Emissions regulations drive innovation in low-carbon technologies
31 Jul 2023by Riviera News
As the industry’s decarbonisation push continues to pick up speed, more services aimed at improving fleet performance are flooding the market to help fleets improve their Carbon Intensity Index (CII) and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) scores
The Bearing CII Optimiser, a CII management service developed by AI specialist Bearing Inc, has been granted an Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions notation from Japanese classification society ClassNK.
The AI-powered CII management platform allows vessels owners insight into current CII ratings, and enables the prediction of future fuel consumption and end-of-year CII ratings.
Bearing claims the platform can isolate the impact of external conditions such as weather and fouling, help analyse voyages indepth and compare forecasts with current data. It allows owners to accurately review a vessel’s performance trend over time, against benchmarks.
Furthermore, it features functions such as visualising CO2 emissions under different operating conditions, quantifying measures and their effectiveness in achieving the target CII rating for each vessel in a fleet.
Greek ballast water treatment system producer Erma First has also launched a new energy-saving device targeting the CII and EEXI regulations.
Dubbed the ERMA First Flexcap, the device will build on the existing capabilities of propeller boss cap fins to optimise maritime efficiency and sustainability. By enabling fins to catch and absorb the rotating water force, the device weakens the propeller hub vortex, reduces torque and means more energy can be channelled back into the propulsion drive train as thrust.
Erma First believes the resultant increase in propulsive efficiency can yield fuel savings between 2~5%.
The Flexcap is made from nickel-aluminium bronze, the same metallic alloy used for many propellers. A modular design will allow the Flexcap to be easily adjusted or upgraded in line with changing conditions and evolving requirements.
Erma First managing director Konstantinos Stampedakis said meeting long-term emissions-reduction targets will require ships to deploy a range of technologies including energy-saving devices such as the Flexcap.
The company said the device can be installed while the ship is afloat. Alternatively, installation can be carried out while the vessel is at sea using underwater services. Once fitted, the low-maintenance device only needs to be polished during routine cleaning intervals.
