Groundbreaking Development in Aframax Tanker Design
In a significant advancement in maritime engineering, RINA has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to SDARI as the ship designer for an innovative aframax tanker. This vessel is the result of a joint development project, including TMS Tankers as the prospective owner and Wartsila as the engine maker.
The design features a unique propulsion system that replaces the traditional setup of one 2-stroke main engine and three generators with two medium-speed engines. These engines are capable of powering both the vessel’s propulsion and hotel load.
This novel arrangement not only offers supreme redundancy and enhanced safety, effectively eliminating blackout risks, but also achieves significantly improved fuel efficiency across all speed ranges when compared to today’s standard dual-fuel ships.
Future-Proof Compliance Path
The design provides a compliance path for shipowners, allowing operation close to 2040 without additional costs. At that point, depending on market dynamics, shipowners can choose to either retrofit the engines to the prevailing global fuel or convert the natural gas to hydrogen fuel, capturing carbon atoms as CO2 for storage and disposal ashore.
This milestone, celebrated during Posidonia 2024, reflects the strong cooperation between esteemed partners. The AiP indicates that a detailed specification for building the ship is already in place, underscoring the design’s maturity and the comprehensive review of ship performance by all parties involved.
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Source: RINA
