SAILING TANKER ATTITUDES
MOVING WITH STRONG WINDS AHEAD
A few years ago, the International Chamber of Shipping released a report called Catalysing the Fourth Propulsion Revolution. It looks at alternative energy sources to decarbonize the shipping industry; ammonia, hydrogen, and batteries.
Also considered in the report is the lack of availability at a scale of any zero carbon fuel or technology, the need for an enormous amount of research and development, and a fund to de-risk investment, along with novel propulsion systems, vessel upgrades, and a global refueling network. ICS Secretary General Guy Platten said a “quantum leap” in decarbonized technology was needed, comparing it to the switch from sail to steam, without the luxury of transformation time.
A little background:
Shipping on the open seas is overseen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an agency of the United Nations, whose job is to consider aspects like safety and pollution.
The shot across the bow was the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Soon after, an IMO mandate was enacted to phase out single-hull tankers. The timeline was accelerated a decade later when the fuel oil-laden Maltese tanker, Erika, broke in half during a storm off the coast of France, polluting hundreds of kilometers of coastline.
So, we’re on the water, and we’re talking about energy, but the focus here is on the AIR, because while the threat of disasters like oil spills is always real but the impact of carbon emissions is constant.
Container ships release an annual average of 140 million metric tons of CO2, and bulk carriers average a massive 440 million. They are simply heavier, accounting for more than 80% of total shipping tonnage.
The difference with emission impacts is there is no dramatic disaster to move the needle toward better practices. Alternative fuel cargo ships are merely inching into a safe harbor.
But some real implementation targets are on the horizon.
The ICS points us to Wallenius Oceanbird.
The Swedish company “Provides wings for a shipping revolution,” and says a full-scale prototype will be on the water in mid-2024 with the installation of its innovative, foldable wing sail on Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s Tirranna.
Studies of the Oceanbird concept show that it may reduce emissions by up to 90%. A flap on the sail makes it act more like an airplane wing, adding aerodynamic forces. A revised design cuts the wing length in half, to 40 meters. It’s made mostly of recyclable materials.
Each wing sail installed on an existing RoRo (roll-on/roll) vessel is predicted to reduce main engine fuel consumption by 7-10%, saving about 765,000 liters of diesel and 1,920 tons of CO2 annually.
The concept moves the needle further with a specially designed hull, and speed/route recommendations. The plan is to build and sail the Orcelle Wind, with six Oceanbird wings, by 2027. At about 220 by 40 meters, and rising 70 meters above the water line, it will carry up to 7,000 cars.
It’s a part of Orcelle Horizon, a €9 million grant that brings together 11 partners, representing every piece of the wind propulsion puzzle, including vessel design, weather routing, supply chain management, and crew training for test existing vessel installations. It will power five years of planning, building, and operating the Orcelle Wind, with the ultimate goal of preparing it for commercial trading.
Our fingers are crossed Wallenius.
