Big Shipping Going Green

Big Shipping is using LNG and a variant called methanol to fuel ocean vessels

www.maersk.com...

They have a capacity of 9,000 containers (Twenty Foot Equivalent - TEU)
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group will build the six vessels in China
The ships will be delivered from 2026 and with last delivery in March 2027
All of them have dual fuel engines making them able to operate on both fuel oil and methanol
Upon delivery, the vessels will replace existing capacity in the Maersk fleet
Replacing vessels in a similar size segment, the new vessels will reduce Maersk’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by about 450,000 tons CO2e per year on a fuel lifecycle basis when operating on green methanol.

(the subject of the quality of Chinese industry is for another thread)

"Today, methanol is mainly produced industrially by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide." (source: en.wikipedia.org...)
not sure what that means but apparently it's very *green.

also; modern ships are using wind power
www.npr.org...

The articulated fiberglass and metal wings, which stand 123 feet tall, use the force of the wind to create lift and move the ship forward. The wings can be folded on deck in case of unsuitable wind or heavy weather and while in port, where they would interfere with loading and unloading operations.

I'm still not sure exactly how they work. apparently they don't work like traditional sails. something about air pressure.

any thoughts on green shipping? I guess it wouldn't hurt. I wonder how much they will have to use this before it pays for its installation.


this is supposed to be an actual pic of a real ship

a reply to: Coelacanth55

Wind supported/powered shipping has undergone extensive testing recently. This is an interesting alternative to combustion power. Harks back to the early days of sea travel. It apparently has the potential to reduce costs and emissions significantly.

This is just most recent example, but there are many other logistic companies trailing this.

www.weforum.org...

One solution may be to turn the clock back to pre-industrial times and again hoist sails to carry cargo around the world.

Sweden's Wallenius Marine AB, which designs and builds ships, is currently testing a sleek white model of an "Oceanbird" automobile carrier in a bay in the Baltic Sea.

The vessel will have engines as a backup, but aims to save 90% of carbon emissions compared to a conventional ship run on polluting bunker fuel.
-----
It will take Oceanbird about 12 days to cross the Atlantic, compared to eight for a fuel-powered ship.

The design "could also be applied as a cruise vessel, a bulk carrier, a tanker," Tunell said. "One of the key conditions is that it shall be commercially feasible."

huge kites are another wind user

www.canarymedia.com...

First on deck is a high-flying kite from Airseas, a French startup founded by former Airbus aeronautical engineers. Starting this month, Airseas will deploy its automated Seawing system on a cargo ship for the first time. The blue-and-white Ville de Bordeaux vessel will hoist the 5,400-square-foot parafoil during a six-month period of sea trials. Airbus ordered the kite for the vessel, which carries the company’s aircraft parts between France and the United States.

artist conception

Endtime, I can't imagine four days delay would make much difference for long-term cargo like autos. hope it works for them.

If you want your ship too move slower and require more human labor, you can use the wind.
Unless you're trying to move against the wind, of course.

We don't use fossil fuel because there's no other option, we use it because it's the best option we have.

originally posted by: Coelacanth55
Big Shipping is using LNG and a variant called methanol to fuel ocean vessels

www.maersk.com...

They have a capacity of 9,000 containers (Twenty Foot Equivalent - TEU)
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group will build the six vessels in China
The ships will be delivered from 2026 and with last delivery in March 2027
All of them have dual fuel engines making them able to operate on both fuel oil and methanol
Upon delivery, the vessels will replace existing capacity in the Maersk fleet
Replacing vessels in a similar size segment, the new vessels will reduce Maersk’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by about 450,000 tons CO2e per year on a fuel lifecycle basis when operating on green methanol.

(the subject of the quality of Chinese industry is for another thread)

"Today, methanol is mainly produced industrially by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide." (source: en.wikipedia.org...)
not sure what that means but apparently it's very *green.

also; modern ships are using wind power
www.npr.org...

The articulated fiberglass and metal wings, which stand 123 feet tall, use the force of the wind to create lift and move the ship forward. The wings can be folded on deck in case of unsuitable wind or heavy weather and while in port, where they would interfere with loading and unloading operations.

I'm still not sure exactly how they work. apparently they don't work like traditional sails. something about air pressure.

any thoughts on green shipping? I guess it wouldn't hurt. I wonder how much they will have to use this before it pays for its installation.

this is supposed to be an actual pic of a real ship

These big ocean-going vessels typically burn the most carbon-rich liquid fuels there are--Bunker C. When they are in port, they keep their engines idling, producing huge amounts of soot and sulfur oxides. Many port cities (Los Angeles, for example) are outlawing the burning of these fuels when the ships are in the harbor because they produce huge pollution problems. These dual-fuel engines allow them to burn methane or methanol, which have no sulfur and cannot produce soot.

The law in Michigan states that any water vessel using sails must be registered, so I thought of the kite idea of harnessing the wind as a loophole without any registration or license fees. I never tried it though because if the idea caught on, then they'd just change the law to include flying a kite from a small boat to make you pay your share.

If these shipping companies are saving money and exceeding the priorities of the green agenda, and esp. if they are avoiding some kind of taxes, regulations, and fees, then the government and corporate interests will bring down the hammer really fast so they can cash in on the savings.

a reply to: Coelacanth55

that pic looks kind of fake though hehe. I read somewhere they were thinking about bringing back sails on a lot of ships. I think simpler is better. Wind power through sails would be pretty green.

www.msn.com...

The world's first chemical tanker ship fitted with massive rigid aluminum "sails" has left Rotterdam, its owner hoping to plot a route to bringing down the shipping industry's huge carbon footprint. The MT Chemical Challenger, a nearly 18,000-ton chemicals transporter, set sail from Antwerp for Istanbul on Friday and will undergo sea trials along the way.

the future? or a dead-end experiment?

I read somewhere that some pioneers experimented with sails on wagons in the 19th century.

can't find a decent pic. maybe they haven't been deployed yet, just green tubes on deck.

modern vessel with experimental sails claims success

www.msn.com... c=HCTS&cvid=d113c6645aa6450db8109b46ed00cafd&ei=236

“In near optimum sailing conditions, during an open sea voyage, the Pyxis Ocean achieved fuel savings of 11 tonnes per day,” said John Cooper, chief executive of BAR Technologies, who developed the sails.

“And while the Pyxis Ocean has two WindWings, we anticipate the majority of Kamsarmax vessels will carry three wings, further increasing the fuel savings and emissions reductions by a factor of 1.5.”

well...good.
hope the savings is worth the investment.
I wonder how much more of this we'll see

a reply to: Coelacanth55

Big Shipping is using LNG and a variant called methanol to fuel ocean vessels

What's LNG?

I lost my sea legs years ago...

originally posted by: SchrodingersRat
a reply to: Coelacanth55

Big Shipping is using LNG and a variant called methanol to fuel ocean vessels

What's LNG?

I lost my sea legs years ago...

Liquid Natural Gas?