The jury is still out on the various environmental measures with which the shipping industry may well have to comply as it does its bit for climate change and the reduction of harmful atmospheric emissions. There is a genuine concern that these issues are often driven by political pressures, in respect of both the pace of change and the residual uncertainties in the science of the various mitigating solutions.
But the shipping industry is both resilient and innovative. While the regulators and politicians ponder, it is moving ahead fast with technical developments that improve energy efficiency, anticipating that the cost of fuel is likely to move only in one direction. Scarcely a week goes by without an announcement of some innovation that will improve the economics of ship operation, and by doing so, provide an environmental dividend. The pace of this improvement might be expected to increase, just as long as the commercial case for this is sound.
All sorts of ships might be expected to benefit from this technical leap forward being encouraged by the need for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Lloyd's Register has, for instance, provided details of a "Green Bulk Carrier" project which was undertaken in partnership with the Shanghai-based Bestway Marine Engineering Co.
This project for a 38,000DWT bulk carrier design was to fulfil a number of objectives, which included compliance with the Common Structural Rules, but also to meet the requirements of future environmental legislation. The project employed the IMO's Energy Efficiency Design Index as a benchmark, to measure the improvement that the various design details were capable of.
A range of technical improvements to both hull and machinery were investigated in the project. These included the optimisation of hull lines in both fore- and afterbodies, along with the incorporation of known energy saving devices that improve the propeller efficiency and reduce drag, such as wake adaptable propellers. Resistance and laminar flow was further improved by the use of IMO approved marine antifouling coatings, while the machinery and systems designs were studied to seek further improvement.
The results were significant, showing that even for a handysized bulkship "workhorse", the proposed energy saving and emission reduction from the design showed an EEDI value some 18 percent lower than that of the "unimproved" ship. Fuel consumption was reduced by a spectacular 19.5 percent, substantially better than that anticipated, while the various energy efficiency gains were attributed to up to five percent as a result of the lines optimisation and 11 percent as a consequence of the improvements to the propeller, engine and various other energy saving devices.
This sort of improvement is a consequence of intensive research and innovative work all around the world and does demonstrate firstly that the maritime industry is taking its environmental responsibilities seriously and secondly that great improvements are possible, given the incentive to undertake these developments. It also shows the value of excellence in both naval architecture and engineering and the importance of these sciences in the future development of marine transport.
BIMCO Watchkeeper