together with strategic partners has installed an Aquarius Management & Automation System (MAS) integrated with a marine solar panel array on-board the Blue Star 'Delos'. The Aquarius MAS has been installed as part of a joint renewable energy project with Blue Star Ferries and the approximately 2kW trial solar array on-board the vessel is now in operation and providing a source of renewable energy for the ship. This important milestone for EMP means that the company has taken the Aquarius MAS from development to commercial use in just a few years and is also a critical step towards the commercial release of the combined wind & solar power system for shipping - the Aquarius MRE (Marine Renewable Energy) System.

Eco Marine Power is pleased to announce that it has been named as a finalist in two categories of the inaugural Ship Efficiency Awards 2014. The Ship Efficiency Awards 2014, hosted by Lloyd's Register and organised by Fathom, will recognise and celebrate the organisations and individuals within the maritime sector that excel in efficient operations, implement fresh thinking, offer proven efficiency benefits and technological innovation. Eco Marine Power has been short-listed in the Initiative of the Year category for the Blue Star Delos Renewable Energy Innovation Project and the One to Watch category for the Aquarius MRE System Project.

Eco Marine Power announced today that it has begun a project to jointly deploy and evaluate with Blue Star Ferries of Greece, a range of innovative renewable energy related technologies for shipping including the Aquarius Management and Automation System (MAS) with an integrated marine solar power system. The Blue Star Delos Renewable Energy Innovation Project is a major step forward towards making shipping more sustainable through the use of renewable energy and fuel reduction solutions on-board ships. The project will evaluate in stages, a number of innovative solutions developed by Eco Marine Power (EMP) and its strategic partners…

The ultra competitive Greek ferry market has not only proven to be a fertile breeding ground for advanced marine technology, it has served as a role model for the direction of shipping services in both the region and the world. The Greek market has provided the collective builders and suppliers of advanced fast and conventional ferries a rich environment for business over the past few months, a trend that seems likely to continue. Specifically, Greek owners and operators have been at the forefront of an international buying binge for large, fast passenger, vehicle and cargo carrying craft. Driven by the need for speed, many owners are turning to advances in marine electronic and propulsion systems to ensure that the multi-million dollar investments are kept running safe and efficient.

Blue Star Naxos is the third RoPax, which was constructed under Greek flag and delivered by DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd.) in June 2002 in compliance with the requirements of BV. This vessel is the one of twins and the sister (Blue Star Paros) had been delivered just one and half month ahead of the vessel in April 2002. Classed by BV, the vessel has two car decks and two accommodation decks, while the upper garage deck level is divided into the fore half car space and the aft half crew cabins. This layout allowed the complete separation of the above passenger decks from the lower decks machinery noise and vibration.