Stories
Inspiring examples on maritime sustainability for shipowners and technology suppliers
Overview of Shore Power Sockets and Plugs - IEC/IEEE 80005
IEC/IEEE 80005 is the main standard for shore power. This standard categorically divides shore power plugs and sockets into low voltage shore connection systems (LVSC < 1 MVA) and high voltage shore connection systems (HVSC > 1 MVA). LVSC systems are governed by IEC/IEEE 80005-3 for operability and IEC 60309-5 for dimensions. HVSC systems are governed by IEC/IEEE 80005-1 for operability and IEC 62613-2 for dimensions.
Project BOEI - Lunch and Learn
On behalf of the Province of South-Holland, Sustainable Ships has been project leader of 'Project BOEI’, a techno-economic feasibility study on the electrification of tankers off the coast of Scheveningen, Netherlands. The study was performed with consortium members InnovationQuarter, Bluewater, Knutsen, EOPSA, Rijkswaterstaat, Campus@Sea, Port of Rotterdam, KVNR and Cavotec. This lunch and learn is the recording of the close-out session in which main findings were presented.
Project BOEI
Project BOEI is a techno-economic feasibility study on behalf of the Province of South-Holland on the electrification of tankers at the Scheveningen anchorage. The goal is to identify the most feasible technical solutions and risks, in addition to cost and emissions reduction estimation. Primary drivers are reduction of NOx and CO2 emissions. Total costs for all scopes combined is €14M (~€12M for infra and ~€2M for ship). E-anchor and subsea cabling are approximately 50% of all cost. Break-even price parity for shipowner and provider of power is at around €0.20-€0.25 per kWh.
Ship-Based Carbon Capture Techno-Economic Guide
This blog provides techno-economic guidance for the use of SBCC onboard your vessel, including operational impact, logistics and of course the costs for implementation. Key points include the following; SBCC is applicable to virtually all ship types, sizes and fuel type but LNG is preferred. SBCC produces 2 m3 of CO2 per day per MW. SBCC costs €115 per ton CO2, is a CAPEX dominated technology and costs €175k per MW.
First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Inland Waterways + Shore Battery
This is a case study on the ‘Skoon Skipper’, a general cargo large Rhine vessel, with an average of 40 [kW] power demand while moored to which a shore battery is applied. Batteries can help you comply with shore power regulations where no infrastructure exists with limited to no CAPEX investments. CAPEX is €0 for this case study as the battery pack is rented at an estimated €400 dayrate. Purchase cost for battery pack are approx. €350.000. This case study is powered by our preferred partner Skoon.
COSCO 700 TEU Full Electric Container Ship
The N997 has two propulsion motors with a capacity of 900 [kW] each and a total battery capacity of 50 [MWh] - best estimate currently available. The 120 meter long ship has a fully electric drive, can carry up to 700 TEU and is able to swap battery packs en route. The vessel is designed for Chinese inland and coastal waters, covering over 600 nautical miles of routes on the Yangtze River.
MoU for North Star Support Vessels on Offshore Wind
Maersk’s Stillstrom and North Star have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the adoption of offshore charging and vessel electrification technologies for Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) in the offshore wind sector. Offshore charging hubs will enable the vessels to recharge their battery systems using wind energy while in the field.
First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Hopper Dredger + Methanol
This is a case study of a trailing hopper suction dredger with 14MW installed power - the ‘Happy Hopper’ - which is converted to methanol combustion. This case study is inspired by the amazing work done by Van Oord. With the given assumptions on emission factors for methanol, 93% CO2 reduction is achieved. CAPEX for a methanol refit of this size is approximately €6M+, of which roughly €5M is intended for engine refit only. OPEX will be greatly increased unless methanol price is below €500 per mT.
First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Large Fishing Trawler
This is a case study on how to decarbonize a fishing trawler - the Jacobus Maria - using shore power, battery hybrid EES and biofuels. 20% CO2 reduction is achieved, half of which stems from the use of biofuels (HVO). The hybrid battery pack is economically not feasible with the assumptions used and the operational profile. The Jacobus Maria has 1 MW installed engine capacity. Total cost would be at least €1M. 10% CO2 reduction can be achieved with approx. €50k.
Neste Renewable Diesel Handbook
Neste Corporation calls its own HVO product “Neste Renewable Diesel”. The common acronym “HVO” comes from the terms “Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil”. It meets the requirements of EN 15940 for paraffinic diesel fuels and is allowed as a blending component in EN 590 B7 diesel fuel. It is a high quality fuel that can be used to enhance the properties of the final diesel blend. No modifications to vehicles required and it has the same torque and maximum power as with fossil diesel fuel in modern engines.
Inside a Battery Container
The Corvus BOB (Battery On Board) is a standardized, class-approved, modular battery room solution available in 10-foot and 20-foot ISO high-cube container sizes. The complete system comes with battery, monitoring system, HVAC , TR exhaust, plus firefighting and detection system. The plug and play battery room simplifies integration into any system integrator’s power management system on board a ship. The battery cells have passive thermal runaway protection, and are type-approved according to DNV.
First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Ro-Ro Passenger
This is a case study on how to decarbonize a ro-ro passenger vessel by applying Ecospeed to its hull. Ecospeed is a hard, non-toxic coating which provides long-lasting protection for all ship hulls. The hypothetic vessel is called ‘Lady Ice Cold’, a ro-ro operating in North-Western Europe with 33 MW installed engine capacity. Ecospeed reduces carbon emissions by 9% - 16% with a total CAPEX of €390.000.
First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Full Electric Tugboat
This is a case study on how to decarbonize a tug by making it full electric. It is an homage to Damen’s electric tug ‘Sparky’. In practice, fully electrifying a vessel means to install a - very large - battery pack, in this case at least 3 MWh. This would also be the largest cost component, outweighing switchboard modifications, inverter and other electrical equipment. Cost reductions in OPEX/dayrate are high, between 50% to 90% in extreme cases.
Damen’s Sparky - their first full electric tug
Damen’s first all-electric harbour tug, the RSD-E Tug 2513, is a high-powered tug with 70-tonnes bollard pull, capable of manoeuvring even the largest vessels. It can undertake two or more assignments before being recharged, which takes just two hours. The battery pack size is 2,800 kWh, resulting an approximately 1,400 kW of charging power required. The battery pack is design for the vessel’s 30 year lifetime.
First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Inland Waterways + Solar PV
This is a case study on how to decarbonize an inland waterway ship with solar PV technology. Flexible solar PV panels from Wattlab are placed on an inland ship’s hatches in order to reduce fuel consumption while idling or moored. In some cases, the auxiliary generators can be switched off, resulting in an expected CO2 reduction of 26% - 100%.
The State of Methanol as Marine Fuel 2023
This blog is a state of the use of methanol as marine fuel as “quick” reference for shipowners. Key points include costs for retrofitting the ship and engine, range between € 250-€650 per kW, elaboration on IGF code for low flashpoint fuels and technical considerations for conversion and working with methanol. Availability for methanol is good, but bunkering for large vessels mostly non-existent. Methanol price per kilogram is historically lower than regular MGO.
Marine Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery Systems
Marine exhaust gas heat recovery systems can be a useful measure to reduce fuel consumption by 5% for typical cases, with up to 15% for favourable engine and ship characteristics. As a rule of thumb, heat exchangers become more efficient and cost-effective the larger your engine becomes. Conversion of heat to electricity is recommended for diesel-electric vessels, as well as the use of engine cooling water instead of exhaust gas heat.
Overview of Ports’ Sustainable & Shore Power Ambitions
Most ports have the ambition to become carbon neutral by 2050. This typically excludes vessel emissions and focusses on Scope 1/2 port operations only. A significant portion of ports around the world have signed shore power declarations to ‘deploy shore-side electricity by 2028 where possible’, including all large North Sea ports, Los Angeles, Montreal and all large Japanese ports. Cruise and container vessels are the primary target for most ports’ regulations and EU will start taxing vessels via EU ETS from next year onwards.
Overview of Shipping Companies’ Sustainable Ambitions
Four out of the five largest shipping companies have the ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050. Most shipping companies focus on alternative fuels for combustion. Preferred fuels that are currently considered are (bio)LNG and methanol.
Overview of Energy Majors’ Sustainable Ambitions
Virtually all energy majors have 2050 as target date for carbon neutrality. Most focus solely on Scope I and II emissions. Ørsted and Equinor have the highest ambitions and most stringent targets. Repsol, Eni, Shell, TotalEnergies and BP are following suit.