5 December, 2017
MARITIME FRET: towards more fuel-efficient ships
TRANSPORT
Fuel consumption is a real financial challenge for shipping companies, with fuel accounting for 5 to 10 million euros per year and per boat, half the operational costs.
Recent innovations and decisions aim at reduce fuel consumption during freight transport :
- The AirSeas project Tow ships with a wing : with the deployment of a flexible Seawing structure of up to 1000m2 and a road optimization system based on meteorological and oceanographic data, a ship could save up to 20% fuel. This wing is being tested on an Airbus ship.
- Rolls Royce is working on a autonomous ship for 2020, the design of which would allow for the optimisation of space and therefore of loading, as well as a lower wind intake for a fuel consumption reduction target of 10 to 15%.
- Still very marginal, the sailing start to interest companies concerned with their ecological footprint. The company TOWT, a pioneer in this field, wants to build a cargo ship with a capacity of 700 tons, which would cross the Atlantic in about fifteen days. The reduction in fuel consumption is 90% since it takes an engine to manoeuvre at ports.
- The French shipowner CMA-CGM announced at the beginning of November the decision to equip its 9 future ships with 22,000 TEUs available in 2020, of engines using liquefied natural gas. CMA CGM announced in a press release an agreement with Total for the annual supply of 300,000 tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas over 10 years from 2020. The Chairman and CEO of the group stated that « LNG is tomorrow's energy for maritime transport ».
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