Several shipping companies are exploring wind-assisted propulsion to increase the odds of complying with near-term FuelEU Maritime targets, reports Engine.
Technology-neutral approach to achieve these GHG intensity reductions
The EU’s FuelEU Maritime regulation, which takes effect in just over 150 days, mandates ships to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of the energy used onboard. The reduction sets a 2% target for the period 2025-2030 compared to 2020 levels, increasing incrementally every five years until 2050.
The EU has adopted a technology-neutral approach to achieve these GHG intensity reductions. Among the technologies that qualify for reducing GHG intensity is wind-assisted propulsion. FuelEU Maritime rewards ships with rotor sails installed, for example.
The reward factor depends on a vessel’s speed and the power generated by the wind technology.
Wind-assisted propulsion can even help vessels that purely run on conventional fossil fuels like VLSFO or LSMGO to comply with FuelEU Maritime, says classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). And this week has seen several shipping companies announce that they have explored wind as an energy form.
Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has taken delivery of a bulk carrier with a wind-assisted propulsion system. The vessel’s hard-sail system uses wind energy to generate propulsion. According to MOL, the system is expected to decrease fuel use and GHG emissions by about 7-16%, depending on the voyage route and weather conditions.
Singapore-based shipping firm Berge Bulk has installed four rotor sails on a 388,000-dwt bulk carrier. These rotor sails, also known as Flettner rotors, harness wind energy to provide lift and aid propulsion. The rotor sails will enable the vessel, Berge Neblina, to save over 1,000 mt/year of fuel, Berge Bulk claims.
Australian mining company BHP, Japanese copper supplier Pan Pacific Copper and Finnish cleantech company Norsepower have retrofited a bulk carrier operated by Tokyo-based Nippon Marine with one rotor sail. Nippon Marine is owned by Japan’s Senko Group. They estimate that the rotor sail will result in an average fuel savings of 5-6% on a route between Chile and Japan.
Another technology making it to the news this week was onboard carbon capture. Forestwave, a Dutch short-sea shipping company, has contracted Value Maritime to retrofit two cargo vessels with scrubbers that can capture carbon.
Although onboard carbon capture systems can capture some of the CO2 vessels spew out, they don’t qualify for FuelEU Maritime rewards. But they might be in the future if a sound method can be developed to monitor and account for the captured carbon, notes class society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).
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Source: Engine
