A Norwegian partnership is moving forward with the
development of what they are calling the world’s first zero-emission cargo
ship. After a six-month competition, with more than 31 ship owners bidding on
the project, the contract for the construction has been awarded. The team
expected to complete the design this year so that the vessel can enter service
by 2024.
The ship concept has the project name “With Orca” - Powered
by Nature, as a significant part of the energy required to operate the vessel
will be harvested directly from nature through two large rotor sails. The plan
calls for the vessel to sail mostly in open waters in the North Sea, where wind
conditions are optimal for wind-assisted propulsion.
The wind energy will be in addition to a hydrogen-fueled
internal combustion engine. The design concepts, which will be further
developed in 2021, call for the hydrogen to be stored aboard the vessel in
compressed form.
The design team, being led by Norwegian Ship Design, is also
working to develop additional features for the unique vessel that will increase
energy efficiency and are suited to the ship’s concept. They are developing a highly
efficient hull and to counter drifting, the vessel will be equipped with a
specially developed
The project is a partnership between two Norwegian
industrial companies that have agreed to share the vessel’s operations. The
vessel will carry aggregates from western to eastern Norway for
HeidelbergCement Norway and on the return voyages will transport grain for
Felleskjøpet AGRI. The two companies have a 15-year agreement for the operation
of the vessel.
The Green Shipping Program, a public-private partnership for
the development of environmentally advanced shipping projects, facilitated the
competition where Felleskjøpet and HeidelbergCement joined forces for a
competition to develop, build and operate a hydrogen-powered zero-emission bulk
carrier. A total of 31 shipping companies participated in the competition and
the team recently selected Egil Ulvan Rederi, a family-owned shipowner based in
Trondheim, Norway, to develop, build and operate a zero-emission cargo ship.
Egil Ulvan Rederi and Norwegian Ship Design are working
jointly to present technical solutions with a focus on energy efficiency and
reduced fuel costs. They have also been meeting with DNV to develop the designs
for the ship. The current designs for the self-loading bulker call for a length
of 289 feet with a deadweight of
approximately 5,500 tons.
The project is now entering a more detailed development
phase where technical solutions will be further developed and optimized. This
phase contains several sub-projects that will be developed which the team
believes will provide further value to the broader efforts to develop the next
generation of shipping.
During 2021 the ship concept will be fully developed and
optimized. The goal is to order the vessel by the end of the year. The ship is
expected enter operation in early 2024.