GL: The `FutureShip' is Now
A simple statement asked many times and answered in varying ways, was again posed by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) at the Norshipping 2009 exhibition in Oslo: "How do we make ships more efficient?" The answer, according to GL, could lay in its new "FutureShip" subsidiary. "Reducing the environmental impact of shipping in order to upgrade its image as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation is one of the most important topics for the maritime industry," said Dr. Hermann J. Klein, member of the GL executive board.
In Oslo, Germanischer Lloyd unveiled its new subsidiary � FutureShip � which will create new and optimize existing ship designs for efficiency and fuel savings
wave patterns that can actually work to increase fuel costs. A proposed solution: a redesigned bulbous, which can be designed and built for about $423,000; installed during a ship's regular survey to avoid additional shipyard time. But hull lines and bulbous bows alone are not the only determinants of resistance, which is
why FutureShip's ECO-Chances is designed to provide a holistic evaluation of a ship. Using software tools, such as its dedicated flow simulation/optimization tools and parametric modeling software, FutureShip assesses the ship from top to bottom to ID the most promising focus areas for optimization, which typically
may result in a series of five to six engineering options that offer fuel savings. Upon study of all hull types, a mammoth effort to analyze tens of thousands of ship designs, GL estimates that its solution is between 4 and 20% more efficient.
www.futureship.de
"The era of cheap fuel is history," said Dr. Hermann J. Klein.
GL presented FutureShip, which offers a catalog of services with a common objective: optimizing ships, including those in operation as well as those to be built. Services will also comprise the FuelSaver program, including CO2 analysis (ECOPatterns) and operational fuel consumption analysis (ECO-Practices) services. The FutureShip subsidiary was formed on some fairly basic and approved premises, namely that environmental mandates for new ships and boats will become increasingly stringent, and the price of fuel will grow exponentially, with some estimates of $2,000/ton by 2036. "While it is indisputed that shipping is the most environmentally responsible means of transport, there has been a big increase in shipping overall, and thus a greater environmental impact," said Dr. Klein. "The era of cheap fuel is history, so fuel efficiency again comes to the forefront. There is no doubt that ships must become more fuel efficient." FutureShip will aim to provide an analysis of new ship designs and existing vessels, in an attempt to analyze every onboard system for optimum operations. For example, Dr. Klein noted that many containerships running today are designed to operate at 25 knots, but are being operated at 18 knots to save fuel and money. However, the bulbous bow on these vessels � designed for optimum operation at 25 knots � are creating new
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