For many years we saw the operating speeds of ships, especially container ships go up and up with speeds of 26 kts not uncommon. Dropping the speed to a slower speed has become an attractive option: as journey times double, ships presently laid up will be needed. For time sensitive cargoes there is a premium express service. Will this mean two tier ship classes in the future?

In an international project Maersk, Lloyd's Register and the Netherlands Government are running at test to determine the pros and cons of using biodiesel as a fuel for large ship marine propulsion diesel engines. The initial test with be a 5 per cent blend with the ratio increasing as tests progress. Using the sustainable biodiesel fuel could be a way of achieving the 20 per cent CO2 reduction Maersk is aiming for by 2017.

Cold Ironing, is the term applied to stopping all on-board engines, main and auxiliary including gensets when in harbour. Running auxiliary and generator diesel engines in harbour, produces noise and exhaust pollution. Already there are harbours worldwide offering shore power thereby permitting Cold Ironing and there are several new initiatives. An obstacle is that there is no real standardization as yet. Two international standards on this subject are currently under consideration.

Lloyd’s Register’s recently announced a research program into nuclear propulsion of ships. After the 1960’s Savannah and Otto Hahn there were only two more commercial ships produced with nuclear propulsion: there were also nuclear ice breakers built by the Soviet Union. Opposition to nuclear power in the light of the problem of greenhouse gases is changing opinions. Nuclear propulsion technology has continued to develop but the high initial cost has to be paid up front. Radioactive waste is an unresolved problem, yet there are few problems man is unable to solve when the necessity is strong. The greatest nuclear benefit is in zero exhaust emissions.

Studies in the railroad industry investigating noise and vibration reduction as a way of reducing fatigue in the driving cab. Locomotive and marine applications have many features in common. Reducing noise afloat is somewhat easier as there is generally more space available. Experiments using an electronic muffler have shown good results: it works on the anti-sound principle also known as Active Noise Cancellation. Will the electronic muffler become available for marine applications?

There are several appendages of all shapes and sizes that can be positioned near the propeller or rudder with claims of improved propulsion efficiency. Two such devices are offered by Kawasaki, Japan. One is the Semi-Duct Systems with contra Fins abbreviated to the SDS-F, the net result is a reported improvement in efficiency of three to seven per cent. The other device is the Rudder Bulb System with Fins (RBS-F). It is built on to the rudder and is used to reduce swirl loses coming off the propeller. It is Installed on more than 100 ships, and claims a two to seven per cent reduction in power requirement. Another patented system is called the Sanoyas Tandem Fin (STF) where fins stabilize the bilge vortices, presenting the propeller with less turbulent flow and claiming an energy saving of up to six per cent.

Last week, four partner companies signed up to the Rotterdam Climate Initiative (RCI) with the City of Rotterdam. The commitment is achieve a 50% reduction of CO2 emissions. The capture and storage of CO2 is important to the goal and prevents the gas from reaching the atmosphere. Each signatory company is a specialist in its own field. The gas will be stored in depleted gas fields and oil fields.

Gas as a fuel offers major emission reductions, compared to heavy fuel oil (HFO). The number of Emission Control Areas announced under IMO Tier III, regulating NOx, SOx and particulates is expected to rise in different regions of the world. Although gas powered have been around since 1964 it was in the 1980s & 1990’s that several ferries were built using dual-fuel engines running on diesel and CNG. Norway’s LNG fleet already amounts to six ferries, two supply vessels and one LNG-carrier with a further two, RoRo, LNG cargo vessels to be delivered in 2011. Recent estimates put the increased cost of the gas ships at between 8-20%. Under the project MAGALOG, the EU and Baltic countries are looking at questions concerning LNG and how to improve distribution and supply. LNG as a fuel does offer a solution for certain applications for example ferries,

Condition Monitoring (CM) is a wide ranging subject and although on its own it allows for unattended or lower manning levels in the engine room, when combined with Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) offers substantial saving through more efficient maintenance program. The increasing use of sensors gives very early warning or impending problems. CBM will become more universal and there are more advantages ahead as sensor packages are applied to the whole propulsion system. Gearbox sensors give early warning of excessive wear and their use on propeller shafts detecting wear or vibration, could also indicate early problems with the propeller. A principal benefit of CBM is that it extends as long as possible the intervention of humans, which unfortunately sometimes results in early failures!