Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT) has selected three nominees for its annual Maritime Innovation Award. The winner will be announced at the Maritime Awards Gala on 6 November in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The three nominees are:
Aqua-Logic
When designing a ship's hull, you must understand water logic, but also be able to think illogically. Aqua-Logic found success in this with the design of their 'accelerator', which optimises the hull below the water line on inland waterway vessels such that fuel consumption is drastically reduced. By applying and cleverly combining various techniques, this system ensures (among other things), that the rapidly flowing water volume is significantly increased.
Test model with three rudders and two demonstrating the Venturi-effect.
A few inland waterway vessels are already equipped with this system and the fact that it is working effectively means that the Aqua-Logic Accelerator can provide a genuine contribution to reducing fuel consumption and, in turn, lowering emissions within the inland waterways sector.
CoVadem
In order to get the best from a ship, you need in-depth insight into the interaction between the vessel and its environment. In practice, inland waterways transporters primarily use their experience. However, the topology of the water and the water levels are continuously changing.
Custom CoVadem overlay Google Earth.
Thanks to the innovative network of Covadem, inland waterway transporters can now use detailed, up-to-date interaction data. A smart cabinet is used to connect individual ship sensors such as depth metres and GPS, and share the data with other ships via the CoVadem data infrastructure. A continuous source of data in relation to the condition of the waterway is thus created.
CoVadem enables inland waterway businesses to optimise loading depths, energy consumption and environmental performance.
Kotug International
The use of residual heat on board ships involves a range of techniques. The smart method of heat storage that Kotug has developed, however, is new to the sector. The idea is beautiful in its simplicity.
Kotug’s system stores and re-uses waste heat from tugboat engines.
A tugboat produces heat during operation and requires energy during stand-by periods. The required energy is needed for climate control and to keep the engines warm. This required energy is usually derived from electrical shore power at considerable cost.
In order to save costs, Kotug developed the idea of storing and re-using waste heat from tugboat engines. This heat recycling system has been installed on the ZP Bison, one of KotugSmit’s tugboats, and is working properly.
The new system is an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution; it reduces shore power consumption by 50%, thus cutting CO2 emissions in half.
Watch the videos of all three nominees below.
