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RINA and ABB sign MoU to cooperate in shipping decarbonization

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 13 February 2023 13 February 2023

RINA, the international classification society, has today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ABB. The MoU focuses on establishing a collaborative relationship with the aim to develop new concepts to reduce emissions in shipping for various vessel types. The collaboration will include the development of commercially viable solutions, including fuel cell systems with carbon capture, to move the shipping industry forward with decarbonization. It further focuses on promoting the use of hydrogen, and the introduction of modern approaches to ship propulsion.

Giosuè Vezzuto, Executive Vice President Marine at RINA, says, “We are delighted about the MoU with ABB. It demonstrates the high level of commitment between our companies. There are many challenges to overcome, and collaboration is crucial if we are to succeed in addressing them to protect the environment.”

“We are happy to strengthen our collaboration with RINA to drive decarbonization in shipping. ABB is known for its long-standing commitment and expertise in developing electric, automated and digital technologies to make the maritime industry more sustainable. Bringing new, commercially viable solutions to the market is a long process that requires close collaboration between class societies and technology providers. I look forward to seeing the benefits these new solutions deliver to the industry and the environment,” says Rune Braastad, Business Line Manager, Marine Systems, ABB Marine & Ports.

As the classification society and third-party certification provider, RINA’s role within the agreement will be to work on providing Approval in Principle of design concepts that match the technologies available from ABB and the applicable rules and regulations, along with project and type approvals. Further areas include Hazard Identification and Operability (HAZID/HAZOP) analyses, review of feasibility studies, cyber security certification, and support with ERP and digital solutions.

As the technology provider, ABB will focus on the development of suitable solutions based on latest technologies, providing information on possible ways to increase fuel efficiency in existing systems, and presenting and discussing solutions with owners, designers, and shipyards.

PowerCell in final negotiations on one of the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell project in marine industry

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 11 February 2023 11 February 2023

PowerCell has signed a letter of intent to negotiate final terms concerning one of the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell project in the marine industry. The project in northern Norway comprises two ferries for passengers and cargo transport which will be powered by hydrogen used in fuel cells.

The project is headed by Norwegian electrical integrator SEAM, a leading supplier of integrated zero emission solutions to the maritime industry. The final contract is expected to be signed March 3rd 2023 at the latest.

As part of the project, PowerCell will deliver its PowerCellution Marine System 200 which will enable the ferries to produce around 6 MW of power each, combined for the two ferries around 12 MW. The solution has a flexible product design with high power to weight ratio, safe operation and can easily be customized to the energy needs of different projects. The Marine System 200 is also very durable and well adopted to the challenging marine environment and service life of marine vessels.

“We are very excited that PowerCell has been chosen as the sole supplier of this project,” says Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell. “This shows that we have a world- leading and industrial stable product offering and ability to create unique solutions tailored to customer needs.”

Otagg to update propulsion control of cruise ferry Silja Europa

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 02 February 2023 02 February 2023

Qtagg recently secured an order on a total upgrade of Silja Europa’s propulsion control system, that will decrease the ship’s fuel consumption by 6% and CO2 emissions by 2096 tons yearly. The overhaul includes engine speed governors, fuel rack actuators, pitch control and voyage optimization with EcoPilot.

Silja Europa will get an upgrade to the propulsion control system and be equipped with EcoPIlot which will give a 6% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions.

Silja Europa is Tallink’s largest cruise vessel with a gross tonnage of 59,912. Up until the summer of 2022 it operated on the Baltic Sea, between Helsinki (Finland) – Tallinn (Estonia). Since September 2022, it has been chartered out to the Netherlands and used to house migrants and refugees. The technical review made in preparation to bring Silja Europa into regular traffic again resulted in the decision to replace the complete existing propulsion control system with up-to-date technology, and to add EcoPilot for fuel-saving voyage optimization.

Qtagg will supply the EcoPilot voyage optimization system, with interfaces both at the bridge and in the control room, four DEGO IV engine governors, four ASAC actuators with control units, two pitch control units and the ancillary equipment needed for a complete and integrated installation.

The governors will be installed in the engine control room, replacing existing Woodward control units. The governors are connected to an application server and a system that visualizes fuel consumption and provides detailed logging.
The actuator control units will be mounted in the engine room, while the pitch control units are installed in the existing pitch control cabinet where it replaces the current analog rack.

EcoPilot provides the captain with exact control over the arrival time, while saving fuel in a predictable manner. The expected fuel consumption for a voyage is automatically calculated beforehand, based on the desired arrival time, selected route and current weather reports. In the voyage planning process, the captain will know how much fuel will be consumed to bring the ship to its destination. He can choose to adjust the arrival time or to depart earlier in order to optimize fuel savings.

The fuel savings are estimated to be about 6%, in line with savings recorded on Tallink Isabelle, where EcoPilot is already installed. The fuel savings are achieved through optimized propulsion, based on the collection and processing of large amounts of data, including real-time weather forecasts, sea state and ship data. Once the captain has selected a route it is executed through the propulsion control system, and the optimal propeller speed and pitch position is applied over the complete course of the voyage.

The expected annual CO2 reduction for Silja Europa is 2096 tons, which will contribute to a lower ETS cost in the future and a better CII rating for the ship.

ModProp project gained significant propulsion efficiency improvements by modular design interfacing and networking

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 25 January 2023 25 January 2023

In the ModProp project, entire propulsion system, Power Management System (PMS), and Energy Management System (EMS) designs from participating Finnish companies were combined by defining modular product interfaces for a ship design. Steerprop developed the propulsion unit, WE Tech Solutions Oy designed the PMS and EMS, and Elomatic designed the ship concept for the project. This enables a turnkey propulsion system, as well as PMS and EMS delivery for a ship project.

Combining PMS and EMS with propulsor unit and ship design allowed lowering the capital costs of the designs by 15% with more optimal dimensioning of the systems compared to the present solutions. Thanks to the optimal dimensioning and improved designs, the total propulsion efficiency of the solution was improved by 10% compared to the previous concepts.

The research topics of the project concentrated on four main factors affecting the design: hydrodynamic optimization, ice loads, underwater radiated noise (URN), and operation optimization. Designs were validated with hydrodynamic and model tests for the propulsion unit and the concept vessel. Experiments on ice loads were conducted to validate the impact loads on the thrusters. URN models were developed to cover the cavitating propeller source and acoustics noise propagation modelling. A simulation platform for operation optimization was developed. The EMS can be optimized in realistic operating conditions. Simulation platform was completed by combining a ship manoeuvring simulator with an energy system simulator. An interface to integrate two simulators in different locations was developed. The research project developed a public ice-class propulsion unit which can be utilized as a benchmark case.

The propulsion solution is targeted for ice classed mid-size ships where the propulsion power is up to 6 MW per unit. Interesting ship types for the propulsion solution are passenger ships, ferries, icebreaking supply vessels, arctic offshore wind turbine service vessels, product tankers and workboats.

The achievements of the project reflect the IMO 2050 target of reducing shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2050 compared with their 2008 level.

This novel approach enables more agile design of propulsion systems when compared to traditional design methods.

The project, which is called “High-efficiency modular propulsion concept (ModProp)”, was conducted during the years 2020-2022. A network of SMEs and mid-cap companies was formed. The project enables companies to jointly offer an improved full propulsion package for ships. Finnish companies Elomatic, Steerprop and WE Tech Solutions Oy participated as industrial partners, while VTT acted as the project coordinator and the research partner.

NIT to outfit TT-Line newbuilds at Rauma shipyard

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 03 January 2023 03 January 2023

Tasmanian company TT-Line has ordered two vessels from Rauma Marine Constructions and NIT Naval Interior Team will be executing the projects of NB-6009 and NB-6010 with public and crew spaces.

Total of 4500 m2 per ship will be delivered for these passenger ferries. NIT designs and builds e.g. staircases, restaurants and cinemas for both vessels.

New ships, Spirit of Tasmania IV and Spirit of Tasmania V, will replace the former Finnish-built vessels and will be operating route across Bass Strait.

Construction of the first ship will be completed at the beginning of 2024 and the second in late 2024.