DNV’s new concept container ship may seem like something out of science fiction, but a closer look reveals a vessel which has been conceived and designed to help owners manage everyday challenges. The Quantum Container Ship concept vessel represents the synthesis of new concepts, technology and systems to create a container ship concept designed to meet the evolving challenges of the future. While its sleek, futuristic design is certainly eye-catching, most of the technology that makes the vessel concept unique is already here.

Before DNV began drafting designs, it conducted a market analysis to identify future needs with respect to trade, ship size, type of cargo, and port capacities. DNV also conducted an industry survey to identify critical industry needs and alternative solutions – ranging from hull design to propulsion systems, structural improvements to cargo handling systems.

The results were revealing: Owners ranked environmental footprint in the top five considerations when building a new container ship, along with other, more predictable priorities, such as fuel efficiency, operational reliability, future regulatory compliance and reducing operational costs. Based on market studies, the development team chose to develop a 6,000 TEU container ship (what they called a “baby post Panamax”), trading between Europe and the East Coast of South America.

Fuel savings and emission of CO2, SOx and NOx are genuine industry concerns, so DNV selected a dual-fuel power generation system based on MDO and LNG ideally suited for short-sea shipping and capable of operating in Emission Control Areas (ECAs). Developing a hybrid fuel system represented a significant challenge with respect to LNG storage, as the LNG fuel may require up to three times more space than ordinary fuel oil. However, the dual-fuel electrical motors give more flexibility to utilise small void spaces, and by moving the engine room aft, they created space below accommodation for two 2,500m3 LNG tanks without sacrificing space suitable for containers.

Quantum is powered by four dual-fuel engines providing a redundant machinery system with flexible power generation over a wide speed range. By switching to LNG when approaching the coastline, ECA requirements to exhaust emissions are fulfilled and cold ironing is not needed. Propulsion is provided by two electrically driven pods giving superior manoeuvrability in crowded ports.

The broad beam of the vessel (42.5m at waterline) improves stability and practically eliminates the need for ballast. With the WideDeck solution (49m at deck level) container capacity is improved without increasing the fuel consumption. A twelve-metre draft allows the vessel to trade in shallow waters – including river ports.

The unique shape of the Quantum’s bow helps reduce wind resistance, resulting in further fuel savings. In addition, the hull design specifications – including the use of new, lightweight composite structures utilising plastic laminates, such as glass fibres and epoxy resins and dual-component polyurethane core structures – reduce the vessel’s weight by an estimated 1,000 tonnes.

To help owners improve loading and offloading efficiency DNV developed an improved cargo handling system. A lightweight, open top frame, capable of carrying up to eight (empty) 20-foot containers in one lift, helps reduce time in port by making loading and offloading faster. The frame-system also reduces the time required to secure the cargo, further speeding up the loading/offloading process.

Austal has unveiled its new range of high speed transfer vessels specifically designed for the burgeoning offshore wind farm industry. The company’s Wind Express series of vessels combine fuel efficiency with advanced sea keeping characteristics to deliver a premier transportation solution for offshore wind farm operators. By utilising Austal’s advanced hull design and engineering capabilities, each vessel is purpose-built to deliver a rugged, reliable multi-purpose work boat platform.

The series incorporates four vessels - Wind Express 17, Wind Express 19, Wind Express 28 and Wind Express 28 – Tri SWATH. These vessels feature a selection of hull forms ranging from a refined catamaran design for added stability and efficiency to the Austal-developed tri-SWATH hull form delivering unparalleled sea keeping and onboard comfort in up to sea state 6. Characterised by their optimum passenger comfort and safety, each vessel in the Wind Express series can be further customised to suit specific sea conditions, routes, work space and payload requirements.

Among the many significant features of the Wind Express series is the option to install Austal’s patented Ride Control System (RCS) - a first for offshore wind farm vessels - to ensure a safer, more productive platform, even in rough seas.

Austal’s Chief Operating Officer Andrew Bellamy said the vessels would introduce new levels of productivity and safety to the growing offshore wind farm industry. “In this industry, reliability is paramount; not only in terms of machinery but also in the ability of the vessels to transfer personnel to and from wind turbines in comfort and safety,” Mr Bellamy said. “With our Wind Express series, we have introduced platforms that not only deliver reliability but also have the capacity to operate in rougher waters at higher speeds and greater efficiency. These are important characteristics as wind farms are constructed further offshore.”

The Bureau of Reclamation of the US Department of Interior has selected Ellicott Dredges' newest and most versatile dredge, the 860SL, to maintain settling basins on the lower Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona. The dredge will use biodegradable oil, an engine certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and a fully self-contained system environmentally sound for water, air, and noise pollution.

This dredge is operable in a wide range of conditions from cold to hot climates, narrow creeks or channels, as a swinging ladder dredge, or in open water in conventional swing mode. Some highlights of Ellicott 860SL dredger include:

• Capable of operating in either Swinging Ladder or Conventional dredge mode
• 800 HP (600 KW) Caterpillar C27 diesel engine
• 14"x14" (350 mm X 356 mm) Ellicott Pump
• 30 ft. (9 m) dredging
• Ergonomic electronic controls and automation system in the large operator's cab
• Full dredge position monitoring system
• Remote booster controlled directly from the dredge operator's cab.
• Anchor Booms for self reset of anchors increasing dredge efficiency
• Spud carriage increasing dredge efficiency

Wärtsilä's WFC20 fuel cell unit has been installed onboard the 'Undine', a car carrier managed by Wallenius Marine. This unique power unit is the first of its kind in the world, and will during the test period provide 20kW of auxiliary power to the vessel while producing close to zero emissions. This project is an important step towards more environmentally sound shipping and cleaner seaborne transportation.

The fuel cell unit, which has a nominal output of 20 kW, is based on planar solid oxide fuel cell technology (SOFC), and fuelled with methanol. Methanol is particularly suited for fuelling the WFC20 since it can be easily reformed to a composition suitable for the unit. Methanol can be produced from natural gas, or from renewable raw materials such as gasificated biomass. Methanol is a commonly used liquid in the oil and process industries, and is available in all major harbours.

Installation of the WFC20 fuel cell unit onboard the 'Undine' is the result of a joint project by the international METHAPU consortium. The participants in the consortium are Wärtsilä, Wallenius Marine, Lloyd's Register, Det Norske Veritas, and the University of Genoa, each of whom is globally active in the field of fuel cell system integration, sustainable shipping, classification work or environmental assessment. The project has been funded with EUR 1 million from the European Union, and is part of the European Community Framework Programme (FP6).

The principal aim of the METHAPU project has been to validate and demonstrate new technologies for global shipping that can reduce the environmental impact of vessels. In addition, a further major aim is to establish the necessary international regulations for the use of methanol onboard commercial vessels, and to allow the use of methanol as a marine fuel.

"The development of sustainable sea transportation is a long term target and one that Wallenius Marine is strongly committed to. The METHAPU project supports this vision, not only through developing sustainable fuel cell technology for commercial transportation applications, but also by providing the opportunity to utilize a new renewable marine fuel.

In navigation, greater efficiency, ease of operation and economical ship operation are more important than ever before. These demands are fulfilled when all necessary functions can be integrated intelligently and flexibly into one bridge system. Raytheon Anschütz has now developed a modern integration platform which further improves both the nautical and the economical operation of the ship through intelligent integration of functions.

The new platform makes possible not only the integration of additional applications such as automation data indication, DP system or load- and ballast calculator, but also the full scalability and future expandability of the bridge system. Intelligent multifunction displays provide the ship’s command with the optimal nautical task at the right time as well as other ship control functions, at any desired workplace.

Operating safety is considerably increased by a newly developed distribution of the navigation data and system configuration within the bridge system. The "Consistent Common Reference System" (CCRS) continuously monitors the sensor data available on board with regard to validity, consistency and accuracy and rates the data with a quality indicator. From this information a set of the best sensor data is compiled, which is then distributed in the Integrated Bridge. In addition, the new "Health Monitoring" system checks the status of each individual console and regulates, if necessary, take-over of the navigational task at another workplace on the Integrated Bridge or restarting of the console itself. In this way the highest possible availability of data and functions is guaranteed on the bridge.

In order to counteract the high stress on board, Raytheon Anschütz has outfitted the Integrated Bridge with an intelligent Alarm Management system. Depending on the system configuration and the status of sensors, the system checks whether the error of an individual sensor is sufficiently critical to set off an alarm, or whether the error only needs to be indicated to the watch officer for information. The ship’s command is thus relieved by having fewer blinking displays or continuous beeping to attend to and concentration on really important alarms is increased.

Raytheon Anschütz integrates the operator interface of the Alarm Management in the new and expanded Conning. It can be operated from any workplace using the multifunction displays. The Conning also provides the operator interface for the new CCRS and shows the quality of the sensors as well as the active set of sensor data. Alternatively to automatic sensor selection, manual sensor selection remains possible to enable the navigator to choose the sensors himself. The central presentation of the alarms, the sensor quality and having all navigation data available on every multifunction display make the Integrated Navigation easy to see at a glance and simplify operation and monitoring.

The new Motion Reference Unit MRU 5+ from Kongsberg Seatex builds on the already cutting-edge technology employed in previous MRU generations, of which 7000 units have been installed since the product line was launched in 1992. MRU 5+ takes roll, pitch and heave measurements closer to perfection than ever before, with documented roll and pitch accuracy of 0.01° RMS.

The high accuracy provided by the MRU5+ is achieved through use of sophisticated inertial sensors including linear accelerometers and Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) rate gyros specially developed for maritime use by Kongsberg Seatex. The new MEMS rate gyro (three in each MRU) combines very low noise, excellent bias stability and outstanding gain accuracy. Solid-state sensors with no moving parts, enable high lifetime reliability across all applications, which include:

• Motion compensation of single and multi-beam echo sounders
• High speed craft motion control and damping systems
• Heave compensation of offshore cranes
• Hydro acoustic positioning
• Ship motion monitoring
• Ocean wave measurements
• Antenna motion compensation and stabilization

The installation and configuration of the MRU 5+ is straightforward. A Windows-based configuration and data presentation software is flexible and includes data protocols for the most commonly used single and multibeam echo sounder systems. A series of simple menu prompts allows the user to choose the optimum configuration for a specific application ensuring that MRU 5+ will always provide maximum performance.

In addition to simple, flexible installation and configuration, MRU 5+ makes it easy to distribute the MRU data to multiple users onboard the vessel via Ethernet, whilst output protocols for commonly used survey equipment are available on two individually configurable serial lines and Ethernet/UDP. Further connections include external input of speed and heading information on separate serial lines for improved accuracy in heave, roll and pitch during measurements turns and acceleration.

Bulk carriers’ cargo holds are the areas affected by severe operating environments. Without excellent coating protection, the structural integrity of holds can be compromised, jeopardising continuing vessel profitability and safe operation. International Paint is introducing Intershield®803Plus, a new cargo hold coating specifically designed to address the key issue of impact damage from the loading of dry bulk cargoes.

Growing exports of hard cargoes such as coal and iron ore have increased the potential for significant coating damage to occur during loading. This is particularly prevalent from the loading of coal by high speed belt conveyor systems, leading to the phenomenon of ‘shooting’ damage in cargo holds. This may occur when loaders project coal at right angles to the bulkhead. The impact can fracture and detach coatings over a short period, leading to loss of steel protection and subsequent corrosion. Often these areas of damage are high on the bulkhead and are therefore difficult to repair in service.

Once suffering this form of impact damage, owners and operators are faced with more frequent repair, increased costs and potential downtime of their vessels.

The new Intershield®803Plus has, according to the company, excellent impact resistance, offering the effective protection against ‘shooting’ damage. It also provides good general abrasion resistance and corrosion protection, VOC compliance with 75% volume solids, fast drying times and all year round workability. The product has a smooth surface for easy cleaning, is certified for the carriage of grain and is FDA compliant.

Wärtsilä and ABB Turbo Systems are developing a new application of two-stage turbocharging on large diesel engines. Advanced engine technology, together with two-stage turbocharging, offers advantages in fuel consumption and engine emissions. In the new engine design, two turbochargers are arranged in series to generate increased air pressure and airflow. This results in an efficiency rating of up to 76%. The increased air pressure, combined with the advanced engine technology, improves the engine output and power density by up to 10% and allows to reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emission.

Further emissions reduction can be achieved with additional engine systems or by the use of exhaust gas after-treatment. A precise combination of fuel consumption levels and reductions in CO2 and NOx emissions can be selected through detailed systems configuration. Intelligent engine control allows optimum operation of the advanced engine design over the whole load range, and a significant reduction in NOx emissions can be reached.

Another driving factor in this development work has been to significantly lower lifecycle costs. The market potential for this technology in power plants is believed to be big. Similarly, the advanced technology for combustion control developed by Wärtsilä will be beneficial to the shipping market, when the market requirements are in place. Here, in addition to costs, the compactness and cost effective design are considered to be of importance. Calculations indicate that in certain power plant applications, the investment in advanced 2-stage engine technology could be regained in less than two years of operation.

Emissions control plays an increasingly important role today, and in particular reducing CO2 and NOx levels is high on the agenda. Today, the market is demanding environmentally sound solutions with competitive lifetime costs. This need continues to pave the way for the introduction of new technologies developed by Wärtsilä and ABB.

One of the solutions Imtech Marine Group (the Netherlands) can offer is the Green Hybrid Propulsion System. Incorporated into a tugboat it will provide a Green Hybrid Tug that will be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and powerful when needed. A tugboat has a very wide range of power demands for different operational tasks. It needs full power when towing or pushing another ship. When sailing high speeds, a large amount of power is needed. But most of the operational time the tugboat will be maneuvering or sailing at low speeds.

In a conventional propulsion system the diesel engines will be chosen on maximum power. But this maximum power will be used not more than 5% of the total operational time. The rest of the time, the tugboat will be using less power, generated at a less energy efficient working point of the diesel engines. To overcome this problem diesel-electric propulsion is a great step forward in saving energy. The supply of power is more in equilibrium with the demand for power than in conventional propulsion systems. With two or three diesel-generator sets, the choice of which sets to run and which sets to stop depends on the demand for power.

To even further close the gap between power demand and power supply, energy storage is needed. An energy storage system build with high-energy lithium-ion battery banks can store the efficiently generated energy when not needed. The diesel-generator sets can run either very efficiently, storing a surplus of energy into the batteries or not run at all. When extra power is needed or the diesels are not running at all, the energy can be taken from the batteries to provide power for the propulsion system.

With large direct diesel engines the storage of excess energy is done with a shaft generator and a lithium-ion battery system. The parallel hybrid propulsion system can be extended by coupling diesel-generator sets to the energy storage system and to the shaft generator. The main direct diesels can be stopped by the use of a clutch. A calculated choice can be made in the amount of direct diesel power, the amount of diesel-electric power and the amount of battery energy storage installed to provide a very efficient propulsion system.

The German based navigation company Raytheon Anschütz announced release of their new NautoPilot 5000 adaptive autopilot series. The NP 5000 is based on the same Anschütz steering algorithms, but is enhanced to include highly advanced functions for economic and precise navigation such as an integrated steering performance display and a new course control operation mode. NP 5000 will be available for installations in the third quarter of 2010.

The large display features an integrated heading and rudder plotter, which provides a graphical indication of heading changes and all used rudder angles. This indication instantaneously indicates the steering performance of the autopilot due to the effects of changes to parameter settings such as rudder, counter rudder and yawing. The operator benefits from simple adjustments of the autopilot’s settings to gain optimized steering performance, which results in minimal rudder action and thus reduced fuel consumption.

An economic navigation and reduction in fuel consumption is achieved by the Eco-Mode of the autopilot, which provides the automatic adaptation to the current sea-state and weather. Periodical yawing movements which can be caused by roll and pitch will normally result in rudder actions with high amplitudes. As frequent rudder actions will not compensate the heading deviation due to environmental conditions, the autopilot reduces its sensitivity to such movements. As a result, the autopilot continuously adapts to current environmental conditions without a manual change of autopilot parameters. Subsequently less rudder action is required, which leads to lower levels of speed reduction and thus less fuel consumption.

The NP 5000 autopilot series features up to three possible modes of operation. Besides heading control, the new autopilot maintains the proven track control mode, allowing a vessel to steer automatically along a pre-planned route from the start to the end point of the route. Track control is executed with Category C accuracy which requires environmental conditions such as wind and drift to be compensated during track course changes. A new feature in the NP 5000 is “course control” as a third mode of operation. When steering in this mode, the autopilot compensates for drift automatically and keeps the vessel on the defined course over ground. Compared with the common heading control mode, this leads to a more precise course keeping capability and increased safety when steering the vessel.

To further increase safety of life, ship and goods at sea, the NP 5000 autopilot series is available with an integrated acceleration monitor, which provides a warning if a pre-defined cross acceleration limit is exceeded. This helps to avoid damage or accident due to high acceleration stresses that might occur for example during a heading change at high speed.