Aurelia has collaborated with Carisbrooke Shipping to implement new technologies that reduce SOX, NOX and CO2 emissions while maintaining the payload as much as possible. For this purpose, Aurelia prepared a technical proposal for the Vectis Pride, which includes wind-assisted ship propulsion and hydrogen as fuel.
With Aurelia‘s technical expertise as a company specialised in zero-emission naval engineering solutions and Carisbrooke’s commitment to reducing emissions, this project is an important step towards reducing the environmental impact of shipping.
Aurelia developed a technical proposal for boosting Carisbrooke‘s Vectis Pride. The Vectis Pride is a general cargo ship with a deadweight of 11,183 tonnes, 123.95 metres in length, 17.4 metres of beam, and has a draught of 8.46 metres. The propulsion system consists of one main engine of 3000 kW, two auxiliary engines of 400 ekW each, and one shaft generator of 525 kVA. Two cranes are located on starboard with a safe working load (SWL) of 80 tonnes each at a 15-metre radius.
The analysis performed covers the feasibility study of increasing the speed of the Vectis Pride to 12 knots by proposing various alternatives of zero-emission technologies for a specific route between Spain and Canada. These alternatives are:
- 35 x 5-metre Norsepower rotor on the main deck.
- 16 x 2.8-metre Econowind Ventofoil sails on the main deck.
- Nedstack fuel cells and hydrogen as a fuel for hotel loads.
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Alternative I – Rotors
The 35 x 5-metre rotor under study, with an ideal wind condition of 25 m/s and optimal direction, can provide 2500 kW of propulsion power equivalent. For the average wind conditions in a year on the Vectis Pride route, the average net power of one rotor is 345 kW.
The speed achieved using one rotor is 11.1 knots. By using this, the annual reduction of CO2 emissions is 7.2 per cent compared to the current status of the vessel. The annual fuel savings will be approximately 144,500 USD/Year.
The rotor is located on the fore part of the vessel. A reinforcement of the hatches will be done where the rotor foundation is fixed. Folding the rotor is an option available when this is needed in port or during navigation.
For the payload impact, the number of containers that has to be removed from the main deck when this alternative is used is 18 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).
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Alternative II – Sails
The sails in this alternative are 16 metres high, with a chord of 2.8 metres, a width of 1.3 metres, and an area of 44.8 m2. In order to study the boosting of the Vectis Pride, Aurelia’s team of engineers installed six sails, four on port side and two on starboard side.
Special attention was paid to the possible interaction between the sails and the cranes, and Aurelia’s team of engineers carefully studied the optimal way to stow the sails during loading and unloading operations in port to avoid interference with the cranes.
With this, the Vectis Pride will be able to take advantage of the power of the wind in addition to traditional propulsion systems, reducing emissions and operating costs while increasing efficiency.
For the average wind conditions in a year on the Vectis Pride route, the average net power of one sail is 235.1 kW.
The speed achieved using six sails is 12.12 knots. By using this alternative, the reduction of CO2 emissions is 14.9 per cent compared to the current status of the vessel. The annual fuel savings will be approximately 299,500 USD/Year.
For the payload impact, the number of containers that must be removed from the main deck to use this alternative is 13 TEUs.
Also read: How to get an existing bulk carrier to meet EEXI and CII
Alternative III – Hydrogen
This alternative examines the use of hydrogen as a fuel to feed the ship’s loads, which are currently powered by auxiliary engines running on fossil fuels. The storage of hydrogen was evaluated in two states:
- Gaseous at a pressure of 381 bar and a temperature of 20°C.
- Liquid at a pressure of 4 bar and a temperature of -253°C.
As initial input it is considered that the vessel has six sails installed (mentioned in Alternative II) and hydrogen is added as fuel. The current power take off (PTO) of the Vectis Pride and the sails power demand were considered.
The number of hydrogen storage containers required will vary according to the hydrogen storage state. In the case of gaseous hydrogen with the mentioned conditions, fifteen containers will be required. For liquid hydrogen with the mentioned conditions, seven containers will be required.
Article and pictures by Aurelia.
