Maersk chief calls for deadline to end use of fossil fuel in ships
AP Møller-Maersk CEO Soren Skou wants the maritime industry to accelerate its shift to climate-friendly ...
HD: DIY RE-PRICINGZIM: A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATSTSLA: CHINA THREATDAC: KEY REMARKSDAC: SURGING GM: SUPPLY CHAIN WOESMAERSK: ROTTERDAM TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF OPERATIONSATSG: OWNERSHIP UPDATERXO: COYOTE FILLIP GONEGM: SUPPLY CHAIN HITBA: CUT THE FAT ON THE BONER: STEADY YIELDMAERSK: SELL-SIDE UPDATESDAC: TRADING UPDATE OUT SOONTSLA: FEEL THE PAIN IN CHINAWMT: GUESS WHATXPO: SURGINGAMZN: LOOKING FORWARD
HD: DIY RE-PRICINGZIM: A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATSTSLA: CHINA THREATDAC: KEY REMARKSDAC: SURGING GM: SUPPLY CHAIN WOESMAERSK: ROTTERDAM TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF OPERATIONSATSG: OWNERSHIP UPDATERXO: COYOTE FILLIP GONEGM: SUPPLY CHAIN HITBA: CUT THE FAT ON THE BONER: STEADY YIELDMAERSK: SELL-SIDE UPDATESDAC: TRADING UPDATE OUT SOONTSLA: FEEL THE PAIN IN CHINAWMT: GUESS WHATXPO: SURGINGAMZN: LOOKING FORWARD
Neoliner Origin, a container/ro-ro (ConRo) vessel aiming for majority sail-power, is heading for sea trials after delivery from Turkey’s RMK shipyard.
Once in operation, the vessel is set to be deployed on a rotation between the French port of St. Nazaire, Baltimore in the US, and St-Pierre & Miquelon, a French territory in Newfoundland, using primarily sail power to carry up to 5,300 tonnes.
French sailboat builder Beneteau and Manitou, a manufacturer of industrial vehicles such as forklifts and excavators, have already been named as customers of Neoline, which aspires to become “a different kind of shipping company”, operating a sail-powered fleet, according to its president, Jean Zanuttini.
“Neoline [will] dramatically reduces emissions as well as delivering cargo reliably, on schedule, and handling a wide range of logistics challenges. That work starts now, with our sea trials,” said Mr Zanuttini.
Neoliner Origin will be capable of voyages with between 60% and 70% sail power, but an 80% emissions reduction is compared with a typical vessel of its size, it is claimed, by using waste heat from its small, 3,300kW, diesel engine. It also has a 900kW electric motor, and further gains can be made when at full sail by using the ship’s propeller in reverse to generate electrical power.
The vessel’s sails are of a design distinct from the rotor- and e-sails seen retrofitted to general cargo vessels and car-carriers. While appearing to be tall canvas sails, similar to those of a pleasure craft, they are in fact Chantiers de l’Atlantic ‘SolidSails’ made of fibreglass, mounted to two 90m tilting carbon-fibre masts.
Mr Zanuttini told The Loadstar recently that while suction sails and Flettner rotors could maximise the thrust per square metre, they are constrained in a surface area compared with Neoliner Origin’s 1,050 sq metre sails, and not well-adapted to catching the wind high above the deck, where it is at its most powerful.
Shippers should not expect to see the container shipping economy upended by sail power anytime soon, as thanks to the economies of scale inherent in operating vast deepsea containerships, Neoliner Origin has little prospect of competing with these in terms of fuel-efficiency. Engine power required at times of low wind will raise the vessel’s fuel consumption and resulting CO2 emissions.
For this reason, Neoline is not aiming to compete in this sector, but rather in ro-ro, with its smaller and comparatively fast-moving vessels. While Neoliner Origin suffers a speed penalty, with everyday operation limited to 11 knots, the vessel could demonstrate a considerable carbon emissions reduction.
The Energy Efficiency Design Index of a typical ro-ro vessel is 20g of CO2 per cargo tonne-km, making Neoliner’s predicted 3g per tonne-km significantly more attractive.
“Seeing Neoliner Origin hit the water is testament to 14 years of hard work and dedication,” said Neoline co-founder and president Michel Péry.
Comment on this article