Kran- und Hebetechnik | Danelec | Compit | Korrosionsschutz | HullPIC | HANSA & WISTA Germany | Norwegens Reeder und die Börse | 175 Jahre Hapag-Lloyd | MPP-Schifffahrt
SCHIFFSTECHNIK | SHIP
SCHIFFSTECHNIK | SHIP TECHNOLOGY Wind power The issues become even more complicated for wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) systems. For sure, they will save fuel, but business cases and energy saving metrics require quantification, again not just for a design condition, but for a realistic operational profile. Sofia Werner, Manager Strategic Research at the Swedish ship model basin SSPA gives a glimpse into the issues: »The number of [WASP] installations is predicted to increase rapidly in the coming years, and thereby the number of different technologies and makers. This development calls for standardised procedures for validation of the [WASP] performance in full scale. However, such standard procedures or guidelines are still lacking.« Her team proposes a methodology based on short sea trials, combined with CFD modelling and statistical voyage analysis. Still, business cases are by their very nature particularly difficult for WASP installations as both variations in operational speed and operational areas strongly affect the saving potential. In one DNV study for a Flettner rotor on a tanker, the range was 1.4 % to 41 %, to give an idea. This is a handicap for vendors of WASP technology, but time seems to be on their side, and increasingly a broad spectrum of operational assumptions yields acceptable business cases. Performance monitoring also gets more complicated for WASP systems. »The simpler the propulsion system on a vessel, the easier it is to obtain reliable results quickly. However, vessels will become more complex, [e.g.] harvesting energy from the environment,« says Falko Fritz of Skysails Marine Performance, based on his experience both with kites and performance monitoring. One of the issues here is that standard performance monitoring based on ISO 19030 filters out data sets above Beaufort 4, as wind speeds and resulting forces are afflicted by high uncertainties. But it is for these higher wind speeds where WASP systems harvest the most savings. Faster and better monitoring Much of the discussion at HullPIC in May is expected to be on the CII. All details for the CII calculation (including details of interpretation by authorities) are not yet on the table, but a sometimesheated discussion has already started. The CII will be assessed on a yearly basis, but this may just be too slow in some cases to address corrective measures, for example in hull management. We need faster and better monitoring with early warnings allowing timely response, linking state-of-the-art performance monitoring to CII energy efficiency rating. Charter party contracts are likely to require a minimum C rating both at start and end of the charter duration. In any case, the traditional charter party contracts need updating in light of the coming CII scenarios. Adaption of charter parties IMO makes the owners responsible for the CII grades achieved, but the charterers make the operational decisions that ultimately decide the CII. This »whipping boy« scenario can only be managed by adapting the charter party contracts to align responsibilities and operational decisions. That we will see such changes is certain, how exactly we will draft and live such future contracts, we will see. It is safe to say that discussions will continue well beyond 2023, and performance monitoring schemes will increase in importance, before finally coming to come to a shared, transparent and objective view of a ship’s performance. EEXI and CII pose new challenges and hurdles for the shipping industry. Most stakeholders work hard together to get fit for the future to take these hurdles. But at the same time, another discussion is starting on whether it wouldn’t be possible to take an easier route, trying to find some loopholes. It lies in the nature of new, major regulations that there are teething problems that were not foreseen when drafting them, but now stir up the industry where some shout »foul« and Carsten Most Tel. 040/72003-120 | E-Mail: carsten.most@akzonobel.com 64 HANSA – International Maritime Journal 05 | 2022
