Last month a system called ShipArrestor was tested by consortium leader Miko Marine AS, Norway as part of a two year EU funded program started in Oct 2008 to try to develop a system to prevent such disasters. In the 1990’s there was a Norwegian project called NepCon which researched possible ways to bring a stricken ship under control. It was impractical for a number of reasons but mainly because ropes chaffed and when substituted with chain of sufficient strength. it was too heavy for the helicopter to lift it! Under the ShipArrestor program a special steel chain is used that is lighter than the proposed titanium chain. So the helicopter can drop the lasso over the windlass is achieved by putting the chain inside an inflatable collar of about 6m diameter. Once the windlass is ringed, a 30m diameter sea anchor can be deployed to bring the bow round, reduce roll and slow the drifting until a tug can commence towing. In June 2010, the complete ShipArrestor system was tested and was considered a major success in proving its functionality and practicability, however the calm weather conditions were too good to give any definite indication as to how the system would behave in a real life situation. Further tests will be made: the program is due to run to September 2010.

There is a patented device claiming to give between 6 to 10 per cent increased efficiency to the propulsion system applying mainly to planning hulls with inboards. The BOSS (Bolt On Shaft System) as it is called, basically is a tube that encloses the immersed part of the propeller shaft and combines it with a seal and thrust bearing that is mounted directly on to the hull. The self contained unit eliminates through hull sealing and alignment difficulties, and allows the gearbox and engine to be mounted free of thrust considerations. The propeller end of the tube is supported by a P-bracket type of arrangement. For the boat builder, installation times are substantially reduced and the built-in watertight shaft seal ensures a dry bilge. For the user, the reduced losses give the benefits of lower fuel consumption, improved range or a higher top speed. It’s available for shaft diameters of one to four inches (25 – 102mm) and is claimed to lower propulsion noise and vibration.

It’s not often that we hear of a new type of piston engine that claims to be lighter, more powerful, less emissions and more efficient that the engines we have today, added to this is the capability to operate on a variety of fuels. Its design combines features of the Jumo J205 diesel aircraft engine and the venerable Volkswagen boxer engine. The inventor of this new engine is Prof Peter Hofbauer, former Director of Engine Development at Volkswagen Group, and later with the company developing the engine EcoMotors, established in early 2008. The engine is a turbocharged two stroke Opposed Piston Opposed Cylinder engine (OPOC) and as a high speed engine has automotive, marine, agricultural, stationary and generator applications. It has only one crankshaft and the opposed pistons are moved by rods attached to the single crankshaft. One cylinder module comprises of two opposed cylinders and the concept allows engines of greater power to be produced by adding more modules. The largest version of the OPOC engine module so far, has a cylinder bore of 100mm yet produces 325hp at 3,500rpm for a weight of under 300 lbs giving a power to weight ration of 1.1 hp per lb. Sluggishness in acceleration due to turbocharger lag is eliminated by the novel use of an electric motor used to spin up the turbo when the throttle is cracked open – a supercharger in effect.

Last week the Third Frisian Solar Challenge took place in the Netherlands with the competitors covering a 137 mile (220 km) course over a six day period. There were a total of 40 teams comprising mainly technical colleges and universities from eight countries with the furthest one coming from Brazil. The solar boat race is divided into three classes: class A class for one-person boats, class B class for two-person boats, and the open or Top class C may have a crew of any size. To keep costs down, entries in the A and B classes are loaned solar panels, the Top class is free to use as many panels as they wish limited in practice to the vessel’s overall dimensions and a max power limit of 1750W. On board battery storage with a maximum capacity of 1kWh is permitted. The overall winner of class A was Team Sunrise (Netherlands) completing the course in 16hrs 06 mins at an average speed of 8.5mph, class B Energa Solar II (Poland) in 19hrs 25mins with an average of 7 mph and Top class Private Energy Solarboatteam (Netherlands) in 11hrs 26mins averaging 12 mph

At the recent International Tug & Salvage Conference in Vancouver details of a new hybrid tug was presented with the triple propulsion modes of diesel electric, battery and fuel cell claiming to give a 67 per cent emission savings over conventional diesel operation. Aim of this particular Hybrid Electric Tug design is to provide an operating mode of zero emissions for the majority of the tug's duty profile during low power operation up to 35 per cent of full power: this includes transits at a cruising speed of about nine knots. Based on a current conventional 24-m hull design developed by Capilano Maritime Design Ltd. with 55-tonne bollard pull, a more powerful 70-tonnes bollard pull version would only require minor changes to the hull and propulsion drives with an increase in battery capacity with diesel generator and fuel cell systems remaining unchanged. Four fuel cells of the PEM type are specified giving a total continuous power output of 600kWe, representing 17 per cent of power. There is a 1,000 kW-h capacity Li-Ion battery system which allows a combined power output of 1,250 kWe. A storage capacity of 1,200 kg of hydrogen provides an endurance of about 40 hours at full power, sufficient to allow refueling intervals of about once per week.

This June the Finnish based Eniram company from Helsinki, was selected as a finalist of an award for emerging European technology companies Eniram provide a number of products for on board and ashore monitoring of ship performance offering real time solutions. A product gaining wider acceptance for owners and operators of cruise ships, large freight vessels and tankers is their Dynamic Trimming Assistant (DTA). A number of data sensors, with software analyzing the ship’s trim, helps vessel crews optimize trim at all times, by presenting the solution in an easy to understand graphical display. DTA does this by balancing inter related variables such as minimizing water resistance, decreasing fuel consumption, use of stabilizers and reducing emissions. External items such as waves, wind and speed are also included in the analysis. In practice, this means startling savings may be achieved. Several fleet operators are using DTA including Royal Caribbean Lines and the Hamburg Sud Group. A separate but not unrelated product, is Hull Fouling Analysis used to optimize the maintenance and efficient operation of the submerged ship’s hull area.