With ship owners and operators looking for practical
solutions to lowering CO2 emissions ahead of the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Ship
Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) becoming effective, a Swedish
propeller manufacturer, Berg Propulsion, says that it is achieving strong
results through the redesign of propulsion on existing ships. Berg reports that
it was able to achieve up to an overall 22 percent fuel savings in one recent
case.
Ship operator and manager Vroon recently approached Berg
Propulsion to investigate the possibility of optimizing the propulsion system
on its container vessel, the Indian Express. The containership, which was built
in 2008, is fitted with a controllable pitch propeller originally manufactured
by ZF. The 485-foot long vessel operates in the Mediterranean and recently was
sailing to the Persian Gulf. The 13,760 dwt vessel transports up to 1,118 TEU.
“In close cooperation with the shipowner and operator, we
analyzed the vessel’s current and future operational needs and defined its
operation profile,” said David Sakandelidze, Berg Propulsion Business Manager –
Energy and Efficiency. “Next, the performance of the original propeller blades
was benchmarked against the vessel’s defined operation profile.”
Advanced simulation tools were used to develop a new
propeller geometry, which modeling showed would achieve superior performance.
New blades were designed tailored for the operation, improving efficiency
significantly, according to Sakandelidze.
“Efficiency gains are made for much of the time and, at 12
knots, the new blades achieve up to 50 percent higher efficiency than the ones
they replace,” he said.
With performance improved at the speeds most commonly
required during operations, they anticipate the Indian Express will achieve a
22 percent fuel saving overall, as well as lower emissions that should go
farther than the requirements of the IMO’s carbon Intensity Initiative goals
for 2026.