Green & Clean Shipping is possible making use of alternate fuels, renewable reources of energy and also new technologies.
Let us look at some of these options:
Green and Clean shipping by using Wind & Solar Power
Green Shipping is possible by harnessing Solar & Wind Power for Cleaner Shipping
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Around 90% of world trade (by volume) is carried by international shipping and it is an essential part of the modern world economy.
However ships are also responsible for the release of a range of noxious gases and carbon dioxide, therefore the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working with the shipping industry to reduce these emissions and make shipping more environmentally friendly.
1. Unique design concepts like skysails on a ship : A ship more than 100 meters long can be pulled by a huge kite. The kite looks a lot like the ones used by kite surfers who make acrobatic jumps over the waves. More and more seagoing vessels are using skysails when taking a half to downwind course. That saves a tremendous amount of fuel
2. Innovative technology like speed bubbles: Technology giant Mitsubishi has developed a system whereby a stream of air bubbles is blown under the hull of the vessel. These bubbles help to greatly reduce the resistance of the hull in the water. It's possible to save as much as 25% on fuel. The system is called MAL (Mitsubishi Air Lubrication
Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS) is a system which saves energy and reduces CO2 emissions.By covering the ship's bottom like a carpet, with fine bubbles blown from the ship's bottom using a blower, the system reduces frictional resistance between the ship hull and seawater as the ship cruises.
With its energy-saving benefit for heavy cargo ships already verified, MALS is scheduled for installation on grain carriers and passenger ships. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will further boost its efficiency by applying a highly-efficient blower, positioning an efficient airblowing outlet, calculated based on a leading-edge fluid dynamics simulation, and optimizing the blowing air volume.
3. Usage of cleaner and greener fuels like LNG, hydrogen, ethanol, bio diesel and also low sulphur content fuel oil.
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| Fair transport's clipper ship Gray Hound |
Around 200 years ago ocean going sailing ships were reaching speeds of 16 knots or more and carrying trade across the globe. Best of all they released no harmful emissions and could cross the globe without using a drop of oil.
But since then, world shipping has strayed off the green path and the benefits of using wind power on-board large ships was forgotten. Fairtransport (FT) has revived shipping by sail. FT is using clipper ships to sail and ensure zero CO2 emission with a focus on transporting special products which are organic, or crafted traditionally – such as Olive Oil, Wine and Rum.
How do you create more sustainable shipping, save energy and comply with new international regulations in a cost-effective way? Innovation & Optimising operations is the key solution.
Maersk has teamed up with a number of industry partners to create the public-private “Green Ship of the Future” project, which now includes more than 40 members.
One of the projects Maersk is taking part in involves developing alternatives to expensive low-sulphur fuel – such as LNG or new scrubber technologies for cleaning exhaust gasses.
Other projects are exploring waste heat recovery systems, particulate filters and automated engine monitoring. Some solutions have already been finalized and deployed on Maersk vessels.
About Green Ship of the Future Project
Green Ship of the Future is a Public Private Partnership for innovation and demonstration of technologies and methods that makes shipping more environmentally friendly.
Green Ship of the Future consists of a dedicated group of members, who have decided to take the environmental responsibility up on them. Currently, the group consists of about 41 members - all working on making shipping and shipbuilding more environmentally friendly.
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| Green Shipping is being pursued by Shipping majors to reduce shipping's impact on environment |
Approach : The core activity of GSF is the development of environmental and energy efficiency projects in relation to ships and the shipping industry. This is done by using technical developments and innovations for new and existing ships. As an integrated part of the initiative, GSF is involved in implementing and evaluating technical solutions in order to push green innovation and thinking within the maritime industry – and doing so with an eye on the commercial feasibility connected to the industry.
GSFs technical focus can be divided into the following areas:
• Machinery – production and consumption of energy
• Propulsion
• Operation and maintenance
• Logistics • General design
A GSF project can be characterized by:
• Being developed in collaboration between several GSF partners
• Presenting ambitious goals for innovation and novelty
• Considering the business case at an early stage & delivering cutting edge green solutions for and beyond compliance
History : The GSF initiative was initially founded in 2008 by the four leading maritime companies Aalborg Industries, A.P. Moller-Maersk, MAN Diesel and Odense Steel Shipyard together with the Danish Maritime Authority in recognition of the ecological responsibility nested in the maritime industry.
To summarize : Solar and wind power won’t replace fossil-fuel power outright in large cargo ships, However it could work for some smaller ships, or to help lower fuel consumption on the big ones. Solar panels might work well for ferries Another option is combining solar and wind power to produce some or all of the power for a ship. A recent demo project used solar panels to provide about 10 percent of the electricity for a cargo ship to reduce emissions from the low-grade fuel such ships use. Such systems could also reduce shipping costs by reducing the amount of fuel consumed.
Source: http://www.maersk.com , http://www.greenship.org
The author is a Shipping & logistics professional and can be reached on
The author is a Shipping & logistics professional and can be reached on
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