WEBINAR - Decarbonization of shipping combining ship design and alternative power

Background: 
The latest reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stresses the urgent need for rapidly reduce Global Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to mitigate global warming. Historically bulk vessels have been designed to maximize cargo carrying capacity at the lowest building cost, and not to minimize energy consumption and emissions. While there is a rich literature on improving maritime transport and reducing cost, fuel and emissions per freight unit transported, very few studies have investigated the combination of multiple measures such as ship design and alternative power including both alternative fuels and wind propulsion. The study to be presented has investigated the potential energy and emission reductions and cost implications of combining slender designs with wind assisted propulsion. Furthermore, a cost comparison of 100% decarbonisation through zero carbon fuels vs. a combination of zero-emission fuels with slender designs and wind assisted propulsion is carried out. The results indicate that building more slender bulk vessels in combination with wind assisted propulsion reduces fuel consumption and GHG emissions with around 27% at an abatement cost of less than zero, and that the combination of design and alternative power conveys reduces the abatement cost by nearly 40% compared to a solution based only on zero-carbon fuel. A typical Supramax of 200m LOA, 63 000 dwt and a block coefficient of 0.88, fuel by VLFSO is used as reference vessel. Three alternative designs combining slender hull, Flettner rotors, and E-Ammonia are investigated considering distinct sea conditions, speed and loading conditions.


Presenter:
Elizabeth Lindstad, Chief Scientist at SINTEF Ocean, Department of Energy and Transport.