Debunking Four Myths that Stand in the Way of Wind-powered Cargo Ships
Sailing cargo ships are making a genuine comeback.Japanese bulk carrier MOL is operating a wind-assisted ship. American food giant Cargill is working with Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie to deploy WindWings on its routes. Swedish shipping company Wallenius is aiming for Oceanbird to cut emissions by up to 90%. The French start-up Zephyr & Borée has built the Canopée, which will transport parts of European Space Agencyâs Ariane 6 rocket this year.I researched the decarbonisation of the shipping industry.
Windship Technology Unveils Emissions-free Ship Design
British company Windship Technology has unveiled a whole-ship solution to tackle CO2 emissions from ships, launching its emissions-free bulk carrier and tanker designs alongside an investment partnership with classification society DNV.Starting from a clean drawing board, Technical Director Simon Rogers and his design team developed and tested at the Wolfson Unit in Southampton the companyâs patented high performance, highly efficient triple-wing rig. The technical team further developed a new diesel electric ship drive system that eliminates CO2âŚ
ABB Marine Software Supports Ocean Research
ABB said it is providing the shipboard systems and systems expertise that will support the research voyages undertaken by âBy the Ocean we Uniteâ, a charitable organization whose mission is to highlight the damage done by the millions of tons of plastics that end up in the worldâs oceans every year. The group has installed a state of the art Marine Advisory System including SPOS Onboard weather routing software from MeteoGroup, on the sailing yacht Fantastiko to help crew route-plan and monitor weather conditions on a research voyage in waters off RotterdamâŚ
Ecoships Claims 15% Ship Efficiency Gain
Ecoships introduced a customized version of the Six Sigma DMAIC approach to process and performance evaluation in order to optimize the energy-efficiency of the vessels under its management. The technique has already resulted in Ecoshipsâ managed ships benefiting from up to 15% greater fuel efficiency, resulting in substantial reductions in CO2, NOx and SOx emissions. âWe specialise in eco-friendly and fuel-efficient shipping tools, techniques and technologies,â said Capt. Aykut Yilmaz, GM. âOur three primary goals are safety, fuel efficiency and minimum ecological impact.
Meteo Consult and Amarcon Deliver Routing Software to Maersk Line
The Dutch weather routing software supplier Meteo Consult and Amarcon, have received an order from Maersk Line to equip a minimum of 110 Maersk Line container vessels with SPOS Seakeeping. The Seakeeping plug-in is a feature within Meteo Consults weather routing software SPOS. With this plug-in the user can define vessel loading conditions and motion threshold values based on the input of Amarconâs OCTOPUS-Onboard. Amarcon, a fully owned subsidiary of ABB, provides monitoring and forecasting software solutions for performance and availability optimization of sea-going vesselsâŚ
Pull the Handle Down...
One of the most effective and easiest fuel reduction operations is reducing the engine power by reducing the speed of a vessel. Out of the total operational costs of a vessel, fuel costs account for, by far, the highest proportion. When fuel prices soared, the technical experts of one of the worldâs biggest shipping companies set about to solve the problem, and slowing down was the solution they devised. By 2009 significant fuel savings resulted from sailing its ships at 12 knots instead of 24, and âSlow Steamingâ officially became the standard operating procedure in their fleet.
Maersk Orders Routing Software for 110+ Vessels
The Dutch weather routing software supplier Meteo Consult and Amarcon, have received an order from Maersk Line to equip a minimum of 110 Maersk Line container vessels with SPOS Seakeeping. The Seakeeping plug-in is a feature within Meteo Consults weather routing software SPOS. With this plug-in the user can define vessel loading conditions and motion threshold values based on the input of Amarconâs OCTOPUS-Onboard. Amarcon, a fully owned subsidiary of ABB, provides monitoring and forecasting software solutions for performance and availability optimization of sea-going vesselsâŚ
Logistics Technology Theme of GAC Manager's Conference Address
In his speech at the PowerLogistics Asia 2013 conference this October, Per Thörnblom, Group Project Logistics Manager for the GAC Group will outline the key advantage that dedicated software brings to the planning of heavy lift projects, and how the smart application of technology facilitates the engineering of detailed solutions to ensure timely, safe and on-budget execution. Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) is emerging as a vital element in planning how to load and store complex shipments. Lashing calculations identify the best way to secure cargo on a vessel.
Northrop Grumman Supplies Navigation Systems for New Cruise Ship
Royal Caribbean International's newest cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas, which completed its maiden voyage this summer, is equipped with twin state-of-the-art integrated bridge systems supplied by Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit. The Sperry Marine system provides the highest level of safe and accurate navigation for the giant cruise ship, which carries up to 2,500 passengers. In accordance with Royal Caribbean's two-bridge concept, Brilliance of the Seas has been fitted with a totally redundant package consisting of two independent integrated bridge systems (IBS) with all critical components duplicated.
