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G EN ER ATI O N S

Future focus
Towards sustainable success
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Table of contents

01 Future focus
—
4–19

02 Powering the future

—
20–39

03 Navigating the green shift

—
40–67

04 Spotlight on Singapore
—
68–93

05 Azipod® propulsion:
30 years of excellence at sea
—
94–125

06 Technical insight
—
126–198
—
01
Future focus

Future focus:
Driving the sustainable agenda
in shipping and beyond
—
6–7

IMO outlook:
Keeping marine assets safe
and secure in the digital age
—
8–11

Preparing for autonomy:

The importance of class guidelines
for future autonomous operations
—
12–15

Where fact and fantasy meet:

Imagining the future
through science fiction
—
16–19
 6 GENER ATIONS
01

—
Future focus
Driving the sustainable agenda
in shipping and beyond
Future focus, our theme for Generations 2021, presents us with two distinct but
related opportunities. First, it is important to be able to use today’s technologies
to deliver solutions that will provide clean performance to our clients and their
stakeholders well into tomorrow. And no sooner have we made a delivery than
our focus shifts to the second opportunity: identifying the best upcoming
technologies and applying these to the next generation of sustainable solutions.

Juha Koskela We do this in anticipation of new developments unforeseen until only recently, each driving the
Division President
ABB Marine & Ports continuing to follow in the pipeline, ready for use other forward toward the ultimate goal of a sus-
to satisfy the next set of environmental require- tainable future.
ments and sustainable goals. This is our new
everyday, meeting an evolving set of demands We see stakeholders demanding advanced solu-
by supplying a steady stream of new solutions, tions using existing technology, while keeping
thriving in a world defined by constantly updated their focus trained on the cleaner future promised
regulations and expectations. by the technology of tomorrow. We experience
how dedication to quality, safety and sustain-
This world is also defined by a highly exacting ability can motivate us in our quest to find and
yet inspiring period of technological and soci- deploy the best possible solutions together with
etal development. Goals that we once thought like-minded clients. And we learn how imagining
to be unattainable in our working lifetime sud- the future can help us see what is possible to
denly come within reach as we employ novel achieve in our present environment, inspired by
technologies serving as stepping-stones and visions of a better world.
learning opportunities along the way to a sus-
tainable future. Future focus is our new reality. Join us for a look
at what we can achieve by keeping a steady hand
Appropriately, this edition of Generations pro- on the wheel and a watchful eye on the horizon,
vides us with many examples of how technology striving to help our customers, and indeed wider
and ambitions for cleaner and more environmen- society, achieve the most important of today’s
tally friendly operations can be realized in ways goals and tomorrow’s ambitions.
 8 GENER ATIONS
01

—
IMO outlook
Keeping marine assets safe
and secure in the digital age
The wave of digitalization sweeping over the maritime industry carries with it an
ever-increasing dependency on cyber solutions. Shipping’s challenge is to maximize
the benefits of digitalized operations, while keeping cyber risks to a minimum.

As the global authority on all things maritime, According to the IMO, common cyber vulnerabil-
the International Maritime Organization (IMO), ities found onboard existing ships, and on some
the United Nations agency responsible for reg- newbuilds, include obsolete and unsupported oper-
ulating shipping, keeps a close watch on digital ating systems, outdated or lacking antivirus soft-
developments and their impact on the industry, ware and protection from malware, and inadequate
including the threat of cyber attacks and virtual security configurations and best practices, includ-
vulnerability. “The overall goal is to support a safe ing ineffective network management and the use
and secure shipping industry that is operationally of default administrator accounts or passwords.
resilient to cyber risks,” says Gisela Vieira, Acting
Head, Maritime Security at the IMO. In addition, shipboard computer networks may
lack boundary protection measures and so-called
As of 1 January 2021, companies must demon- segmentation. Safety critical equipment and
strate their compliance with IMO Resolution MSC systems are not always connected to shore op-
428(98), documenting that cyber security is an erations, and adequate access controls for third
integral part of the safety management system as parties including contractors and service provid-
verified in the company’s Document of Compli- ers may be lacking as well.
ance. “The point is that preventing a cyber attack
enhances safety, because an attack could com- Plugging the gaps
promise the safety of the ship, in particular its To mitigate these and other shortcomings, the
navigational equipment,” Vieira says. IMO advises on practical steps in assessing cyber
risk that companies can take in order to comply
Identifying cyber risk with the new resolution. Best practices include
The IMO defines maritime cyber risk as “the extent identifying the threat environment in order to
to which a technology asset could be threatened understand external and internal cyber threats to
by a potential circumstance or event, which may the ship, clarifying vulnerabilities by developing
result in shipping-related operational, safety or se- complete and full inventories of onboard systems,
curity failures as a consequence of information or and understanding the consequences of cyber
systems being corrupted, lost or compromised.” threats to these systems.
 FUTURE FOCUS 9

01
Assessing risk exposure by determining the likeli- and infrastructure used when conducting MASS
hood and impact of a vulnerability exploitation by trials,” says Vieira. “Apart from these guidelines,
any external or internal actor is another key step, we have not yet issued specific rules for autono-
along with developing protection and detection mous ships, but as the guidelines clearly illustrate,
measures to reduce the likelihood and impact of cyber risk management has to be part of the safe
exploitation. The IMO also recommends estab- operation of such vessels.”
lishing prioritized contingency plans and having
these at the ready in order to respond to and Addressing the human factor
recover from cyber incidents. Though technology often grabs the headlines
when cyber attacks occur, human behavior is
— widely acknowledged as a major liability to cyber
security systems. The IMO addresses the hu-
The overall goal is to support a
man factor accordingly in future cyber security
safe and secure shipping industry measures, says Vieira: “Keeping staff and crew
up to date on cyber risk is recommended as part
that is operationally resilient to
of companies’ continuous review and renewal
cyber risks. of safety management systems (SMS) under the
International Safety Management Code (ISM),
Autonomy on the cyber security radar supplementing existing safety management sys-
Relating specifically to autonomous vessels, tems for ships.”
including data sharing between stakeholders,
the IMO has issued Guidelines on trials of Mari- Acknowledging the human element and its related
time Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). (MSC.1- components, including training, familiarization
Circ.1604). and procedures, may in many cases serve as a
—
preventive action, Vieira adds, even with the
Gisela Vieira “Among other things, the guidelines stipulate potential to compensate for risks associated with
Acting Head
Maritime Security
that appropriate steps should be taken to ensure technical issues. “Respect for the role of humans
IMO sufficient cyber risk management of the systems can help in preventing and avoiding potential
exposure to cyber risks.”

She relates that IMO model courses designed for

ship security officers, as well as other IMO secu-
rity model courses, are being reviewed to include
seafarer awareness of cyber threats.

Making sure the good guys win

Hackers have repeatedly compromised even the
most robust national security systems. So what
chance does the maritime industry have of pre-
venting the hacking of ships' systems, or ship-to-
shore communications?

“As with maritime accidents and casualties in

general, you cannot prevent every incident, but
you can prepare and have procedures in place to
prevent attacks as far as possible and mitigate
impacts,” Vieira assures. “The key lies in prepara-
tion and risk management, taking into account
applicable guidelines, and making sure the right
people have responsibility for cyber risk manage-
ment in shipping companies and ports.”
 12 GENER ATIONS
01

—
Preparing for autonomy
The importance of class guidelines
for future autonomous operations
ClassNK’s Corporate Officer Mr. Fujinami, and Manager Mr. Yamada share insights on
recently released class guidelines for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS).

With your new guidelines, ClassNK is already pliers and system integrators work to clarify the
providing a kind of future-proofing, as MASS direction of development.
have not yet entered the operational phase.
Can you comment on the purpose of providing The second purpose is to clarify the procedure
class guidelines for a future solution, and the for certification of autonomous vessels. This will
inherent challenges? make it easier for system suppliers, system inte-
In the case of MASS, technological developments grators, and system owners to understand when
are ahead of the development of regulations. In to act and what to do, and should serve to acceler-
addition, innovative technologies like MASS are ate practical implementation of autonomy. When
generally being developed as individual projects deciding on procedures, particular attention was
for the time being, and it is assumed that the tar- given to making sure that they do not deviate
get, degree, and scope of development will also from conventional maritime industry methodol-
vary from project to project. ogy, in order to avoid confusion. The guidelines
were created in a way designed to integrate the
Under such circumstances, ClassNK has released new concept of autonomous vessels with the
the guidelines for two purposes. The first is to existing methods.
understand correctly what kind of technology is
currently being developed from the conceptual The main challenge for the guidelines is the devel-
opment of a concrete evaluation method. As the
— guidelines were created to accommodate various
The main challenge for the tasks onboard, their content is focused on organ-
izing thinking rather than action, which results in
guidelines is the development of many items being expressed in abstract terms.
a concrete evaluation method.
From the practical point of view, having analyzed
design phase and share it with relevant parties, recent trends, we feel that the implementation of
including internally in ClassNK. By properly fol- technologies for ship-maneuvering system tasks,
lowing this process, classification regulations can including automated collision avoidance, auto-
stay up to date and system owners can establish mated berthing and un-berthing, and remote ship
concrete business usage ideas, while system sup- operation, will be feasible first.
In the future, we plan to target technologies the completely autonomous operation threshold
that are close to practical application, establish could be greatly lowered by switching from recip-
methods and tools to evaluate their safety, and rocating engine systems to batteries, but as this
clarify standards. Ultimately, we aim to establish is dependent on the initial specifications of the
common procedures and indicators that can ob- ship, this topic is not part of our initial focus.
jectively evaluate the safety of various MASS.
—
ClassNK acknowledges the diversity of future Assessing the surrounding
solutions for autonomous vessels. Can you share
some of the development scenarios you envision
conditions with the same
for the next five years? The next ten years? How accuracy as humans is a challenge.
will you prepare for these diverse scenarios?
When considering future development scenarios, For coastal ships, there are many opportunities to
two criteria are important: the onboard work of use a land-based communication infrastructure
crew becoming subject to automation and auton- to support remote vessel operations in congested
omy, and the level of automation and autonomy areas, while a combination of track control sys-
by category. tems (TCS) and remote monitoring can be applied
in uncongested areas. These operational methods
From the perspective of cost-effectiveness and will likely be gradually established. However, data
technical difficulty, developments targeting ship still needs to be collected to establish how current
maneuvering will likely progress most quickly working practices will combine with greater levels
over the next five years. However, onboard work is of automation and remote control systems. Again,
diverse, demanding consideration of engine, car- if the number of seafarers working on coastal
go, and maintenance-related tasks. For example, ships is to be reduced or their qualifications
 14 GENER ATIONS
01

changed, domestic laws covering their employ- From the point of view of social acceptance, the
ment will need to adapt. Different countries anticipated role of class is significant. We should
will face different challenges on the amount of proceed by carefully identifying which of the
change that is possible in five years. diverse onboard tasks are suitable for automation
or remote control while considering the direction
Where ocean-going vessels are concerned, the of technological development and identifying and
concept of the autonomous ship with crew is al- maintaining safety requirements that are essen-
ready under development. Automated maneuver- tial for social acceptance.
ing systems, including vessel collision avoidance
maneuvering algorithms, have also been devel- Class NK’s autonomy and automation require-
oped to a level that can be put to practical use, ments cover each stage in the life of a vessel,
providing constant monitoring by the crew. As- from design and development, to installation,
sessing the surrounding conditions with the same and operation and maintenance. The operational
accuracy as humans is a challenge, but maintain- life of a vessel could potentially extend to 20 or
ing an environment that allows crewmembers to 30 years. How will you address the need to safely
fall back on monitoring at any time allows imple- upgrade the level of vessel autonomy during the
mentation hurdles to be greatly reduced. operational stage?
Many advanced systems are already installed on
— ships in service, and we believe that basic efforts
will remain the same even for automated naviga-
Implementation of the technology tion systems, including automation and remote
and its further development can be control systems. In other words, if a system is
updated, the supplier will contact the user and
promoted if legislation keeps up. the user will follow the supplier's instructions to
carry out any required processing.
It is difficult to predict what the situation will be
10 years from now. Without wishing to be evasive, ClassNK’s guidelines also clarify the roles that
this will depend on what happens in the next five system suppliers and system owners should fulfill
years. It is already clear what can be achieved us- after operation. One example involves system sup-
ing existing technology in terms of streamlining pliers. In general, the system supplier should carry
the onboard operation of coastal and ocean-go- out the version upgrade of the automation system
ing vessels. The rest depends on the extent to and deal with any bugs that are found throughout
which domestic and international laws adapt the life cycle of the automation system.
to these developments. Implementation of the
— technology and its further development can be
—
Mr. Fujinami
Corporate Officer
promoted if legislation keeps up; if it takes a long We expect the more significant
time to develop the laws, the pace of such techno-
ClassNK

logical development will inevitably slow down.

movement to take place in ‘social
implementation’, including rules
However, even if rules development progresses
smoothly, it is debatable whether the potential
development, rather than the
for technological advances will itself change sig- sophistication of technology.
nificantly in the next 10 years.
System owners present another case. The system
Instead, we expect the more significant move- owner should establish procedures for operating
ment to take place in ‘social implementation’, the automated system and implement all soft-
including rules development, rather than the so- ware changes and updates according to the pro-
phistication of technology. Time will tell whether cedures. In addition, before making any changes
the ratio of automated ships comes to represent that may affect the reliability or safety of the
a low percentage of those in service or rises to automated system, they shall seek approval from
more than 50 percent their class society in advance.
 FUTURE FOCUS 15

01
However, for automated navigation systems, be feasible to operate remote-control facilities
including automation and remote control systems, even when faced with such instabilities. Careful
there are cases where multiple advanced subsys- consideration is needed on how to secure mari-
tems are combined, which may complicate mainte- time safety in such situations.
nance in the operational phase. From this perspec-
tive, the system owner may need to have a certain On a related note, it is also fair to note that re-
level of capability, and cooperation from the system mote operation facilities will likely create new job
integrator engaged in the installation will be need- opportunities, some of which may be attractive
ed when performing such complicated measures. to seafarers.

— How can MASS contribute to a sustainable fu-

ture for shipping?
We should proceed by carefully
Conventional vessels do not necessarily have seri-
identifying which of the diverse ous shortcomings in terms of safety and environ-
mental preservation, but the shortage of seafar-
onboard tasks are suitable for
ers is an urgent issue for the maritime industries.
automation or remote control As well as envisaging smaller crew numbers,
MASS is being developed in the hope that it will
while considering the direction of
contribute to the safer navigation of ships and
technological development. a lower frequency of accidents by reducing the
burden of those onboard ship.
It is important to clarify procedures, including
maintenance and management, and the roles and Any other thoughts on automated and autono-
responsibilities of the system supplier, system mous vessels that ClassNK would like to share
integrator, and system owner, from the time the with Generation’s readers?
system is installed. Discussions on MASS thus far have been highly
abstract in their nature. For example, when we
In addition, as technology develops, require- started to create our guidelines for autonomous
ments in the ClassNK guidelines may also change. ships in 2017, we could not quite envisage the sys-
By accurately grasping the trends and adapting tem that should be subject to class certification,
accordingly, we will provide survey and inspection and it felt like we were chasing shadows.
services suitable for the situation.
However, from around the second half of 2018,
How does ClassNK view the role of Remote Op- trials were underway – mostly in Europe – while
— eration Centers in the future of MASS? various trial projects have been launched in Japan
Mr. Yamada
Manager
We believe they will have three major roles: since 2019, suggesting that technological devel-
ClassNK remote monitoring of autonomous vessels with opment is accelerating.
crew onboard, remote control of vessels, and
remote monitoring of crewless vessels. Initially, Accordingly, it feels like we do not have to do
progress towards the first two will likely be car- anything in particular to force the development of
ried out in parallel, in preparation for implement- MASS. By carefully identifying the technical differ-
ing the third role. ences from conventional ships, the necessary and
sufficient requirements will become apparent
The expectation is that safety at sea will be and the issues clear. As class alone cannot resolve
improved thanks to enhanced support from land. all of the issues, the development of a founda-
However, caution is advisable in relation to the tion that can be tackled by the entire maritime
stability of communications. Advanced results industry is necessary. All stakeholders, including
can be achieved in an ideal communications envi- developers of specific technologies, are invited
ronment, but technology that is fully capable of to review ClassNK’s “Guidelines for Automated/
overcoming communication instabilities has yet Autonomous Operation on ships” and share their
to be developed. In these circumstances, it must feedback with us. Our door is always open.
 16 GENER ATIONS
01

—
Where fact and
fantasy meet
Imagining the future
through science fiction
Science fiction is the ideal medium to
imagine the future and be able to visualize
the consequences, says Dr Helen Klus of
Britain’s Royal Astronomical Society.
Because it has proven to influence the
choices we make, she believes science fiction
deserves more attention now than ever.

Dr Helen Klus bills herself as a science com-

municator. In measured understatement, she
describes her background as “non-traditional”.
Starting with a degree in Philosophy and Astron-
omy, Klus went on to earn a Master’s in the Philos-
ophy of Physics, culminating in a PhD in Physics,
using data from X-ray telescopes to study explo-
sions on neutron stars.

Dedicated to exploring the interplay of intangible

and tangible, Klus is perfectly at home considering
the human condition in a cosmic context: “I have
always been concerned with the big questions –
why are we here, where are we going?” Science is
the route to concrete conclusions, she believes,
“but the end of science leads to philosophy. This
is where science fiction comes in. It provides a
space to throw up speculative ideas and see how
they might work out, to run free with ideas and
see what happens.”
 18 GENER ATIONS
01

The fact that we do not know what is going to But for an idea to fit into a business case, Klus
happen is exactly the point, she says: “This makes argues that a shorter-term perspective might be
the concept of science fiction as a whole impor- more conducive: “Perhaps in that light it is more
tant. It is the only medium where we can imagine realistic to look at smaller, simpler solutions rath-
the future, rather than having to predict it.” er than ideas on a grand scale. Big things will hap-
pen too, and we do have to consider the biggest
Just crazy enough to work questions in order to reach far. But in the shorter
Klus finds it counterproductive to debate the val- term, it might be ‘the simpler the better’.”
ue of unreachable versus obtainable ideas. Both
are needed, she says: “You can’t create something
until you have imagined it. Technology limits us
—
to the options accessible in the physical world. Science fiction is the only
You need to get from A to B in order to get to C.
Science fiction goes straight to C.”
medium where we can imagine
the future.
She notes that the 17th century astronomer
Johannes Kepler proved that earth goes around Imagine us at our best
the sun, but used witchcraft to get people to the In her quest for what might be, Klus is concerned
moon in his works of fiction. Later, warp drive not just with enabling technologies, but develop-
was used for intergalactic travel in Star Trek, and ments in in society. She cites Gene Roddenberry’s
hyperspace in Star Wars. “We don’t know which iconic Star Trek TV series from the 1960s, depict-
idea will play out, but it’s always a good idea to ing the crew of the Starship Enterprise on their
throw it against the wall and see if it sticks. This mission ‘to explore strange new worlds… to boldly
happens when everybody just writes what they go where no man has gone before’.
— want,” Klus says. “It’s hard to know what is too
Dr Helen Klus
Britain’s Royal
crazy. Reality is often much crazier than what we “Roddenberry was using diverse casts in the
Astronomical Society could imagine.” 1960s to show what society could be like if
things were different,” Klus observes. Against
the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement in the
U.S., African American actor Nichelle Nichols was
cast as a Black female officer on the bridge, an
unthinkable scenario in a male-dominated society
still divided along racial lines.

When she was offered her dream role on Broad-

way, Nichols was reportedly ready to leave the
show. None other than Dr Martin Luther King Jr. en-
couraged her to stay: “He challenged her to see the
role of Lieutenant Uhura as showing how it might
be, or even should be in the future,” Klus relates.

Later, when Nichols expressed unhappiness with

NASA choosing only male astronauts, she was
asked to be involved in selecting first female
astronaut, Sally Ride, and later the first Black male
astronaut in space, Guion Stewart Bluford Jr., Mae
Jemison, first Black female astronaut, has said
she was inspired by Star Trek to pursue her career
dreams. “These are examples of the direct effect
of science fiction on reality, and in this case it had
nothing to do with technology,” Klus observes.
FUTURE FOCUS 19

01
Real fiction will matter later. We tend to think more in the
Of course science fiction has had its share of tech- short term,” Klus observes. One way science fic-
nological visions that have become not just reality, tion could help, she says, is to present a plausible
but commonplace. Marvel Comics detective Dick future scenario and help people to react, either in
Tracy’s two-way wrist radio and the TV-phone order to achieve that end, or to avoid it.
from The Jetsons cartoon series were flights of
fantasy that Apple would later make ubiquitous. “It’s interesting that in all the time travel narra-
“Star Trek basically foreshadowed Bluetooth and tives, when characters travel back in time, they
mobile phones, and we got to see how holograms are afraid of disturbing the outcome of the future
would work in Star Wars,” Klus adds. by stepping on a caterpillar or snapping a twig.”
That same logic should be applied to the present,
But not all scientific developments inspired by Klus maintains: “What you do today actually does
fiction have been as benevolent. In his 1914 novel matter for the future, so you should strive to do
‘The World Set Free’, Klus notes that H.G Wells es- the right thing now. In that perspective it could
sentially predicted nuclear bombs. “Leo Szilard of be highly useful to have more science fiction look-
the Manhattan Project was allegedly inspired by ing at how we deal with the bigger issues.”
this vision of atomic power, 30 years later,” Klus
tells. “There are clear examples, for better or for —
worse, of how the technology imagined in science
fiction can shape the future.”
We should encourage rather than
discourage flights of fantasy and
Banking on imagination
On the grand scale, Klus is pulling for sufficient
creative thinking.
attention to be trained on the future of the
planet: “Anything addressing the topic of cli- Fuelling facts with fantasy
mate change is very important to consider right In her search for answers to the big questions,
now. Perhaps we can see the future of humanity the philosopher in Helen Klus may inhabit her
and business together. During the Space Race, imagination, but the scientist sets the agenda:
technology gains were made very quickly. People “I am most concerned about societal conse-
cared about the outcome, and they invested quences. I would like to see more visions of a
accordingly. We could see this same kind of re- better society, and right now, climate change is
sponse to climate change.” perhaps our biggest concern.”

— Addressing a contemporary conflict, Klus hopes

You can’t create something until for humanity to embrace science, rather than
reject it. “The denial of science is an existential
you have imagined it. threat to our species. There are many science-re-
lated threats, and we will not survive unless we
Realistically, she has yet to be convinced that face up to these. Rather than be afraid of science,
a truly sustainable economy is attainable: “We I believe it should give us hope that we can deal
might end up living in a dystopian world. If that with our problems if we try.”
ends up being the case, science fiction could be
helpful in understanding how to rebuild society. Faced with arguably the biggest question of all,
The problem is that utopia is comforting in Klus concludes that science fiction is more im-
tough times, while dystopia is too depressing, portant now than ever: “We have to be able to im-
even though that might be the reality we need agine things in order to survive, and that means
to address.” we should encourage rather than discourage
flights of fantasy and creative thinking. It is not
Be the butterfly wing the aim of science fiction to accurately predict
“Humans have a hard time imagining the future, the future. Don’t be afraid that people will laugh
understanding that doing things differently now at your ideas.”
—
02
Powering the future

The man from ATLANTIS:

Driving the offshore wind
power transformation
—
22–25

Charging ahead:
New Zealand’s race to zero
—
26–31

Like minds sparkle on San Diego Bay:

At the forefront of tug electrification
—
32–35

The future of hydrogen energy:

How does Europe fit into the mix?
—
36–39
 22 GENER ATIONS
02

—
The man from ATLANTIS
Driving the offshore wind
power transformation
Dr. Andry Maykol Pinto is on a mission to make offshore wind power truly sustainable.
He is the Project Coordinator for the EU funded ATLANTIS initiative, which is testing
technology with the ability to transform wind farm operation and maintenance –
cutting costs, extending operational windows, and safeguarding human life.

“Did you know that up to 30 percent of the cost of pacity is planned to surge from around 12 GW today
energy produced by offshore wind farms goes on to 300 GW by 2050), needs to compete, and win, on
operations and maintenance?” LCOE to power a successful energy transition.

Dr. Pinto repeats the figure to underline its significance. And the way to slash those operations and main-
tenance costs?
“30 percent. Yes, almost a third of the levelized
cost of energy (LCOE). So, if we could find a way “Robots.”
to reduce that by a few percentage points, we can
make a big difference. What’s more, if we can cut Wind-wind situation
it in half, and I believe we can, then we can funda- Let’s be clear: Pinto doesn’t envisage legions of
mentally transform the commercial attractiveness Terminator-style creations swimming over to
of offshore wind. Like that.” windfarms to perform essential maintenance.
What he sees is the use of robotic-based solu-
— tions, such as, for example, drones to survey
turbines for delamination or cracks (so engineers
Up to 30 percent of the cost of
don’t have to climb them), and remotely operated
energy produced by offshore vehicles (ROVs) or autonomous underwater ve-
hicles (AUVs), rather than divers, assessing cable
wind farms goes on operations
integrity and substructures for corrosion.
and maintenance.
It’s not about replacing humans, he stresses, but
What sounds like a snap of the fingers is lost over rather 'removing them from the most dangerous
the online call, but Pinto’s point is not. He is argu- tasks' and, in doing so, extending weather win-
ing that commercial and environmental sustaina- dows and operational uptime. This latter benefit
bility go hand-in-hand and that offshore wind, a is derived from the fact that roboticized mainte-
blossoming sector (EU offshore wind energy ca- nance would reduce the need to transfer crews
from vessels to turbines; a challenging, and often The project – which is funded by the EU’s largest
impossible, task in rough seas. research and innovation programme, Horizon
2020 – takes an inclusive “ecosystem” approach,
“It’s safer and significantly more cost effective, a inviting a broad range of participation and an
win-win,” Pinto comments. “We just have to prove it.” open test and knowledge creation environment
for the benefit of the entire industry.
And this brings us on to ATLANTIS.
—
Collaborative ecosystem It’s safer and significantly more
ATLANTIS has been conceived to establish a
unique pilot infrastructure, situated in Viana do
cost effective, a win-win. We just
Castelo, Portugal, to test breakthrough marine have to prove it.
robotic technology.
“Collaboration is the heart of ATLANTIS,” Pinto
It consists of a Coastal Testbed, allowing develop- explains. “We have to work together to enable a
ers to “de-risk” robotic solutions through rigor- change of this scale; creating the solutions, in-
ous and cost-efficient testing near to land, and an forming the regulations, and gaining acceptance
Offshore Testbed, where more proven approaches for a new way of working. It’s a tremendously ex-
can be put through their paces in a real windfarm citing project and we want as many stakeholders
environment (Windplus’ WindFloat Atlantic). as possible to participate.”
 24 GENER ATIONS

Planning precision predictability in an increasingly challenging envi-

ABB has developed a dedicated mission planning ronment – as turbines, and distances from shore,
solution for testing at ATLANTIS. Based on the grow ever larger.
ABB Ability™ Marine Advisory System – OCTOPUS,
the solution enables operations to be planned “Downtime is expensive for the turbines, but also for
02

using safety limits based on acceptable vessel these specialist vessels, equipment and the crews
responses, rather than solely on the wave con- involved,” Pinto adds. “If we can find ways to reduce
ditions traditionally so decisive in conducting that we bring real benefits in terms of efficiency.”
offshore operations and maintenance.
It is, Pinto says, an important part of understand- —
ing how robotic solutions can deliver added value
and increase efficiency.
We have to work together to
enable a change of this scale.
He explains: “OCTOPUS helps create precision
in planning. Through data driven optimisation it Window of opportunity
allows for the optimal deployment of equipment, The greater weather windows enabled by the
tools, crews and specific vessels in a coordinated robotic approach are key, especially when opened
way. It enables us to make the best decisions – the up to their full extent by OCTOPUS.
most efficient, safe and cost effective – based on
given tasks, weather conditions and sea states. It A recent ABB desk study, analysing data from
brings together all these parameters and simplifies the ATLANTIS offshore facility, found that the
an otherwise very complex decision-making pro- acceptable wave height for operations could
cess, reducing operation and maintenance costs be increased from 1.5 to 2 meters when robotic
and therefore directly contributing to lower LCOE.” solutions were deployed instead of humans. This
— meant that safe vessel operations could take
Dr. Andry Maykol Pinto
Project Coordinator
In essence, he continues, it’s a way of synchro- place 46 percent of the time, as opposed to the
ATLANTIS nizing operations and assets to create a sense of current 34 percent – in other words, increasing
the operational weather window by an eye-catch-
ing 35 percent.

“This is hugely important for windfarm operators,

vessel owners and charterers as they gain a new
standard for acceptable conditions, leading to
less cancellations of planned activity, less time on
stand-by, less fuel consumption and, accordingly,
less cost,” remarks Pinto. “This combination of
smart decision support systems, together with
safe, high-quality and efficient robotic operations
and maintenance solutions opens up a new ho-
rizon of benefits. I believe that will be absolutely
essential in supporting the future success of this
dynamic industry.”

Empowering the future

Pinto regards the project as not just crucial for wind,
but rather for the wider decarbonization of society,
with the EU, through its European Green Deal, set-
ting the target of climate neutrality by 2050.

“There is a growing sense of urgency. Now is

the time for action,” he states. “By creating
—
ABB's OCTOPUS
software will cut the
transfer times between
land and wind farms.

an open, experimental infrastructure we can And although the focus is robotics, Pinto says it’s
nurture innovation in a way that empowers the human factor that will dictate project success.
multiple stakeholders – from suppliers, to
digital experts, wind farm operators, academ- “The more interest we have from people, the
ia, local governments, and more – and really more players getting involved, the better,” he
boosts the feasibility and development of concludes. “We can never achieve sustainability in
this hugely promising source of clean, renew- isolation, so there’s a strong need to pull together
able energy.” to affect real change. Our future depends on it.”

ATLANTIS project – diving into the details

> Location: Viana do Castelo, Portugal

> Duration: 3 ½ years

> Start date: January 2020

> Budget: 8.5 million euros

> Aim: Establish pilot infrastructure to demonstrate added value of robotic

solutions for offshore wind operations and maintenance, reducing LCOE

> Project lead: INESC TEC

> Partners: ABB, VTT, Space Applications, Principle Power, NEW (EDP and CTG),

ECA Group, Universitat de Girona, IQUA Robotics, RINA

> Supported by: Horizon 2020 (EU)

> Results available through: CORDIS

 26 GENER ATIONS
02

—
Charging ahead
New Zealand’s race to zero
For New Zealand, reaching zero emissions is not just a target, it’s a legal
commitment. The electrification of the transport sector is key to progress,
as Elizabeth Yeaman, a leading authority within the segment, explains.

“I think we’ve often been overlooked,” notes she was General Manager of Transport at the
Elizabeth Yeaman, Founder and Managing New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Director of New Zealand-based Retyna, an Authority (EECA), with a lead role in the roll out of
independent consultancy focusing on electric its Electric Vehicle Programme.
vehicles and renewable energy for transport. “As
a nation, we’re obviously a long way from Europe She is a keen supporter of the Government’s
and America, and therefore haven’t sat front of Zero Carbon Act, introduced in 2019, which aims
mind when it comes to market and technological to achieve net zero emissions of all greenhouse
development. But that is changing. gases by 2050.

“Now people are catching on to the idea that —

we have, in fact, the perfect test bed for new,
future-focused solutions; with an open regula-
It’s an exciting time here –
tory approach emphasizing safety principles, a time of real change…
in tandem with clean, renewable energy, and a
national identity honed on adapting to challenges
and real potential.
to survive and prosper.”
With an established renewable energy sector,
Yeaman pauses for a moment, laughing that she powered chiefly by hydro, geothermal and wind
doesn’t work for the national tourist authority sources, Yeaman believes the foundations for
(“honestly!”), but instead is simply keen to pro- national change are firmly in place.
ject a reality that she, more than most, has seen
evolve at close hand. “We currently fluctuate between about 80 and 85
percent of electricity generated from renewable
“It’s an exciting time here – a time of real sources, and this will rise to 90 percent by 2025.
change… and real potential.” The Renewable Energy Strategy work programme
should, we hope, enable a figure of 100 percent
Firm foundations by 2035. And that will charge the nation’s green
Yeaman founded Retyna to focus on renewable transport sector.”
energy for transport – something she herself has
spent 25 years doing. Prior to establishing Retyna Multi-modal progress is already motoring along.
—
Waitaki Hydro Chain
Accelerating adoption mote the uptake of EVs and, since that point, we’ve
generates around The challenges of electrification for a private and succeeded in getting around 30,000 on the road.”
one-quarter of New
Zealand’s electricity
public transport network spanning such a sparse-
ly populated and naturally dramatic island nation Although this fell short of Government ambitions
are obvious. Long distances and isolated dwelling by around 50 percent, politicians are focused on
areas are not the most straightforward building addressing the issue and introduced a “feebate”
blocks for a clean energy transition. scheme this summer (their winter) to lower EV
prices, while extending road user charge exemp-
However, Yeaman says policy makers and private tion (the national road tax) to 2024.
adopters are committed to rising to the challenge.
“You have to remember that the 30,000 figure
“An EECA Life Cycle Analysis report in 2015 showed has been achieved without incentives so far, in a
that electric vehicles (EVs) have around 60 percent market where availability has been low and prices
fewer carbon dioxide emissions than their petrol comparatively high,” Yeaman notes. “Since the
driven counterparts, rising to around 80 percent feebate scheme was introduced we’ve seen EVs
fewer emissions when driven in New Zealand, rise from 2-3 percent of car purchases to around
due to our renewables. That makes a very strong 6 percent in the first month. So, we expect to see
case for change in such a ‘car dependent’ nation adoption accelerate now.”
(the country has the fourth highest per-capita car
ownership rate in the world – 837 light vehicles When it does, owners can do the same, safe in the
per 1,000 people in 2019). In 2016, the Government knowledge that a charging infrastructure is rapid-
announced its Electric Vehicles Programme to pro- ly spanning out to serve them.
 28 GENER ATIONS

Here Yeaman explains that government policy has Wellington on the North Island and Picton on
supported the installation of DC chargers every the South, has recently ordered two new hybrid
75 km along state highways and, to date, cover- electric vessels to replace its three existing ships,
age has reached around 95 percent: “That means reducing the overall carbon emissions of the
inter-city travel is now perfectly achievable, even fleet by 40 percent. The first will come online in
02

in lower range electric vehicles.” 2025, with the second launching from Hyundai
Mipo Dockyard in South Korea the following year.
— Interestingly, as well as carrying trucks, cars and
Inter-city travel is now perfectly passengers, the ferries will also transport freight
trains between the country’s two main islands.
achievable, even in lower range
electric vehicles. Smaller vessels, with shorter routes than the 3.5-
hour island crossing, are already going electric – as
Public commitment shown by a project Yeaman is currently working on.
While private transport is one, vital piece of the
puzzle, the full picture requires focus on mass Retyna has had a role in the development of a
transport solutions as well. New Zealand’s gov- new vessel for East by West Ferries, bridging
ernment last year stated a requirement for all Wellington’s picturesque harbor. Named Ika Rere,
councils to purchase only zero emissions buses which is Māori for “flying fish”, it is the Southern
(also exempt from road user charges) by 2025, Hemisphere’s first, fast, all-electric ferry, with a
with the aim of completely decarbonizing the carbon-fiber hull and a 135 PAX capacity. Yeaman
fleet by 2035. In a statement of ambition that Yea- talks of the project with obvious pride:
man says is increasingly indicative of wider buy-in
on climate goals, individual councils are already “COVID has delayed the ferry, just as it’s impacted
moving ahead of the transition curve. on so much in our lives,” she comments. “But sea
trials are underway and we’re expecting it to start
New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is heading full operations later this year. It’s an exciting,
the field, having already committed to no longer locally built project that shows our ability to inno-
providing funding for new diesel buses from this vate nationally, while also supporting green inno-
year. In January 2021, the city unveiled a fleet of vation and testing from international players.”
electric buses for the AirportLink service, while
April 2021 saw the launch of an electric fleet for And here she checks in for the theme of electric flight.
the CityLink routes. According to the city’s mayor,
Phil Goff, the electrification of Auckland’s buses —
will stop around 93,000 tons of CO2 emissions en-
tering the atmosphere every year when completed.
I think we’re curious, and maybe a
little bold, by nature.
“Other cities, such as Wellington and
Christchurch, are also making progress,” Yeaman From science fiction to fact
states, “and it’s a transition that is widely sup- “I think we’re curious, and maybe a little bold, by
ported by a climate conscious user group.” nature,” she smiles, “and that appeals to compa-
nies such as Wisk Aero, with is its autonomous,
New wave all electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxis
However, the country’s comparative isolation of here. These eVTOL craft ‘rise like a helicopter
communities means buses aren’t for everyone. and fly like a plane’ and are being vaunted as the
Ferries and domestic aviation also have a crucial simple solution to getting stuck in traffic, ferry-
role to play in the nation’s transport infrastructure. ing passengers with maximum efficiency and a
minimal carbon footprint.
Retyna’s founder says an openness to innovation
and new solutions is driving change here too. The “It’s a fascinating project, not to mention a very
main (and iconic) Interislander service, linking prestigious one,” Yeaman adds, “and, given New
 29

Yeaman also points to the fact that local carrier

Sounds Air recently became one of the first com-
mercial operators to place an order for all-electric
passenger planes, with the intention of making
zero-emission passenger flights across the Cook

02
Strait by 2026. The planes – 19 seat, ES-19 aircraft
from Sweden’s Heart Aerospace – offer a 400
nautical mile range and battery recharging time
of between 20 and 40 minutes.

—
It’s a fascinating project, not to
mention a very prestigious one.

“A lot of the flights here are relatively short hops,”

Yeaman says, bringing the interview, and in-
sightful regional overview, in for a final landing.
“With that in mind it’s the perfect place for early
—
Elizabeth Yeaman
Zealand’s geography, could provide an ideal adoption of such breakthrough technology, and
Founder and solution for bridging the gap between communi- will provide an interesting case study for wider
Managing Director
Retyna
ties. Passenger trials are the next step, and it’ll be international development.”
exciting to see how Wisk, working in partnership
with the national Airspace Integration Trial Pro- Other carriers, such as the national airline Air New
gramme, takes this leap forwards. Zealand, have also indicted they will now look into
alternative fuels and technology for the future.
“I think the whole aviation industry will be watch-
ing New Zealand with interest.” It’s a final piece of the puzzle that shows a climate
conscious nation committed to going places fast…
Sounds investment and cleanly. Yeaman hopes other countries, and
And, she adds, for more reasons that Wisk alone. industry stakeholders, will join them for the ride.

New Zealand: open for innovation

> Population: 5,128,100 (2021 estimate)

> Capital: Wellington

> Largest city: Auckland (pop 1,470,000)

> Area: 268,021 sq. km (main North and South islands, over 700 smaller islands)

> Energy generation mix: 80-85 percent renewables

> Transport network: 94,000 km road, 4,128 km railways, 39 airports (paved runways)

> The system of government: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government –

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

> Climate goals: net zero emissions by 2050

 30
02

—
Waitaki Hydro Chain,
a network of eight
power stations that
generate energy from
water flowing from the
Southern Alps out to
the sea
 32 GENER ATIONS
02

—
Like minds sparkle on San Diego Bay
At the forefront of tug electrification
With delivery of the first all-electric U.S. tugboat – Crowley’s eWolf – in
2023, the Port of San Diego will realize their vision of a zero-emission
workboat, ensuring cleaner air from day one of operations, and taking
an important step toward a sustainable future for port residents.
“San Diego is proud of our focus on blue and
green technology,” says Vice President of
Maritime at the Port of San Diego, Michael LaFleur.
“Our goal is to be a ‘Port of Firsts.’ Everyone is
interested in what we are doing to bring about
the transition from diesel to electric workboats,
and this project allows them to see the tangible
results, clearly demonstrating the effect of the
push to electrification.”

David Lee, Senior Account Manager – Commercial

Vessels, ABB Marine & Ports, adds: “Crowley has
been working with the Port of San Diego for a
long time, looking together at introducing elec-
tric tugs. ABB had also wanted to bring electric
tugs to San Diego, so our thinking was a good
match with port goals, but Crowley was really
the connector.”

San Diego and tugs –

a good match for electrification
“We are not as big as the Port of Los Angeles or
Long Beach, but our volumes are still significant,”
tells Jason Giffen, Vice President of Planning and
Environment with the Port of San Diego. “This
gives us sufficient critical mass to allow a basis
for the introduction of all-electric solutions. We
intend to leverage this position to become a
recognized leader internationally, and a dedicated
local environmental steward.”
 POWERING THE FUTURE 33

San Diego is always looking closely at how to en- in the sustainable workboat space, says Greg
sure cleaner air for the community, and the e-tug Glover, Director of Engineering for ship assist and
project is receiving a lot of local interest, Giffen harbor escort services at Crowley. “We have been
assures. “This is a type of ‘catalytic cooperation.’ working with districts in the U.S. Pacific North-
We are conducting joint discussions with Crowley west and California since 2010. We have done a lot

02
on how ports and private companies can work of repower projects, and we have a long history of
together to push leading edge technology.” And improving existing vessels.”
as short-haul duration vessels, tugs are more eas-
ily transitioned to electrification than the larger, Crowley is committed to being the leader in clean
long-haul ships trafficking the port, he confirms. vessels – setting its ambition to be the most sustain-
able and innovative solutions provider in the Americas
— by 2025: “This is significant for the environment,
As short-haul duration vessels, but also for the people impacted by port activities,”
says Cole Van Gundy, Director, Commercial Opera-
tugs are more easily transitioned tions, at Crowley Engineering Services. “We are the
to electrification. leading vessel designer for workboats in the U.S.,
with roughly half of the domestic design market.”
Crowley leads the way
—
Over a century of harbor workboat operations, “With the e-tug, we had time to design the vessel
San Diego Crowley has become widely known as a pioneer from scratch. Starting with a new electric tug,
 34 GENER ATIONS

we could prioritize sustainable technology and Reaping the silent benefits

design features that are also efficient and safe “The community has embraced the notion of
for operators. These innovative design solutions electric tugs, but they are not really aware of all
involved many aspects of the overall design, in- the specific benefits just yet,” says LaFleur. For
cluding the pilothouse, bulwarks, self rescue zone example, those residing closest to the port will
02

and more,” Van Gundy says. no longer be hearing the familiar rumble of diesel
engines. “They will barely be able to hear a low
Port make-up suits the task humming from the tugs from port operations
LaFleur reports that San Diego has considered during the night,” he assures.
tug design from sea buoy to berth. “With shorter
haul tug operations, we are looking at mostly car- Leading onboard technology enables this shift,
rying out assignments and transit, with very little says Lee: “ABB’s Onboard DC Grid™ is the ena-
waiting on station.” bling technology power here, allowing integra-
tion of batteries into the smaller but more active
Lee notes that port configuration in San Diego is workboats, ensuring near-silent operations to the
suited to deploy all-electric tugs using currently benefit of local residents.”
available technology: “The solutions are based on
a typical day’s work for Crowley tugs in the port. Funding for the initiative is another enabler,
They need fast charging during the day, and less reports LaFleur. “We are building on innovation
intensive overnight charging.” from Crowley, and with the full support of a
willing port and involved stakeholders.” Partners
In addition, the local community is deeply in- include the San Diego County Air Pollution Control
volved, Giffen observes: “We are in ongoing dialog District, the California Air Resources Board, the
with several local planning groups to keep them Port of San Diego, the U.S. Environmental Protec-
up to date. This initiative represents the conver- tion Agency and the U.S. Maritime Administration.
gence of technology, community, industry ambi-
tions, and port goals. We are a region looking for Listen, learn, deliver
innovation, and we need the concepts to prove it. “For this project we gathered input from captains,
It is important to note that we are in this for the deckhands, and others involved in the running of
—
benefit of all, not just serving local interests, but the vessels,” says Glover. “With only two crew on
Electric tug eWolf ultimately global interests as well.” deck at a time, the captain needs to see everything
POWERING THE FUTURE 35

that is going on. This requires the latest in ergo- In addition, the new eWolf is ready for remote
nomics, with safety as the primary goal.” control operations, says Lee. “ABB Ability™
Marine Pilot Vision and ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot
Lee adds: “Design built around an electric drive Control are key deliveries here.” He notes that ABB
power eliminates the need for an exhaust system has gathered experience from similar projects

02
and gives 360 degree visibility from the pilot- abroad, including delivery of highly automated,
house. This goes hand-in-hand with the safety remote control ready harbor tugs to the Port of
and sustainability requirements for the rest of the Singapore. “There was tremendous transfer of
boat. The knock-on benefits of electric propulsion learning from the Singapore project. We had the
include less vibration and noise for onboard crew, concept in hand, and the job in Singapore provid-
and with a better working environment comes ed the proof.”
improved crew performance.”
—
“We approached the port with our ideas, not
Starting with a new electric tug,
really knowing their interest. As it turned out,
these fell hand in hand. They were very support- we could prioritize sustainable
ive from the beginning, and they still are today.
technology and design features
This is what we could call a real partnership,”
Glover confirms. that are also efficient and safe.
Technology converges “Improving safety is paramount among our goals,
Emissions goals for the project call for operation but increased levels of automation also aid in ef-
of the new eTug to eliminate 178 tons of nitrogen ficiency,” Glover says. “For example, by staying on
oxide (NOx), 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter, station without crew, we can eliminate risk to hu-
and 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) mans, and increase the efficiency of the vessel’s
versus a conventional tug over the first 10 years operating profile in one and the same initiative.”
of operations.
A true meeting of the minds
On the design side, Van Gundy reports that the “Our mission was to build a lower emission, new
port needed a fully electric vessel with 70 tons energy vessel. The challenge of leadership fell to
of bollard pull, and a relatively shallow draft. “All ABB and they met this to our great satisfaction,”
the same diesel criteria needed to be met with an says Glover. “I met David Lee in Houston at an
electric boat,” he confirms. alternative energy conference and it quickly be-
came apparent that we were of like minds. It has
“We worked extensively with Crowley to fine-tune been amazing to work with ABB, to see how they
the operational profile of the vessel,” says Lee. apply their expertise to create solutions around
“They needed to be able to operate a full day with- our data.”
out having to charge after every task. The goal
was to not modify the operation of tug to fit an “We were surprised to learn how compatible our
all-electric power train, so battery requirements respective progress and initiatives were,” LaFleur
needed to be made to fit the operational profile.” relates. “The Port of San Diego’s goals for elec-
trification, not least the ability to charge during
Onboard DC Grid™ was a key enabler in achiev- peak hours, matched up perfectly with the ability
ing this goal, he continues: “Electric motors of the project partners to deliver, including a sho-
save space and free up the onboard configura- reside battery to control the amount of draw from
tion, and Onboard DC Grid™ enables onboard grid at peak hours.”
power storage such as fuel cells and batteries,
allowing more efficient shore charging because ABB and Crowley share many similarities, Lee con-
DC is simply a more straight-forward system. cludes: “The Port of San Diego is also lined up on
This will allow Crowley to meet all their fast the same criteria as Crowley and ABB. This project
charging requirements.” can be described as a true meeting of the minds.”
 36 GENER ATIONS
02

—
The future of
hydrogen energy
How does Europe
fit into the mix?
Hydrogen is gaining momentum in the global
energy transition, but experts agree there is still
work to do before technology and legislation
line up to provide the necessary support to a
global green shift – in Europe and beyond.

As a dedicated advocate of hydrogen energy,

Nicolas Brahy is understandably optimistic on
the future role of hydrogen, not only in Europe,
but globally. That said, he is more pragmatic than
purist in his predictions: “We are witnessing the
fast-growing acknowledgement that if you want
to decarbonize, using hydrogen in combination for zero-emission solutions.” This realization, he
with electrification is an unavoidable conclusion,” adds, has led European policy makers to consen-
says Brahy, co-founder of FiveT Hydrogen Fund, an sus on producing large quantities of hydrogen.
investment platform dedicated to delivering clean
hydrogen infrastructure projects at scale, and —
former managing director of Hydrogen Europe.*
We already have CO2 regulations
But while the cost of hydrogen is dropping fast, that call for trucks to operate on
Brahy points out that finding hydrogen solutions
that are cheaper than fossil alternatives or other,
hydrogen in the coming years, but
more mature green solutions still remains a chal- we lack the trucks themselves.
lenge. In addition, he acknowledges that hydrogen
technology is still in the starting gate in the field Which way to grow?
—
of renewables. “Where we can hope to gain first Brahy reports that the EU’s strategy is to have
*At the time of this ground is primarily the end-use sector. Fossil and six gigawatts of hydrogen-producing electro-
interview, Nicolas Brahy
was managing director
partly clean options will decrease in importance lyzers operating in Europe within the next few
of Hydrogen Europe if policy makers and industrials go seriously in years, with announcements of large production
capacities pending on several fronts. “Hydrogen “In the end, hydrogen can and will be used in
is in heavy use in the production of ammonia for many applications, but there is still some un-
fertilizers and for refining oil. Replacing hydrogen certainty about the order in which hydrogen
produced with fossil fuels with a cleaner product will penetrate the various areas. This will largely
requires production on a large scale. In these be dependent on policies and the strategy of
fields, new policy could be in place within two industrial companies to comply with legislation.
years. For more complex applications like trans- The legislative discussions starting now at the EU
port, we will require not only hydrogen produc- level concerning the so-called ‘Fit for 55’ legisla-
tion, but vehicles and infrastructure,” he says. tion package, the minimum 55 percent emission
reduction target which the EU has set for 2030,
“Either the products are not there yet, or reg- should tell us more in the coming months.”
ulations have not caught up. For instance, we
already have CO2 regulations that call for trucks Building the best path
to operate on hydrogen in the coming years, but Grzegorz Pawelec, senior researcher and Brahy’s
we lack the trucks themselves. Rolling out the former colleague in Hydrogen Europe, an indus-
technology at scale has not yet been achieved,” try and national association covering the entire
Brahy maintains. hydrogen value chain, points out that hydrogen
 “Remember that Europe presents different
challenges than the U.S. Not least, the U.S. has a
single jurisdiction, but also lots of space. In the
EU, space constrictions simply make it harder to
find locations for local hydrogen production.”

Different drivers
The main drivers to reduce emissions are still
CO2 standards or requirements, Pawelec says.
“At the same time, CO2 standards for trucks have
become stricter than many expected. This has led
others to follow Nikola in the move to hydrogen,
like Daimler, Hyundai and Volvo. Probably others
will join as well.”

Several areas in Europe have begun to offer hy-

drogen filling stations, so hydrogen availability is
there for passenger cars, but a critical mass of ve-
hicles is lacking, Pawelec reports. “We have in any
case not fully mastered the calendar of introduc-
tion. Some car manufacturers were ready, but not
all, and no urgent demand for hydrogen-powered
cars has emerged.”

—
In the end, hydrogen can and will
be used in many applications.
—
Nicolas Brahy
technology should be easier to advance when
Co-founder moving from grey to green, not least because Heavy-duty strategies carry weight
FiveT Hydrogen Fund
acceptance is generally higher for producing hy- Regarding other heavy transport modes, Pawelec
drogen from renewable rather than fossil-based notes that while some regional trains are still run-
energy sources. That said, he agrees with Brahy ning on diesel, most trains in Europe are electri-
that legislative support is needed to provide the fied. “This means that they are already clean, but
necessary momentum for this move: “We need the source of their electricity may not be.”
very cheap hydrogen to reach the break-even
point, and this requires subsidies if renewable He observes that several European transportation
production is going to reach the required scale.” companies in Germany and Austria are already run-
ning regional passenger trains on hydrogen. Hydro-
Pawelec adds that for hydrogen-powered mobility gen trains are either in operation or in the planning
to be cost competitive, both public and private stages the UK, France and Spain as well, he reports.
endorsement are needed. Referring to the con-
cept of modular, renewable hydrogen production “Trains operate on fixed routes, meaning they
for long-haul transport currently being champi- require a low number of fueling stations, and their
oned by Nikola Motors in the US, he maintains high consumption levels provide the necessary
that for the concept to work in Europe, both good economy of scale,” Pawelec says. ”The same ap-
products and supportive policies will be required. plies for ferries and busses. The fuel’s low energy
“Then comes a solid operational model, where density means that it requires more space. But on
they integrate appropriate infrastructure and fixed routes, on-board hydrogen storage will not
trucks in an EU perspective,” he says. require as much space.”
 39

bio-fuels, he notes. “They are easier to manufac-

ture and they can be blended with conventional
fuel. Just change your supplier, and the rest of the
infrastructure can go unchanged. But for longer
haul transport, hydrogen can still provide greater

02
overall efficiency, either as pure hydrogen or in a
hybrid solution.”

Finding the right mix for shipping

Brahy points out that for short and medium
distance fixed line routes, hydrogen logistics are
already feasible, though deploying a universal
hydrogen infrastructure for marine applications
still presents certain challenges. “We believe it will
be difficult to deploy a uniform global infrastruc-
ture for shipping due to the combined challenges
presented by regional legislative and geographi-
cal particularities.“

He agrees with many in the maritime sphere that

diverse energy solutions will be required to meet
future shipping needs. “Transport of hydrogen
is possible but expensive so far. If the cost could
be shared, this could be a good argument for
growth. Remember that once hydrogen reaches
the ports, it can be used to supply other end users
as well.”

Plenty for all

—
Grzegorz Pawelec
Seeing both sides “Hydrogen will not immediately fill a large space
Senior researcher “We can look at hydrogen in two ways,” Pawelec in all the sectors where it eventually can or must
Hydrogen Europe
offers. “As the fuel itself, or as an ingredient be used,” Brahy says. “It will probably grow into a
in other fuels like methanol and ammonia. We few of the most suited applications, and then con-
consider all these options as part of a unified tinue to expand.” Nor is it easy to identify which
ecosystem. We are interested in all fuels made of these applications will come first, he observes,
with hydrogen, or those that have an element of as that sequence will be determined by upcoming
hydrogen.” regulations and industrial strategies.

Pawelec is positive toward ammonia, stating that —

while some marine applications would favor pure
hydrogen, ammonia is also a good option that
We need very cheap hydrogen to
makes sense from the cost–density perspective. reach the break-even point.
“Density is good and cost is low for ammonia,
synthetic gas, and methanol solutions, but meth- Rather than cost, lack of hydrogen availability
anol is not really cheap. Nor can stakeholders is the biggest concern at present, Brahy con-
claim CO2 reductions twice, both in production cludes. “However, looking at the EU strategy for
and use, so the argument for methanol is weak- hydrogen, this can be fixed. We will need a lot
ened somewhat when compared to other fuels.” more hydrogen to achieve goals on the mainland
and for maritime transport, but there will be
Biofuels are a pure competitor to hydrogen, and enough hydrogen for all feasible applications in
regulations could also encourage the move to the near future.”
—
03
Navigating the green shift

For Sovcomflot, sustainable

shipping starts at home
—
42–47

Next generation exploration cruise:

Prioritizing safety and sustainability
—
48–51

The green shift in yachting:

Engaging at a new level
—
52–59

Technology, environment and people:

Q&A with Captain Kate McCue
—
60–63

Seeking sustainability:
Food supplier ASKO looks at all the links
—
64–67
 42 GENER ATIONS

—
For Sovcomflot,
sustainable shipping
03

starts at home
Sovcomflot is a world leader in the transport
of energy in harsh climates, not only by volume,
but in their proven record for safe and energy-
efficient Arctic operations. Sovcomflot CEO Igor
Tonkovidov tells how the company’s investments
in sustainability on their home turf reflect their
ongoing commitment to drive environmentally
conscious shipping on a global scale.

What is SCF’s vision for sustainable development

in general and within the Arctic particularly?
I believe that the global shipping industry will be
increasingly led by companies that are strongly
focused on meeting environmental, social and
governance (ESG) criteria. We have long been
modelling SCF to be one such company.

Our vision for sustainable development is making

a responsible contribution towards the environ-
ments in which we operate. Here, I mean environ-
ments in the broadest sense of the word, includ-
ing ecological, social, and market environments.

Our personnel has always been and increasingly

remain our most vital asset. We are eager to spare
neither time nor expense to ensure their wellbe-
— ing and their employment, as well as steadily im-
LNG tanker Christophe
De Margerie crossing the
prove their skill set and keep their competencies
Northern Sea Route at the highest level in the industry.
 44 GENER ATIONS

Equally important for us is reducing the envi- have begun working with Shell on introducing our
ronmental impact from the activities inherent ‘Green Funnel’ series of the industry’s first du-
with shipping. I believe that material progress al-fuel Aframax tankers in 2015, three years ahead
in this area is achievable through further tech- of the IMO announcing their target to reduce the
nological advancement, such as adopting new carbon footprint of the global shipping by at least
motion methods and new types of fuel. Invariably, 50 per cent by 2050, and five years ahead of the
technologies become more sophisticated, which Sulphur Cap 2020 legislation coming into force.
further increases the importance of investing in
personnel and their training. This ‘Green Funnel’ initiative was a success from
both sustainability and technological perspec-
Speaking of the Arctic, SCF is, by some margin, tives, representing a major step towards reducing
the world’s foremost energy shipper within harsh emissions from the energy shipping industry. This
03

climate and ice conditions, operating more than accomplishment was widely recognized by the
80 ice class vessels, which represents over half of global community. The lead vessel of the ‘Green
our fleet. Consequently, we take very seriously our Funnel’ series, Gagarin Prospect, has received
shared responsibility for the long-term sustaina- several ‘Ship of the Year’ awards, including the
bility of Arctic shipping. Nor-Shipping Next Generation Ship Award re-
ceived in Oslo in the presence of His Majesty King
We strongly believe that shipping operations in Harald V of Norway. What is even more rewarding,
the Arctic should require the cleanest types of ma- we have seen a significant number of shipping
rine fuels, and engineering solutions that minimize companies follow our path to adopting LNG fuel
a vessel’s energy consumption whilst sailing in ice since then.
conditions. We are happy to see ABB offer various
solutions that allow vessels to maneuver effi- For the foreseeable future, we plan to principally
ciently in ice whilst at a reduced power capacity, order LNG-fueled newbuilds, as well as improve
which positively contributes to emissions control. upon LNG fueling technology, both from an engi-
neering and operational standpoint.
—
However, we fully acknowledge that LNG is still a
We are happy to see ABB offer fossil fuel, and going forward, a more carbon-neu-
various solutions that allow tral fuel can emerge to replace it. We continue to
explore various alternative fuel options, while also
vessels to maneuver efficiently seeking to reduce emissions whilst using existing
in ice whilst at a reduced power fuels and generally increase the energy efficiency
of our fleet.
capacity, which positively
contributes to emissions control. In total, we were able to reduce the carbon intensi-
ty index of our fleet by some 30 per cent from 2010.
How does SCF implement green technologies on
your vessels? Do you consider the sustainability aspects of
At SCF, we seek to anticipate industry regulations your business partners?
and plan our fleet upgrade to comply with expect- Certainly. We believe that by having a shared
ed standards or exceed them wherever possible. interest in sustainable development with our
partners, we are able to achieve better outcomes
In 2018, SCF pioneered the introduction of LNG from our partnerships, bringing wider stakehold-
fuel for large-capacity tankers, and planning for er benefits.
this was a good example of our approach that I
have just mentioned. Early on, we were anticipat- We keep an eye open on what our partners do,
ing the IMO would tighten emission regulations, sustainability-wise, and seek to collaborate with
and we have identified LNG fuel as the optimal them on projects with a sustainability compo-
compliant solution available on the market. We nent, wherever our expertise and services prove
—
Arctic shuttle tanker
relevant. A good example of this is our collabora- max tanker in two strategic locations, the US
Shturman Ovtsyn tion with Shell, from 2015, as we worked closely and the Mediterranean.
on the pioneering ‘Green Funnel’ project that
I have already mentioned. Shell subsequently Similarly, we cooperate with companies such as
time- chartered two of these dual-fuel Aframax Russia’s energy major Gazprom on developing
tankers, with another two recently time-char- national-level standards for Marine LNG fueling.
tered to Sakhalin Energy, the operator of the
Sakhalin-2 project. We also collaborate with forward-thinking banks
to support green financing. In 2019, we pioneered
We also partner with Shell on developing the the compliance with the Poseidon Principles,
LNG fueling infrastructure across the globe. which were introduced by the banking industry to
Most recently, in March 2021, we completed the encourage the decarbonization of shipping in line
first ever ship-to-ship LNG fueling of an Afra- with the IMO’s policies.
 46 GENER ATIONS

We are glad to see our partners from ABB amongst for almost every organizational aspect. This made
the leading global companies that set a path to- the company better equipped to seamlessly
wards sustainability. We share ABB’s aspiration to integrate various sustainability principles into its
enable a low-carbon society by targeting carbon operations over the following years.
neutrality in their own operations, developing solu-
tions to make the usage of resources increasingly —
more efficient, and promoting social progress.
We continue to explore various
When did you start implementing sustainabil- alternative fuel options, while also
ity in your business? When did it start being a
critical factor?
seeking to reduce emissions.
A strong commitment towards safety and effi-
03

ciency has been an integral part of Sovcomflot The latest formal step came in March 2019, when
since its foundation. More recently, a big step SCF introduced its ‘Green Charter’ as a core
came in 2005, when SCF adopted its ‘Safety element within the new corporate strategy up to
Comes First’ philosophy and initiated a profound 2025 and beyond that. This Charter specifically
transformation of its operations. It included lays down our commitments towards reducing
overhauling the management system, harmoniz- our carbon footprint and in doing so, exceed the
—
ing practices across different subsidiaries, and targets set by the IMO rather than simply comply-
Sovcomflot team on board introducing uniform standards and procedures ing with them.
 47

Sustainable development is not a common and

easily understood concept for employees in
some companies. Do you educate your mariners
in any special way? Perhaps, you meet some chal-
lenges in this area or maybe quite the opposite?
We dedicate significant time and resources to
educating people about sustainable development
and the associated benefits both across our com-
pany and across the industry.

Since adopting the ‘Safety Comes First’ philoso-

phy in 2005, we have been successful in sustaining

03
a strong safety culture within the organization.
This philosophy permeates our operations at all
levels. Importantly, the vast majority of SCF staff
share a similar background and a common set of
values. This allows our employees to enjoy a high
level of mutual understanding, so we do not meet
serious challenges when communicating such
concepts within the company.

Educating people is in itself a part of a sustain-

able business practice that calls upon us to help
people grow and develop. I reiterate, we clearly
understand that human capital is our most valua-
—
Igor Tonkovidov,
How do you perceive the International Maritime ble asset, so continuously training and educating
President & CEO of Organization’s (IMO) regulations and their influ- our personnel is amongst my top strategic priori-
PAO Sovcomflot
ence on SCF’s business and the marine industry ties as the CEO.
in general?
It is in the interests of all stakeholders that stand-
—
ards are raised within the shipping industry. The Human capital is our most
IMO is uniquely positioned to drive this transfor-
mation, and we are happy to support the work
valuable asset, so continuously
of the IMO, whenever possible. We enjoy strong, training and educating our
long-standing ties with the IMO and we closely
collaborate with them across a broad range of
personnel is amongst my top
regulatory issues, both directly and through in- strategic priorities as the CEO.
dustry associations.
We also help educate people outside our organ-
Today, shipping companies are concerned about ization, primarily through sharing our extensive
the growing number of local acts that regulate experience of operating vessels in a sustainable
shipping activities. Very often, these local acts and safe way. We use various platforms to do so,
appear to be uncoordinated both with each other including our training centers that are open to
and with the broader IMO framework. This makes seafarers from outside SCF, our strategic partner-
it difficult for shipowners to know the exact ship programs with all the major Russian mar-
requirements for newbuild vessels when planning itime academies, and our initiative to regularly
fleet renewal. publish specialized manuals that summarize our
own expertise. This includes, for example, a set
With this in mind, we believe that the IMO should of practical recommendations for operating LNG
ultimately be the sole regulating body that sets uni- carriers, equipped with three ABB’s Azipod® pro-
versal standards for the global maritime industry. pulsion units, in ice conditions, published in 2020.
 48 GENER ATIONS

—
Next generation
exploration cruise
03

Prioritizing safety
and sustainability
Ponant is known for providing their passengers
with the highest standard of onboard comfort
and luxury in the expedition cruise industry.
With the delivery of Le Commandant Charcot
polar explorer in 2021, they also have one of the
safest and cleanest ships on the water.

“The safety of our passengers, crew and ships is

always foremost,” says Mathieu Petiteau, new-
build director in Ponant. “But in designing the
polar explorer, we took a harder look at the crite-
ria for protecting the environment and achieving
sustainability.”

—
The safety of our passengers,
crew and ships is always foremost.
The cruise industry has had to adapt to rapidly
changing passenger and regulatory demands in
recent years. Growing sensitivity to environmen-
tal issues in the destinations attractive to their
customers has heightened Ponant’s focus on
stewardship of vulnerable marine environments,
says Petiteau. “We have always wanted to take
—
our guests to most exclusive places, but we must
Le Commandant Charcot also protect what we value.
NAVIGATING THE GREEN SHIFT 49
50 GENER ATIONS

Cleaner, quieter, safer Ponant has also been proactive in their response to
Advanced power storage is a key feature of Le the International Maritime Organization’s ban on
Commandant Charcot, equipped with the largest heavy fuel oil in the Arctic and subsequent require-
energy storage package supplied for a passen- ments to reduce Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions.
ger ship to date. “This improves overall energy “We are investing in new types of fuel for lower
efficiency, ensuring optimal engine load with emissions, starting with liquid natural gas (LNG).
lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions,” We are working to get LNG available in Iceland,
Petiteau explains. for bunkering on Arctic excursions. This will help
to make cleaner fuel available for other operators
All-electric sailing is a huge attraction for passengers as well,” says Petiteau. Restricting underwater
— as well, he says. “We can stop engines and cruise noise is another important aspect, he reports, with
Mathieu Petiteau
Newbuild director
silently for hours, providing the optimal experience Ponant recently receiving their first Underwater
Ponant with zero emissions in the most pristine settings.” Radiated Noise certification from Bureau Veritas.

Azipod® propulsion aids in ice

Optimal, responsible and safe navigation in ice
was a pivotal prerequisite for the polar explorer
concept. Le Commandant Charcot is the first pas-
senger vessel with double acting ship technology,
allowing the ship to sail stern-first in challenging
ice conditions. The intention is not to break ice,
but to find best and safest route through the
cracks and openings, Petiteau says. “Double act-
ing mode using Azipod® propulsion is a key factor
in ensuring maximum maneuverability in any ice
conditions. Freedom of movement in icy waters
also allows us to guarantee completion of cruises
on a fixed schedule.”

Lower noise and vibration were other key crite-

ria: “It is challenging to maintain comfort when
sailing in ice, which requires more power and can
generate a lot of noise,” he notes. “We started
from zero, working with ABB and the yard to re-
duce noise levels while maintaining the necessary
power. Together, we found a way to achieve both.”

Keeping connected
Safety is paramount for all cruise operators,
but requires even more attention in the explor-
er segment, where ships venture further from
established infrastructure. To ensure enhanced
passenger and vessel safety, Ponant employs the
ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations network
for remote equipment monitoring and diagnosis
onboard Le Commandant Charcot.

“Continuous monitoring of equipment perfor-

mance gives us the chance to be proactive in
preventing new issues and to react quickly and
effectively to issues if they arise,” says Petiteau.
NAVIGATING THE GREEN SHIFT 51

Building a foundation for the future another possibility, as are ammonia, biogas and
Performance requirements on shipowners are set other zero-carbon fuels,” Petiteau relates. “We
to increase in intensity, but Ponant is determined are working on a new vessel design that allows us
to stay in the forefront of responsible, sustain- to combine various energy sources and connect
able cruising. “We are constantly improving our these with electric propulsion.”
fleet, like implementing NOx reduction technolo-
gy on our older vessels and working with ports to The impact of experience
make shore power connection available for new “First-hand experience changes perspectives,”
vessels,” says Petiteau. Petiteau relates. “Passengers say they are trans-
formed by their voyages with us. The impressions
—
they get from the beauty of the wild and sharing
We can stop engines and cruise in local cultures have an emotional impact. Their

03
perception of the world changes with this added
silently for hours.
dimension. It gives them a heightened respect
For Ponant, meeting stricter carbon dioxide for the environment, and they become more
emissions requirements means working with convinced of the importance of preserving the
stakeholders to find new solutions: “Geothermal nature that they have seen.”
energy in Iceland can be used to produce green
fuel, including synthetic LNG, using green hydro- Mindful of this responsibility, Ponant began mod-
gen in the process. Carbon Capture and Storage eling the polar explorer concept five years ago.
(CCS) can also be employed in the production of “We are eager to see how the things we imagined
green fuel. Fuel cells using nitrogen as fuel are will work together,” says Petiteau.
 52 GENER ATIONS

—
The green shift in yachting
Engaging at a new level
03

The superyacht industry is being transformed by a new generation

of owners as concerned with sustainability as they are with luxury.
This shift in priorities is increasingly reflected in superyacht
pioneers opting for advanced sustainable technologies that are
powering increased decarbonization in the broader marine market.

“The way we see it, when it comes to improving He cites the owner of Black Pearl, widely recog-
sustainability in the yachting industry, it is not nized for its eco-friendly credentials when it was
a matter of if, but when,” says Paris Baloumis, delivered in 2017. With an engineering back-
Group Marketing Director at Oceanco, leading ground, the owner was highly motivated to build
superyacht builder. “Awareness of the environment a yacht with pioneering sustainable systems:
is shifting on every level, but impactful change is “Perhaps the most interesting innovation is this
ultimately driven by the demands of the clients yacht’s ability to regenerate power by fully utiliz-
and the ability of builders to deliver. The majority ing her sail area, allowing her to cross the Atlantic
of our clients want to enjoy responsible yachting. without burning a single drop of fossil fuel. It is
It is our job to deliver luxury and sustainability safe to say that the owner is extremely proud of
together; they are not mutually exclusive.” what we achieved together.”

— Partnering across the industry

Oceanco’s NXT initiative gathers experts from in-
When it comes to improving side and outside the yachting industry with the aim
sustainability in the yachting of melding innovation and sustainability to trans-
form how the world sees superyachts, Baloumis
industry, it is not a matter of if, says. “NXT offers new perspectives on future
but when. demands by reflecting across industries, with the
ultimate goal of zero impact on the environment.”
The new generation of owners demand sustain-
able yachts that match their value sets, Baloumis NXT member Giles Taylor, Vice President of
continues. “They take pride in the performance of Design at FAW Group and a former Rolls-Royce
onboard technology. The extent of their interest design director, notes the impact of younger
in specific technical systems depends on their superyacht owners. The predominant equa-
background, but the more technically minded tion connecting length, deck space and interior
owners do enjoy being at the forefront of this volume no longer fits with how they want to live
wave of change.” their lives, he says. “The challenge designers face
—
Black Pearl
54 GENER ATIONS

is to imagine yachts as ocean-borne spaces that been holding onto an old view of luxury, with an
will attract environmentally aware millennials who abundance of materialization. The new genera-
believe that the ocean serves as a mirror to their tion shrugs their shoulders at this approach and
green principles and an inspiration to be part of prefers a lighter way of life, where status lies less
a future that is more in tune with a sustainable in physical products and more in access to free-
human-nature existence.” dom of use, freedom for the eye and freedom for
the mind. Luxury is not about owning more, but
Tommy Kleerekoper, Founding Partner and Di- about what we own being more meaningful and in
rector at architecture and interior design studio harmony with our values.”
— TANK, sees the definition of ‘luxury living’ as a
Paris Baloumis
Group Marketing Director
moving target: “Our clients have an ever-chang- Less need for speed
Oceanco ing global lifestyle. The yachting industry has The technologies that capture owners’ interest
are shifting as well, Baloumis reports: “Speed
used to be a primary concern for yacht owners,
but today the most requested technical features
relate to sustainability and comfort such as silent
operations, noise and vibrations, and increased
autonomy. This translates into the capability for
longer periods at sea without port calls, which
also relates to demands for lower fuel consump-
tion and increased operational efficiency.”

—
Luxury is not about owning more,
but about what we own being
more meaningful and in harmony
with our values.
Baloumis notes that silent operations, including
reduced noise and vibrations from the technical
systems, heighten comfort levels and are consid-
ered an indicator of high quality in a yacht. “Vibra-
tion also has the potential to damage structures
onboard through resonance, which can cause
fractures, so lower levels of vibration will also
convey a long-term benefit to the yacht itself.”

James Roy, Managing Director of Lateral Naval

Architects, another NXT member, emphasizes
the benefits of owning a zero-emission yacht:
“Zero-emission technologies such as batteries or
fuel cells allow us to engineer yachts that can be
quieter, cleaner, and simpler in construction than
internal combustion powered yachts. These tech-
nologies ensure the highest standards of comfort
onboard while potentially allowing more flexibility
in the overall layout of the vessel, with the elimi-
nation of exhaust and intake trunks, casings and
associated equipment.”
—
Oceanco headquarters
Those same design features also harmonize with environment. “In many cases they see the need to
the most desired destinations, he says. “Geo- innovate on technology and operate above and
graphical areas of outstanding natural beauty ahead of regulations. For many of our clients, this
and global significance are increasingly becoming desire to innovate in itself can be a key reason to
designated as zero carbon emissions areas. For progress with a large project like a superyacht.”
clients who seek unrestricted access to the most
beautiful parts of the world, some element of Applying appropriate standards
zero emissions operation will therefore become Addressing the overall footprint of the industry,
increasingly critical.” Roy notes that much is being done to improve
yachting’s eco profile from the design and build
— perspective: “The most common methods of
Geographical areas of quantifying the environmental impact of com-
mercial shipping, such as the Energy Efficiency
outstanding natural beauty Design Index (EEDI), are not necessarily good in-
and global significance are dicators of the efficiency of a yacht.” Nor do such
methods reflect or reward many of the innovative
increasingly becoming designated approaches taken by yacht builders to improve
as zero carbon emissions areas. actual vessel efficiency and reduce environmental
impact from operations, he points out.
Beyond these practical and local benefits, Roy
observes that his clients are genuinely passionate In response, Roy relates that the Water Revolution
about the effects of their activities on the global Foundation has assembled a large joint industry
 56 GENER ATIONS

team including nearly all major superyacht is resulting in a spread of technology in all direc-
builders and industry stakeholders to create a tions. This allows superyacht builders the option
superyacht-specific design index called the Yacht to de-risk custom, one-off superyachts by using
Environmental Transparency Index, or YETI. “It proven systems provided by large OEMs. In many
is the aspiration of all members that by having a cases, this also allows for a higher level of system
means of intelligently measuring and assessing the integration than has been previously possible on
impact of the design and engineering of a yacht, smaller yachts.”
clients and builders will be encouraged to make the
right technical decisions to authentically reduce He goes on to confirm the ‘trickle-down’ effect of
the environmental impact of new build yachts.” superyachts on the marine industry, comparable
to racing in automotive or aerospace in aviation,
Alliance of owners and OEMs where cutting-edge technologies find their way to
03

Roy tells of the increasing importance of alliances the consumer market: “The most obvious example
between owners and original equipment man- is in the application of wind-assisted propulsion for
—
Tuhura superyacht
ufacturers (OEMs): “As the average superyacht be- commercial shipping, where a variation of the Dy-
concept by Oceanco comes larger and longer, the overlap in power and narig sailing system employed on the sailing yachts
factors in innovative
Contra-rotating Azipod®
performance between yachting, cruise, scientific Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl is being actively re-
propulsion from ABB survey vessels and naval vessels increases, which searched for use on commercial shipping vessels.”
 57

—
James Roy
Managing Director
Lateral Naval Architects

The abatement of local pollutants in yachting

is also at the forefront of technology, Roy says:
“Exhaust after-treatment systems have been
standard on newbuild yachts for many years. The
newer versions of these systems not only exceed
the requirements of Environmental Protection
Agency’s Tier 4 and the International Maritime

03
Organization’s Tier III for NOx, but also eliminate
over 98 percent of fine particulate matter. As city
and port areas look to tighten local emissions
standards, similar solutions will be required for a
broader range of vessel types.”

Riding the first wave

Roy underscores the unique role that the su-
peryacht industry can play in the green shift at
sea: “Undoubtedly, superyachting has different
drivers from commercial marine operations.
While the CAPEX and OPEX of systems are very
important to our clients, they are generally less
constrained in this area than most commercial
operators. Also, a percentage of the yacht market
is certainly open to taking higher levels of com-
mercial and technical risk on large projects. We
anticipate that this will manifest itself in yachts
being in the first wave of vessel types to embrace
the use of zero-carbon alternative fuels. It is
possible that this may kick-start infrastructure
development and lower the risk for using this
technology on other vessel types.”

—
For many of our clients, this
desire to innovate in itself can be
a key reason to progress with a
large project like a superyacht.

For the world’s wealthiest philanthropists, Roy

believes there is an opportunity to leave a legacy
through their investments in superyachts: “This is
one way to advance the engineering and science
towards zero-emission shipping. Our job in the
industry is simply to make a compelling proposi-
tion for these investments.”
 60 GENER ATIONS

—
Technology, environment and people
Q&A with Captain Kate McCue
03

The first American female to captain a mega cruise ship, Kate McCue of
Celebrity Cruises shares her perspectives on commanding a high-tech
vessel, looking after her passengers, and protecting the oceans they sail on.

Do you remember the moment when you decided who plans all the fun events onboard. My dad told
that you wanted to pursue a career in cruise? me that I could do that – OR drive the thing. That’s
When I was 12 years old, my parents took me on where the seed was planted.
my first cruise. When we were packing the car to
drive home, I told my dad that I wanted to work Were you always interested in technology, or
on a cruise ship when I got older as the person was it something you had to learn as part of
your journey?
I appreciate that as a Xennial, I had a seamless
introduction to technology. From grease pencils
on radars to the introduction of paperless chart
systems, it’s fascinating to witness the advance-
ments and how the evolution makes ships smart-
er and safer.

Throughout your career, you worked steadily

towards your goal of commanding a cruise ship.
What were the most rewarding parts of this journey?
There are milestones in every career, but the most
rewarding part of my journey is when I can help
make someone better tomorrow than they are
today. Training them and watching them succeed
is my greatest achievement. I also enjoy when
someone, even if we’ve never met, says that I’ve
influenced their desire to go to sea because I’ve
shared the experience of a life that very few know
about from the inside.

—
Captain Kate McCue
with Celebrity Edge
in background
—
Captain Kate McCue on
Did you complete any special technology training resort when the vessel must suddenly stop in
the Celebrity Edge bridge prior to starting at Celebrity Edge – the largest, emergency situations. It was explained to me
by tonnage, ship in Celebrity Cruise’s fleet? very early in my career that while accidents
The Edge is one of the most technologically happen, if I remain vigilant and proactive while
advanced ships in our fleet. Prior to taking com- navigating, I would not find myself in a situation
mand of the Edge, I had three weeks handover that warrants a crash stop.
with my reliever to familiarize with technology,
processes and layout onboard.
—
Being able to sense what the ship
Is Celebrity Edge your first experience of
commanding a vessel equipped with ABB’s
is feeling when she moves is a
Azipod® propulsion? phenomenal experience.
I have been in command of the Celebrity Sum-
mit, Equinox and Edge, all of which are Azi- You also mentioned in that video that you teach
pod-equipped vessels. While I trained on both bridge officers how to maneuver the ship using
traditional and Azipod-powered ships, I prefer the the Azipod® system – what is the most common
latter because of their maneuverability, response reaction you get from your team the first time
time, and functionality. they try the system?
When it comes to maneuverability, being able to
You posted a video dedicated to ABB’s Azipod® sense what the ship is feeling when she moves is
propulsion where mentioned the crash stop a phenomenal experience. This is why we have all
and maneuverability – from the perspective of of our bridge officers rotate docking and undock-
the Captain, would you explain why the two are ing maneuvers. A mentor once told me that as a
important for a cruise vessel? Captain he spent five percent on professionalism
Maneuverability is understanding the cause and and technical parts of the position, five percent
effect that your actions have on the vessel with on all kinds of other things, and 90 percent on
availability, or the lack thereof, with regard to people. Giving our people the opportunity to gain
propulsion and power. Maneuverability will have confidence in maneuvering through hands-on
a direct impact on a crash stop, which is a last experience is immensely rewarding.
 62 GENER ATIONS

We always celebrate the ‘first’ maneuver. I like to ficiency and providing a smoother ride for guests
give the officer a memento from the port, a photo along with reducing emissions. These Celebrity
of them with a screenshot of their maneuver and ships are special in many ways beyond their beau-
a review of what went well and what they would tiful interiors.
change the next time so they’ll always remember
their ‘first’ time. But it’s not just the technology that helps us go
above and beyond compliance, it’s the human el-
One of the key principles of Celebrity Cruises’ ement and our commitment to building a socially
“Save the Waves” environmental protection responsible culture within an organization. That’s
program is “Go Above and Beyond Compliance”. the main driver for environmental protection.
How do you see the role of technology in
achieving this? With the strong commitment that Celebrity
03

Technology plays a huge role in advancements Cruises and RCL have towards protecting marine
in environmental protection and this is evi- ecosystems, how do you see your role as a Captain
dent on our ships. In fact, we have a long track in contributing to these goals?
record of improvements, thanks to our mantra The Captain is the overall responsible authority
of ‘continuous improvement’. With our Edge onboard our ships, so the Captain sets the stand-
Series ships boasting the cutting-edge para- ard for protecting marine ecosystems by walking
—
bolic ultra-bow, they are designed to slice more the talk and ensuring procedures and protocol are
Celebrity Edge efficiently through the water, increasing fuel ef- followed above and beyond compliance.
—
Officers on the Celebrity
Do you see sustainability being something that mindful to learn from it so I don’t repeat it, and
Edge bridge cruise guests are increasingly focused on? to be vulnerable in acknowledging that I’m not
Our guests and crews’ interest in sustainability is perfect. When a leader can own the mistake they
evident, and I’m proud to work for a company that make, it’s not only a teaching moment but it also
actively seeks to work with socially responsible breaks down barriers and the unattainable idea
vendors, contractors and partners. People don’t that the Captain is perfect. But this very much has
want just a vacation, they want to feel good about to do with the environment that you’re in. I am
where they’ve gone and what they’ve done and blessed to work for a company that believes in and
they’re more conscious of ensuring their footprint encourages their employees to be knowledge-
is minimized. able, personal and genuine, all things that make
us human.
Sustainability is also about enabling social
progress – do you think women in the global —
marine industry today have a fair, equitable and
inclusive working environment where they can
I look forward to the day that I’m
succeed and develop? not referred to as the “Female
There are more opportunities for women in the
global marine industry than ever before and if the
Captain” and just “The Captain”.
company culture nurtures a fair, equitable and
inclusive working environment then success in What do you think needs to be in place in the
enabling social progress is certain. marine industry to make being the “first female”
anything not a thing anymore?
In a recent conversation we had with a female I look forward to the day that I’m not referred to
merchant ship captain, she stated that, “women as the “Female Captain” and just “The Captain”.
have no room for mistakes in this profession.” There is power in numbers. It’s going to take more
Is this something you can relate to? active representation of women in maritime,
Everyone wants to be professional and no one those who consciously put themselves out there.
wants to make mistakes, but at the same time It’s why I use social media the way I do. The idea
no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. For is, if you can “sea” it, you can be it, and if I’m not
me, success is in admitting the mistake, being willing to do it, then who will?
 64 GENER ATIONS

—
Seeking sustainability
Food supplier ASKO looks at all the links
03

Sustainable food is essential for the future of our planet, and major food wholesaler
ASKO is examining every link in their supply chain to further strengthen the
environmental credentials of their operations. Renewable energy, autonomous
warehouse vehicles and highly automated zero-emission ships all figure into the mix.
As Norway’s largest grocery wholesaler, ASKO offshore wind consortium, and is applying for
is also one of the country’s largest transport more licenses in 2022. The company also intends
companies, with more than 600 trucks on the to be a driving force in the development and use
roads every day. The company’s environmental of biofuels and hydrogen to power their distribu-
goals include reducing energy consumption by 20 tion infrastructure.
percent compared to the early 2000s, becoming a
self-sufficient provider of clean energy, and using “The goal is for ASKO to produce as much energy
100 percent renewable fuels for transportation. as we consume,” says Johannson. “This includes
clean energy for our fleet of trucks, which by 2026
“ASKO ultimately intends to use only renewable will be based on battery and hydrogen powered
energy sources,” says chairman of the ASKO zero-emission technology, using charging systems
board Torbjørn Johannson. “We currently op- supplied by ABB.” He adds that ASKO is contrib-
— erate 100,000 m2 of solar panels, and we will uting to the circular economy as well, using food
Kai Just Olsen
CEO
soon add 10 wind turbines and hydropower to waste from its customers to produce biofuels.
ASKO Maritime our operations.” ASKO is already part of a large
Holistic thinking to meet multiple goals
ASKO’s stated goal is to provide effective and sus-
tainable distribution of products to the grocery,
retail convenience goods and institutional cater-
ing sectors. “In addition to meeting these oper-
ational goals, our ambition is to be a sustainable
and climate neutral enterprise,” says Johannson.

According to Johansen, the company devotes

equal attention to the entire value chain, from
production to consumption: “Seeing our en-
terprise in a holistic perspective allows us to
optimize resources and realize our sustainability
goals. We strive to implement efficiency and sus-
tainability measures where they matter the most.”
 65

Specific examples include smart energy manage-

ment of warehouse buildings, automating ware-
houses for identifying and processing of goods,
implementing autonomous warehouse vehicles,
and using dynamic transport planning systems to
optimize transport capacity. “In the future, auto-
mated terminal vehicles for loading and unload-
ing of vessels may also include battery-electric
autonomous drones for the transport of trailers
by sea,” Olsen says.

From road to sea

03
“ASKO's primary reason for shifting trans-
port from road to sea is because moving large
volumes of cargo by water is more efficient.
Improved efficiency also helps us to meet our
climate goals,” says Olsen. “We operate on both
sides of the 100 kilometer-long Oslo Fjord, and
we were looking for an efficient way to move
—
Torbjørn Johannson
Local operations, global perspectives goods across the fjord to save driving miles.
Chairman of the board “Though we serve primarily the Norwegian Since we had already committed to sustainable
ASKO
market, we operate from an international per- vehicles on land, we decided to investigate sus-
spective. This is necessary in order to be able to tainable ships as well. Our motivation for imple-
collaborate across food production and logistics menting marine transport is that it should help us
segments, where cooperation between nation- optimize logistics and lower costs wherever we
al authorities, regulatory regimes and industry apply it.”
stakeholders is a prerequisite,” says Johannson.
—
“At the same time, focus on local sustainability is The goal is for ASKO to produce
important because the food industry has such a
large impact on the world community, and effi- as much energy as we consume.
cient food transportation at all levels is critical to
achieving global climate goals,” he maintains. “We ASKO is in the fortunate position of controlling
are working actively to facilitate good interna- their entire goods logistics chain, making it
tional cooperation through participation in EU possible for them to introduce new solutions
projects like Horizon 2022, helping to combat with a minimum of red tape. “It’s easier to
climate change and contributing to achieving the start something new when you have full de-
UN Sustainable Development Goals.” cision-making control, including a long-term
perspective on investments,” Olsen confirms.
Digital solutions strengthen the chain “Battery-powered and other zero-emission
For ASKO, digital technology is a key to achieving vehicles may require a larger initial invest-
efficiency in the food transport chain. “Digital ment, but they are cheaper to operate in the
technology enables efficient flow of information long run.”
between all systems and stakeholders, support-
ing seamless movement of goods along the entire Making each link make a difference
supply chain, from purchasing to warehousing to “ASKO's preferred maritime solutions are highly
distribution,” says Kai Just Olsen, CEO, ASKO Mar- automated, cost-efficient zero-emission vessels
itime. “We are also working to achieve automated sailing between smaller ports on the fjords where
processes wherever feasible. Automation can we operate,” says Olsen. “We are also targeting
help us increase efficiency, improve the quality of automated zero-emission terminal tractors for
goods and services, and lower operating costs.” loading and unloading operations.”
 NAVIGATING THE GREEN SHIFT 67

To link these systems to a larger infrastructure, “Forward-thinking stakeholders in the food

ASKO is pursuing sustainable short-sea trans- industry realize that consumers are demanding
port between Europe and strategic ports in sustainable products, and our industry must
Norway. “In addition, we will prioritize transfer shoulder our share of the responsibility in meet-
of goods to alternative modes of transport such ing these demands,” Johannson concludes. “By
— as zero-emission feeder ships, rail transport over working proactively to change our business mod-
ABB and ASKO to
electrify Norwegian
longer distances, and zero-emission trucks for els, companies like ASKO can be drivers in moving
delivery fleet shorter hauls,” Olsen relates. operations and regulations in the right direction.”
—
04
Spotlight on Singapore

Futureproofing for operations of tomorrow:

Optimism in the face of adversity
—
72–73

On course to a sustainable future:

Diversity and flexibility as keys to success
—
74–78

Questions, answered
—
79

Which course will shipping take?

Participant predictions for 2021, 2030 and 2050
—
80–81
The digital journey to autonomy:
Taking smarter steps
—
82–87

Autonomous operations:
Revolution or evolution?
—
88–89

Smart port, smart nation:

Singapore builds on spectrum of strengths
—
90–93
 72 GENER ATIONS

—
Futureproofing for operations of tomorrow
Optimism in the face of adversity
The maritime industry is under continued pressure to adapt, with ever-tightening
environmental regulations and rapid technological advances combining to drive
change at a hectic pace. Not only must industry stakeholders respond quickly to
urgent market and regulatory demands, the solutions they select must stand the
04

test of time, or be designed for upgrading as demands continue to evolve.

Adapting to the restrictions imposed by a The discussion shed light on the quest for
global pandemic, ABB Marine & Ports gath- compliance and resilience in today’s rapidly
ered leading thinkers from the maritime shifting shipping landscape, taking a closer
industry at their digital hybrid roundtable event look at the South East Asian market, with a
hosted from Singapore on 15 December 2020. spotlight on Singapore.
SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 73

Moderator: Brijesh Tewari

Edwin Lampert Marine Client Manager
Executive Editor & Head of Business Relations Lloyd’s Register
Riviera Maritime Media
Anis Hussain
Guests: General Manager
Kenneth Lim KMDTech
Assistant Chief Executive (Industry)
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
ABB Marine & Ports:
Sanjay Kuttan Mahesh Krishnappa
Executive Director Singapore Local Division Manager
Singapore Maritime Institute
Alf Kåre Ådnanes

04
Imran Ibrahim AMEA Regional Division Manager
Principal Consultant &
Head of Research and Development Eero Lehtovaara
DNV Head of Regulatory Affairs

Rens Groot Liza Chua

Innovation and Performance Manager Associate R&D Engineer
Berge Bulk Electric Solutions
 74 GENER ATIONS

—
On course to a sustainable future
Diversity and flexibility as keys to success
ABB Marine & Ports gathered maritime industry leaders to discuss
how shipping is to reach decarbonization targets. Focus turned
to diversity rather than uniformity of solutions, and flexibility in
vessel design to ensure adaptability as suitable solutions emerge.
04

Moderator Edwin Lampert, Executive Editor & Imran Ibrahim, Principal Consultant, Head of Re-
Head of Business Relations, Riviera Maritime search and Development, DNV, noted that, in ad-
Media, started off by challenging participants to dition to the EEDI, the Energy Efficiency Existing
grade the industry’s chances of success in reach- Ship Index (EEXI) could be responsible for driving
ing the International Maritime Organization’s changes in design efficiency.
(IMO) 2050 decarbonization objectives, on a scale
of one to five. When all votes were cast, Lampert —
gave the group an average score of three, balanc-
ing technical optimism with political pragmatism.
Striving to reach the 2050 goals
is important, but being able
The next segment of the roundtable discussion
touched upon five topics, each dedicated to ex-
to hit targets along the way is
ploring a pressing issue on the maritime indus- very heartening.
try’s decarbonization agenda.
“Regulations are at the heart of the movement to-
How are regulations driving the shift to ward sustainable shipping,” offered Anis Hussain,
zero-emission shipping? KMDTech General Manager. “If not for regulations
Rens Groot, Innovation and Performance Manager and the IMO, we would not be doing this in the
with Berge Bulk, took the first swing, establish- way we are now. I am happy to see the IMO come
ing that the main agenda for shipping is to reach up with major support for development funds,
carbon-neutral shipping, with plans on track to taking initiatives and promoting decarbonization
have the first zero-emission ship on the water by actively. They are aiming for the 2050 goals, but
2030. “The first stake is in the ground already, they also have given us targets along the way and
and we are very proud of that. Now the IMO is that is very heartening.”
pushing regulations and we have to follow suit.
We believe the Energy Efficiency Design Index Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry),
(EEDI) and the International Convention for the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA),
Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) di- believes that decarbonization is driving devel-
rectives can be effective tools to align a scattered opments thanks to IMO targets. “The IMO 2020
worldwide industry.” sulphur cap has shown that everyone may have to
scramble, but eventually they meet the targets. (OEMs). It is important to align all partners in the
We have a bit more time going toward 2030, maritime ecosystem towards regulation.”
though, and that is good.”
Hitting a moving target – designing and building
Regulations will overshadow choice, Sanjay for a dynamic future
Kuttan, Executive Director of Singapore Maritime The design of the future, Groot maintained, will
Institute (SMI), argued. “Compliance is a far be modular. “We don’t know the future, so we
stronger motivator for change than choice. Not must be able to adapt. Hybrid and electric plat-
everyone is convinced that we have an existential forms must be able to be incorporated. Buying
issue, so they must be required to act.” a ship today, you would have to be ready for the
various development scenarios.”
—
Kuttan pointed out that the very word ‘future’
Compliance is a far stronger may serve to make stakeholders complacent.
motivator for change than choice. “We are fighting against the timeline of climate
change, and we need to prevent the tipping point
ABB Marine & Ports Singapore Local Division from actually happening.” Two parameters stand
Manager Mahesh Krishnappa pointed out that out, he said: “If we are going to reach a sustaina-
regulations would increasingly influence deliver- ble future, we need both scale and pace.”
ies from suppliers: “Our focus on electric, digital
and connected solutions is organic, but also He emphasized that future-proof means flexi-
aligns with industry goals. In this way, regula- ble. “But if you add flexibility into design there
tions are guiding not only owners’ decisions, but is always a cost, so the CEO and CFO will have
also those of Original Equipment Manufacturers some big debates here. We need to invest in
 76 GENER ATIONS

flexibility for the future, even if it does not pay touchstone of the future: “There will be no silver
off today. This requires leadership to guide the bullet. We need to be looking at the big picture if
flexibility choices.” we are going to get it right.”

Kuttan pointed out that designers are prepared to

—
hit the moving target of emissions goals: “Digi- Buying a ship today, you
talization provides a viable platform for develop-
ment. The technology around analysis supports
have to be ready for future
good decisions and the ability to try various sce- development scenarios.
narios in the design phase. Using these platforms
effectively, future planning can be accelerated.” How are the different segments responding to
future-proof requirement?
Krishnappa noted that some owners are looking As the most technically feasible segment for alter-
as far as 25-30 years ahead when ordering ships native fuels, Ibrahim nominated the coastal and
today: “This is a good challenge. They may not short sea trade, citing a variety of likely solutions
always hit the mark, but at least the majority of including batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen. “For
projects will be pointed in the right direction.” deep sea, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is still the
most viable fuel option. Uptake of new fuels here is
“The future will not converge on one solution for still slow, and LNG is better than heavy fuel. LNG has
all vessels and segments, at least not in the fore- been slower in coming than we initially thought, but
04

seeable future,” offered Alf Kåre Ådnanes, AMEA there is growing interest in the market. We have also
Regional Division Manager, ABB Marine & Ports. seen electrification coming on in this segment.”
“The right choice today may not be right in 10
or 15 years, so we will need to build in flexibility, Hussain projected that different segments will
to make sure we can take advantage of the best progress at different paces: “They will not have the
available options as they emerge.” same momentum. Also, there is a big gap between
those in front and those following behind.” Not
Head of Regulatory Affairs in ABB Marine & Ports, to say that everyone isn’t trying, he assured. “But
Eero Lehtovaara, emphasized diversity as the smaller players generally tend to lag behind, while

—
Sanjay Kuttan
Executive Director
Singapore Maritime
Institute

Liza Chua
Associate R&D Engineer
Electric Solutions
ABB Marine & Ports
SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 77

the bigger players have deep pockets to meet Hussain said the challenge could be compared
initial outlay. There is no blame here of course, with the move from heavier fuels to LNG: “Who
simply a lack of resources in smaller companies.” will provide and control the infrastructure? Right
now the institutions are taking the lead, but what
Lim believes another major factor will be fleet re- happened for LNG will happen for electrification,
newal: “Companies will need to renew their fleets, so so the trend toward electrification will continue.”
they have to start thinking, ‘What is our next vessel
going to be?’ They are starting now to look at 2030.” Liza Chua, Associate R&D Engineer, Electric
Solutions, ABB Marine & Ports, pointed out
— that options will not be the same for all vessel
We need to invest in flexibility for types: “Location will be a determining factor,
and certain types might have advantages and
the future, even if it does not pay stronger motivation to go electric. In the case
off today. of Singapore, those operating in port can go to
electric solutions sooner.”
Preparing for increased electrification of operations
Electrification of operations, Kuttan believes, is Stakeholders will need to see the advantages
a low-hanging fruit. “We have the technology to before they move forward, she maintained. “They
help us here, but electrification is not enough as will target the most likely segments first and
such. We need to increase the efficiency of power move forward from there. Once they can see the

04
systems to extract the full value of electrification.” advantages, others will make their moves.”

Groot noted that the industry is working hard to

—
advance electrification, but may in fact just be Segments will progress at
getting started: “Optimizing the direct current
(DC) grid and frequency control is still a learning
different paces, and there is a big
experience. Electrification is absolutely crucial, gap between the players in front
though. Even if our solutions are not the most
efficient right now, we will get there.”
and those following behind.

Future fuel mix: who’s driving, and where are

we going?
Stating DNV’s support for introducing alterna-
tive maritime fuels, Ibrahim reported that they
are actively exploring several sustainable fuel
alternatives. For the interim, he confirmed DNV’s
advocacy of LNG as a viable fuel choice.

Different fuel types will play different roles, said

Hussain: “LNG is an improvement, but it does not
provide a zero-carbon outcome. Methanol, hydro-
gen and ammonia each have their own negatives
and positives. It will be a mixed bag until we agree
on a homogenous solution. The OEMs have en-
gines for several fuels including ammonia, and also
hydrogen fuel cells. It’s good to have various tech-
nologies advancing on the market, because the
customers will ultimately be the ones to choose.”

Groot described development as driven by the

OEMs and energy companies for the time being.
78 GENER ATIONS

“But biofuels, and maybe even nuclear solutions, make the changes themselves. But do we want
could come from outside those circles. We can’t to change the entire infrastructure, or figure out
really say who might be driving this development, how to manage current infrastructure? Here the
but we are testing in order to be prepared.” incumbents will play a major role.”

In order for new fuels to become viable, Lim

—
believes that stakeholders need to support the Do we want to change the entire
development of infrastructure. “We are working
to establish a future fuel network in Asia to see
fuel infrastructure, or figure out
how we can share experiences.” how to manage what we have?
— “We need to remember that more than 50 percent
Once the first stakeholders see of the global fleet are small vessels owned by
small companies,” Lehtovaara pointed out. “They
the advantages of electrification, will face real challenges, and it is not a case of one
—
Rens Groot
others will follow. size fits all.” He does want credit where credit is
Innovation and due, though: “The ultimate solution is still unclear,
Performance Manager
Berge Bulk
Kuttan maintained that the oil companies risk the but we are often too hard on ourselves. Shipping
greatest loss, but are still in a position of power. is the most efficient means of transportation
Brijesh Tewari
Marine Client Manager
“Unless they make the decision to join the change by far, and owners have already done a lot to im-
Lloyd’s Register to a sustainable future, the industry will have to prove efficiency.”
 SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 79

—
Questions, answered
In the next segment of the session, Lampert invited all participants to an open
Q&A session, posing a series of questions around the room, and on screen.

What are the greatest barriers to an Huge financial investments will be required to
all-electric revolution? accommodate the future fuel mix. Who will be
ÅDNANES: Financial and economic factors represent responsible for these investments?
the biggest barrier, simply being able to explain LIM: We will need to see more public investment in

and justify investments. Owners will have to be R&D. We need to get the infrastructure in place
able to justify huge outlays with payback. and learn from experience, what works and what
does not. But financial players are not aware of
LEHTOVAARA: I followed the recent IMO Marine Envi- the technological evolution, and many are hesi-
ronment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting, tant. This is due to lack of specific knowledge and

04
and I found it in many ways more confusing than insight. We cannot go to them at the last moment
edifying. I got the feeling that it was very unclear and ask them to buy in. We need to bring them
what can actually be done. The industry does not in early, so they can learn and assess by the time
really seem to be seeing the big picture yet. investment is needed.

LIM: First, the color of electrons will be important, —

whether they are blue or green. If they are not
green, the solution will not be viable. Secondly, I
The color of electrons – blue or
would ask myself if we are serious about building green – will be important.
a sustainable future. Do we really have an existen-
tial issue with emissions? Are we really trying to ÅDNANES: Investment is needed in green infra-

reach the CO2 targets? In this sense the issue is structure and transport, but let’s not forget that
behavioral – how we regard regulations and how production of oil and gas is not free either. Huge
we will act on them to reach the targets. investments have been made here, both offshore
and onshore. Now we are in need of green and
— sustainable solutions. Why not invest in green
Oil and gas is not free either. technology instead, or in addition to traditional
infrastructure? It should be possible to route
It should be possible to reroute some of these investment to green solutions.
investments to green solutions.
KRISHNAPPA: In the shift from conventional coal-
Has the shipping industry achieved its fired energy to renewables, the power produced
‘iPhone moment’? is available for electrification in many parts of the
GROOT: The iPhone gathered everything on one world, and cost of renewable power generation is
platform and made it connectable. Digitalization also going down every year. This can be used by
allows for greater connectivity, and better con- the maritime industry. The whole world is looking
nections to our suppliers can help with remote to shipping be more efficient, also increasing
diagnosis. But if we go to a yard with something safety and productivity. Now investments are
that is new for them, their risk goes up and busi- required to enable the vessels of tomorrow. These
ness cases fall apart. In this way I don’t think we investments will need to come from every player
have had our true iPhone moment yet. in the maritime ecosystem.
 80 GENER ATIONS

—
Which course will shipping take?
Participant predictions for 2021, 2030 and 2050
04

— — — — —
EERO LEHTOVAARA RENS GROOT LIZA CHUA IMRAN IBRAHIM ALF KÅRE ÅDNANES

2021 2021 2021 2021 2021

Nothing of note beyond The latest EEDI Recovery from the Increased adoption of I hope COVID issues are
what we have seen in 2020. requirements are coming setbacks of COVID-19 remote surveys. resolved and all the good
so soon that we will have will be the first thing. designs and projects
2030 to take some chances to 2030 that have been put on
Hard to predict, make the deadline. 2030 More focused hold can restart. These
because the pace is so Increase in the decarbonization should provide good
fast. Because of this, 2030 availability and uptake of pathways for shipping. examples of how to
regulators will have a We will have zero-emission current technologies. move forward.
hard time keeping up. ships on the water. 2050
2050 Normalcy in autonomy 2030
2050 2050 New technologies levels 3 and 4 in shipping, IMO targets can largely
Fusion power becomes Zero-emission will coming up, including with wider adoptions of be met by operational
commercially available. graduate to the fleet many things we have not alternative fuels. developments in the
Power generated level. Automation and yet seen. fleet, using LNG and
on shore can be remote will be enablers improved operations.
transferred to ships, but here. These will also help We will also see a
also shipboard power to make it cool again to gradual increase of
plants could emerge. work at sea. electrification overall.
The key driver here is I also believe that IMO
energy density. 2030 goals will be met.

2050
By then we will need
to see a significant
green shift, including a
mix of different fuels.
Green fuels, perhaps
predominately ammonia
for larger, deep-sea
going vessels and
hydrogen for smaller and
short distance shipping,
will have a greater
share of the energy
mix. A major part of the
newbuilding fleet will be
fueled with emission-
neutral fuels.
 SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 81

04
— — — — —
ANIS HUSSAIN MAHESH KRISHNAPPA BRIJESH TEWARI SANJAY KUTTAN KENNETH LIM

2021 2021 2021 2021 2021

It would have been More good projects will Various pilots of We will see more The electrification of
different without kick off after COVID is zero-carbon/hybrid digitalization. This will harbor craft is a clear
COVID, for better and resolved, and others will propulsion solutions and open the door for greater goal. For international
for worse. For example, follow. Singapore is ready regulation development. collaboration throughout shipping, trials will be
the acceleration of here, with projects for the value chain. Here, ongoing in Singapore
digital technology tugs and harbor vessels. 2030 transparency in the for alternative fuels,
and digitalization that Policy and market exchange of data including ammonia,
we have experienced 2030 incentives in place and and information is methanol, ethanol,
would not have We will see a shift in scaling up of zero-carbon important. Also the rise and hydrogen. The
happened. It was slow the way seafarers are fuels. Zero-carbon ships of a greener supply chain digitalization of power
to take off initially working. Digitalization sailing commercial deep will drive sustainable systems will contribute
but has picked up will change their lives. sea routes. technologies, and to decarbonization.
fast due to travel and we will see the rise of
contact restrictions. 2050 2050 sustainable, bio-based 2030
Momentum that has Regions will have The transition to zero- fuels, but not yet at the The first set of
been built up in 2020 established their own carbon energy sources scale we need. zero-carbon vessels
will feed into 2030. types of fuels in a and technologies will be will emerge. Safety and
complex ecosystem well established, with 2030 other benefits of this
2030 of highly regional appropriate end fuels in Nature will send us a development will be key
Based on the 2020 perspectives. Singapore place for each ship type signal. If we have not to further discussions,
IMO meeting, the will be leading the way and route. done enough, we will including how to retrain
EEXI (Energy Efficient in automation. We could see an increase in the staff and crew in a new
Ship Index) will even see uncrewed rate of climate change. zero-carbon reality.
have a significant harbor craft in operation. This reality may open
impact. Operational the door to technologies 2050
developments will also like fusion. Right now By then, today’s
drive the decarbonization the technology is there, graduates will be 50,
of big ships. but acceptance is not. and leading the way
We need a burning to decarbonization.
2050 platform in order to What they are learning
If fusion becomes ignite real support. today, will allow the
possible, we will industry to become more
see green solutions 2050 proactive in achieving a
becoming viable. Also a Just hoping to still be green supply chain. The
differentiated fuel mix, around! responsibility will be in
including ammonia for the hands of the next
long haul shipping. generation of leaders.
 82 GENER ATIONS

—
The digital journey to autonomy
Taking smarter steps
Leading maritime industry voices taking part in ABB Marine &
Ports roundtable confirm that insight gained from experience is
allowing the industry to take increasingly smarter steps along the
way to autonomy, aided by rapidly evolving digital technologies.
04

Opening the discussion, moderator Edwin Humans in the loop will be a part of the solution.
Lampert, Executive Editor & Head of Business Re- I have never heard any shipowner wanting to get
lations, Riviera Maritime Media, asked ABB Marine rid of people. We are talking about rearranging
& Ports Head of Regulatory Affairs and resident working conditions on board.”
autonomous expert Eero Lehtovaara to elaborate
on the position outlined in their recent Marine & The rise of technology should also provide an
Ports white paper on autonomous shipping. opportunity to get young people back on board,
he added. “The ships of the future will become
“We are at a phase where we need a shared defi- hugely interesting and exciting as workplaces.”
nition of autonomy,” Lehtovaara stated. “If we do But progress of this magnitude will require a di-
this individually, we will end up with at least ten alog between original equipment manufacturers
different answers.” The discussion going forward (OEMs) and regulators, he maintained: “We risk
will need to focus on the level of automation, he an unsafe future if these two are not on the same
said: “In principle it has nothing to do with crewing, page. This is something ABB has been promoting
or where you make decisions. Any discussion should actively for quite some time.”
refer to the level of human attention or attendance.”
Next up, Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive
— (Industry), Maritime and Port Authority of Singa-
pore (MPA), related that Singapore is working to
Humans in the loop will be a support the entire autonomous ecosystem. “We are
part of the foreseeable future. looking at a network of ports using multiple port
authority resources to provide support on port
I have never heard any shipowner rules and requirements for safety, and criteria for
wanting to get rid of people. operations. When vessels go from port to port, we
need to start working at the port authority level.”
Autonomy in the maritime industry is being ena-
—
bled by digitalization, he continued. “More data Singapore is funding local pilot projects to this
Mahesh Krishnappa is being used to make coherent decisions on- end, he noted. “We currently have three tugs, one
Singapore Local
Division Manager
board, but coexistence of machines and humans Ro-Ro and one other vessel in the program. We
ABB Marine & Ports onboard is the foreseeable future for shipping. are exploring autonomy on levels that cover more
 84 GENER ATIONS

than just the technology. To start with, the crew trials is being shared between players. ABB’s con-
also need to become familiar with the technology tribution on autonomy is important for us in this
and a new way of operating.” respect. Our own efforts will be focused on pro-
moting autonomous operations in the R&D space.”
To this end, Lim reported that Singapore is bank-
ing on simulation to familiarize crew with their Rens Groot, Innovation and Performance Man-
new reality. “The human element is very impor- ager at Berge Bulk, noted that many owners are
tant. We are not working to replace crew, but to running lean organizations, relying on a network
assist them. We want to ease their burden. They of suppliers to meet their needs: “Not long ago,
are working long hours, and autonomous technol- the crew could repair physical equipment on-
ogy can help to reduce fatigue.” board. Now with advanced electric solutions, they
need remote support. We have seen this even on
— engines that have experienced blackout. We can-
We want to ensure that not always move service engineers to the ships,
especially with COVID-19, so we have to learn how
information on autonomous trials to control operations remotely.”
is being shared between players.
A cyber secure environment that allows safe
Getting authorities and suppliers working togeth- access to key equipment is key to reaching full au-
er is another essential factor in reaching the goal tonomy, he stated. “It is a real challenge to get all
04

of autonomous operations, he maintained. “We the equipment safely connected in a central data
want to ensure that information on autonomous system, when each piece is essentially stand-alone.
SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 85

Right now we do not have an overview of the en- tion as the key to autonomy. “Let humans do what
tire ship ecosystem. We are not 100 percent sure they do best, and design machines to do the routine
how to proceed on systems integration.” tasks. This will reduce fatigue and add to efficiency.”

— Looking ahead, he noted that the next generation

Not long ago, the crew could is ready to step up to a higher level of digitaliza-
tion: “Eventually everything in the industry will
repair physical equipment have to be moved up to this level.” He added that
onboard. Now with advanced while the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) is actively looking into autonomy, the ongo-
electric solutions, they need ing coronavirus pandemic is demanding much of
remote support. their attention: “We will all need to give more atten-
tion to autonomy when things return to normal.”
In a digital world, who owns the data?
Mahesh Krishnappa, Singapore Local Division
—
Managerat at ABB Marine & Ports, got the first If we do not see the ship as a
call to reply: “Normally the customer owns the
data,” he affirmed. “We can use it, we can process
system, the ship could become
it, but they own it.” unsafe by design.

04
Lehtovaara elaborated: “Data ownership is just The critical elements of autonomy
one part of the equation. Before we can see the Sanjay Kuttan, Executive Director at the Singa-
ship as a system, we must resolve the issue of pore Maritime Institute (SMI), named collision
data sharing between components and use of and foundering as the key issues to be resolved
data.” For that to happen, he claimed, the indus- within autonomy. “Our main focus is considering
try needs to define data: “We are dealing with the impact of autonomy on the Safety of Life at
both operational and proprietary data, and not Sea (SOLAS), from design and construction, to
everything is shareable. But if we do not make it maneuvering and navigation. We are using cyber
possible to see ship as system, the ship could be- physical modelling to improve situational aware-
come unsafe by design. We could end up with no ness and the speed of decision-making, focus-
insight or influence over equipment, and even less ing on the three main factors influencing these:
possibility of making relevant changes if needed.” current, wave and wind.”

Imran Ibrahim, Principal Consultant, Head of Triangulating these elements is critical to

Research and Development at DNV, agreed with achieving greater situational awareness and
Lehtovaara that a definition of autonomy is decision-making, he explained: “Advanced cyber
needed in order to support different concepts of physical modelling and algorithms allow us to
operations: “Which functions do owners want to check the robustness of calculations by challeng-
see as autonomous, and at which levels? The key ing them with potential real life situations. With
is to define these functions.” climate change presenting us with new weather
situations, how will an algorithm adjust to a sce-
Interoperability, he explained, is behind DNV’s nario it has never been exposed to?”
work with standards for the contextualization of
data. “Class is showing how data can be contex- At present SMI is developing a methodology to
tualized in a uniform fashion. There are platforms assist in piloting of autonomous vessels in Sin-
that allow data sharing across multiple segments gapore, he said. “We are working on a pre-trial of
and between equipment. These are the stepping the algorithm, how it will respond to wave condi-
stones to data sharing.” tions. We are also aware of similar projects in the
EU. This will allow us to compare with EU results
Brijesh Tewari, Marine Client Manager at Lloyd’s and test the effectiveness of our system, in order
Register, concurred that Lloyd’s sees digitaliza- to get as close to the truth as possible.”
 86 GENER ATIONS

Anis Hussain, General Manager at KMDTech, not- recovery. As has been said, the chief engineer and
ed that future autonomous systems will be made electrical engineer cannot make repairs on the
up of different sub-systems, including the bridge, spot. The systems will need to be able to resolve
the engine room, and others. “But an autonomous issues themselves.”
ship is not necessarily unmanned. The ship will
not sail alone, but be guided by a control room on —
shore,” he maintained. “This will make workplaces
more attractive as well. Smaller vessels are not
Autonomous is not just what
crewed by local resources today. But if they can happens on the bridge, but also
go to work in a control room rather than onboard
the ship, this will attract a new generation of
with propulsion systems, the engine
maritime workers.” room, and electrical systems.
— Addressing the legal framework
Lehtovaara noted that the IMO and flag states are
Climate change is presenting currently considering the conditionally uncrewed
us with new weather situations. bridge on open waters. “The lookout is the main
legal challenge here. Within highly autonomous
How will an algorithm adjust solutions, we have ferries and tugs, but these are
to a scenario it has never been very different from global international traffic
04

with large vessels. Here we need to go stepwise

exposed to? forward and look at individual solutions and how
He noted that KMDTech is using digital twinning they fit into specific contexts before the regula-
to learn more about collision avoidance. “Model tors can get involved in decision-making.”
test basins are also being used for testing of local
ship designs. This allows for a proliferation of He informed that ABB has proposed an autono-
situational awareness. Using cyber physical mod- mous lookout function. “Detection, identification
elling, complex surroundings can be controlled and verification are all performed on the bridge.
and tested.” Detection can be performed by machines, while
humans need to evaluate and verify. This is the
Alf Kåre Ådnanes, AMEA Regional Division Manager, way forward for open seas. But in areas of dense
ABB Marine & Ports, concurred on the complex traffic, the question is how to use technology
nature of a complete autonomous system: “When to assist the crew in all the functions. Uncrewed
we consider electric and autonomous systems in navigation in crowded straits will be one of the
traffic, autonomous is not just what happens on last things we do.”
the bridge, but also with propulsion systems, the
engine room, and electrical systems. There is not Lack of regulations to either support or forbid au-
really enough focus on this in the industry.” tonomous operations present a risk, Lehtovaara
maintained: “Legally the captain is responsible
— because they make the decisions, but how do we
evaluate the correctness of the information on
If they can go to work in a control which decisions are based? This is a grey area.
room rather than onboard the Digitalization is bringing forward information
that has a huge impact, but it falls outside the
ship, this will attract a new regulatory framework. If class has no rules to
generation of maritime workers. relate to regarding information, then information
falls outside the evaluation process.”
He noted that autonomy involves more than just
navigation, particularly in heavy traffic: “We need Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Indus-
highly reliable or reconfigurable systems that are try), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
both robust and redundant, with a high degree of (MPA), concurred on the many safety concerns
 SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 87

that need to be addressed in the march to auton- Ibrahim agreed: “Class typically develops hazard
omy, emphasizing that they need to be identifi- identification documents and proposes solutions
able and manageable: “This will require further based on these. This level of operations can be
investigation from class, ports, and operators. addressed by unmanned and autonomous solu-
We need to figure out what is doable and what is tions today. The space is continually evolving as
not. The roles of the captain and others need to well, due to developments like 5G, and new contri-
be ironed out before we can have truly autono- butions will be made as this evolution continues.”
mous solutions.”
The cost of communications
— Addressing the moderator’s question of whether
The captain is legally responsible the cost of communications is a significant factor
in achieving autonomy, Groot replied that most
because they make the decision, ships are already equipped with basic communi-
but how do we evaluate the cations infrastructure: “But what we have today
covers the data sharing side. We also have to
correctness of the information consider cyber security. The connectivity is there,
used to make that decision?” but security is lacking,” he maintained.

—
Tewari highlighted the potential benefits of au-
tonomy and the challenges it currently faces. “We We can already implement

04
can already implement certain levels of autono-
various levels of autonomy to
my. This approach can be used to enhance safety
when the capabilities of automation and auton- enhance safety.
omy are combined with the qualities of highly
trained seafarers and excite the younger gener- “We would like to see increased situational aware-
ation to consider careers in shipping. We could ness to enhance safety, more like we have seen in
go in that direction first, and class is prepared to autonomous vehicles,” he added. “Better situa-
meet these requirements. Engine room automa- tional awareness would allow us to provide better
tion is already allowed in SOLAS. It is only on the predictions, but we don’t have systems that can
bridge, where SOLAS requires a lookout, that provide a secure connection between information
there is no immediate path to automation.” systems and operations yet.”

—
Anis Hussain
General Manager
KMDTech
 88 GENER ATIONS

—
Autonomous operations
Revolution or evolution
To round out the discussion, moderator Lampert challenged participants to take
their place on the ‘revolution or evolution’ spectrum of autonomous development.

Mahesh Krishnappa voted in favor of evolution: Telecommunications and connectivity are also
04

“The journey started 20 years ago with discrete evolving. When these factors mature and con-
sensors. Now sensors continuously monitor verge, there will be a revolution. Today ship
operations and provide information on what is design is under-optimizing all of them. Future
happening with the entire ship. We have plenty of design will do the reverse, and maximize them.”
data. Now comes the issue of what to do with it.
We are taking the steps one at a time, looking at —
how digitalization can increase safety and pro-
ductivity along the way.”
The yards building today’s
ships will not necessarily be
Liza Chua, Associate R&D Engineer, Electric Solu-
tions, ABB Marine & Ports, offered that digitali-
those building tomorrow’s.
zation is gradually changing the way crews work: New models will drive design
“The collection and processing of information has
increased, and this is helping us to achieve auton-
and construction, and this is
omy at different levels. The initial stage of remote where there will be a revolution.
control will come first. Using remote control, one
operator could operate multiple vessels as well. Kenneth Lim agreed that many factors are moving
We are taking small steps forward, and this is forward in parallel: “Artificial intelligence is advanc-
changing the working environment.” ing, and supporting technologies are being devel-
oped independently. This allows the innovators to
— put things together in a clever way and come up
with something we might not have expected.”
When major technologies and
trends mature and converge, Brijesh Tewari hedged in favor of evolution: “But
suddenly, one day, we may wake up to a revolution!”
there will be a revolution.
Anis Hussain foresees evolution within tech-
Sanjay Kuttan opted to straddle the issue: “I have nology and automation, but revolution in ship
to say both. There are three major trends influenc- design: “The yards building today’s ships will not
ing developments: decarbonization, digitalization necessarily be those building tomorrow’s, much
and automation. less the ships of a more distant future. There will
—
Brijesh Tewari
be a completely new model driving design and cannot do it alone any longer. They need help
Marine Client Manager construction, and this is where I believe there will from shore. Dependence on shore assistance is
Lloyd’s Register
be a revolution.” the new reality.”

Imran Ibrahim noted that the day’s hybrid event Alf Kåre Ådnanes took the long view: “Our grand-
constituted a good example of a revolution: “In children will call it a revolution, but we will see
the same way as we have embraced digital com- it as evolution. We need to make the right steps
munication, it depends on whether the industry going forward, and each step has its value. All the
chooses to exploit autonomous technologies at a elements that make sense by themselves com-
sustained pace. Right now I would say it appears ing together will create a revolution, but it will
to be a mixed bag.” happen slowly enough that we will experience it
as evolution.”
Rens Groot again related to the major changes
taking place on ships: “We have already seen a Eero Lehtovaara cast the day’s final vote for evo-
revolution on board: people do not have insight or lution, and a slow one at that: “Autonomy will be
control over the equipment. Crews have tradi- achieved step by step. The changes will not be big,
tionally been taught that they have to be able to nor is there a real need for dramatic changes in the
do everything alone. The revolution is that they short term. We are definitely talking about evolution.”
 90 GENER ATIONS

—
Smart port, smart nation
Singapore builds on
spectrum of strengths
Singapore often serves as the benchmark for
other maritime nations, consistently applying
04

innovative and effective measures to keep their

port and shipping activities at the forefront of
global maritime development. And on this island
city-state, as the port goes, so goes the nation.

“Beyond hosting the world’s busiest contain-

er transshipment hub, Singapore aims to be a
Smart Nation, where businesses can seize new
opportunities in the new digital economy, and
people are empowered by technology to live
meaningful and fulfilled lives,” says Kenneth Lim,
Assistant Chief Executive (Industry), Maritime
and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). He relates
that this philosophy served as the foundation for services such as ship management, ship agency,
the Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map, broking, finance, insurance, legal and arbitration,
launched in 2018 to build on Singapore’s position survey, and research and development,” says Lim.
as a global hub port and leading international “With the presence of these shipping and related
maritime center, enabled by technology, digitali- companies, we have also built a strong maritime
zation and innovation. tech ecosystem comprising local maritime
startups, maritime tech developers and R&D
— players in Singapore.”

We have built a strong maritime Next-generation port

tech ecosystem. To boost Singapore’s maritime industry and
ensure growth in the port, Singapore has been
“Building on the strengths of the port, Singapore building ahead of demand, Lim reports. Exempli-
has grown to be a leading international maritime fying this approach, work on the next-generation
center, home to a diverse group of shipping com- Tuas Mega Port commenced in 2015 and will con-
panies providing a wide spectrum of maritime tinue to be developed in four phases.
“Tuas Port will be the world’s largest fully auto- —
mated container terminal when fully completed We will use automated
in the 2040s. All container port operations will
be consolidated at a single location, capable of technology to carry out key
handling up to 65 million TEUs per annum,” Lim operations at Tuas Port,
says, adding that consolidating all container-han-
dling facilities at Tuas will significantly reduce including automated wharf and
inter-terminal haulage operations and resulting yard functions, and full electric
greenhouse gas emissions.
automated guided vehicles.
“We will use automated technology to carry out
key operations at Tuas Port, including automated Digital connectivity boosts efficiency
wharf and yard functions, and full electric auto- Tuas Mega Port will also be the first terminal in
mated guided vehicles. Operations will be highly Singapore to be physically and digitally integrat-
digitalized to optimize processes and enhance ed with the wider supply chain network. “Digital
information-flow and sharing,” says Lim. connectivity with key industry sectors in Tuas will
 92 GENER ATIONS

help to improve efficiencies among stakeholders moving goods and people, and MPA is working
along the supply chain, including vessels, cargo to take full advantage, Lim reports: “PIER71, or
owners and logistics service providers, and help Port Innovation Ecosystem Reimagined @ Block
to coordinate cargo flow in a secure and intelli- 71, was officially launched in June 2018 as a joint
gent manner,” he relates. initiative between MPA and NUS Enterprise to
facilitate the digital transformation within the
Developing an advanced digital infrastructure is maritime industry.”
also central to improving regulatory efficiency
and facilitating timely information exchange and —
data flow among port users and stakeholders,
locally and beyond the region, says Lim.
Digital connectivity with key
industry sectors in Tuas will help
MPA has launched digitalPORT@SG™ in October
2019, a one-stop portal for regulatory transac-
to improve efficiencies among
tions. Phase One of digitalPORT@SG™ aims as stakeholders along the supply
streamlining vessel, immigration and port health
clearances across multiple agencies into a single
chain, including vessels, cargo
application by consolidating 16 separate forms. owners and logistics service
Shipmasters and ship agents from more than
2,000 shipping companies can submit, track and
providers, and help to coordinate
04

receive approval for arriving and departing ships cargo flow in a secure and
through the portal, saving up to 100,000 man-
hours annually.
intelligent manner.

“In the next phase of development, to be launched About 60 maritime startups have been acceler-
this year, digitalPORT@SG™ will optimize port re- ated in the program to date, with more than 30
sources and enhance efficiency through artificial receiving funding support for pilot projects. “This
intelligence by facilitating just-in-time operations is also made possible by maritime corporations
for vessel calls at the Port of Singapore, all aimed creating innovation opportunities in the form of
at reducing vessel turnaround times,” Lim tells. challenge statements at the annual Smart Port
Challenge. Some of these startups have gone on
“Looking beyond our shores, Singapore has also to secure private sector funding and ventured
embarked on the digitalOCEANS™ initiative, into international markets with Singapore as their
partnering with key stakeholders to work on base,” says Lim.
common data standards and application pro-
gramming interfaces to exchange data with ports Another initiative, the Circle of Digital InnOvators
and shipping-related platforms, with the aim of (CDO) network, was launched in April 2019 to
improving efficiencies in port clearances,” says realize ground-up innovation and facilitate busi-
Lim. “This should serve to reduce repetitive and ness transformation across maritime domain,
manual completion of including developing digitalization roadmaps and
forms at ports along championing innovation within maritime enter-
trade routes.” prises. “These CDOs should also serve as change
leaders to work with startups, maritime technol-
Leveraging activity to ogy companies and the R&D community on digi-
foster innovation talization and innovation projects,” notes Lim. To
As one of the busiest date, he reports more than 60 digital innovators
ports in the world, Sin- in the network.
—
Kenneth Lim
gapore is blessed with
Assistant Chief Executive a wealth of opportuni- Maritime Digitalisation Playbook
(Industry)
Maritime and Port
ties for development “The pandemic has accelerated digitalization
Authority of Singapore of smarter systems for in the maritime sector,” Lim underscores. To
SPOTLIGHT ON SINGAPORE 93

support maritime companies in accelerating their Trainees will be equipped with skills in the in-
digitalization plans to match this ‘new normal’, dustry’s new growth areas such as automation
MPA, the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) systems, digital transformation, modeling and
and Infocomm Media Development Authority simulation, and developing maritime-specific
launched the Maritime Digitalisation Playbook expertise in areas such as shipping operations
in June 2020. “The Playbook serves as a guide and maritime superintendency. “These opportu-
to help maritime companies uncover opportu- nities will not only prepare locals to help shape
nities in the digital transformation and improve the industry’s future but also provide them with
competitiveness and productivity. Companies can transferable skillsets relevant to adjacent indus-
also refer to a comprehensive listing of resources tries,” Lim relates.
in the Playbook to help kick-start or assist them in
their digital transformation,” he says. —
Sea Transport Industry Digital Plan The Plan includes a training
Aimed at encouraging maritime small and medi- roadmap to prepare the
um-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of
emerging opportunities offered by digitalization, necessary skills to adopt digital
the Sea Transport Industry Digital Plan is a joint solutions and be ready for
initiative led by MPA reaching across several gov-
ernment agencies. The plan includes a roadmap changes that come with the

04
charting digital solutions that SMEs in the harbor digital transformation.
craft, ship agency and bunkering sectors can
adopt at each stage of their growth. “The Plan
also includes a training roadmap to prepare the To complement the CDO network, the Circle
necessary skills to adopt digital solutions and of Human Resource InnOvators (CHRO) was
be ready for changes that come with the digital launched in November 2019. The CHRO network
transformation,” says Lim. seeks to drive workforce transformation in tact
with digitalization trends by enabling HR and
— organizational changes in the maritime indus-
try, Lim tells. “This is a platform for maritime HR
Singapore has also embarked professionals to share best practices and serve as
on the digitalOCEANS™ strategic business partners helping to drive busi-
ness transformation and innovation.” The first
initiative, partnering with key cohort comprised 18 maritime enterprises and it
stakeholders to work on common has since grown to include around 30.

data standards and application Smart solutions to a challenging future

programming interfaces to “Technological disruption and development is
a global force that will continue to change the
exchange data with ports and way we work. As a Smart Nation, MPA will em-
shipping-related platforms. brace digitalization and innovate to enhance our
strengths, overcome our limitations, and to build
Smart operations need smart people new growth areas for Maritime Singapore,” Lim
“With the pace of digitalization picking up during sums up.
the pandemic, upgrading talent and skillsets will
be critical,” says Lim. To this end, MPA is partner- “In today’s rapidly changing business environ-
ing with SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Sin- ment, it is essential for Maritime Singapore to be
gapore, the SSA, and maritime companies and in- ready to adapt and remain relevant. We cannot af-
stitutes of higher learning to provide up to 1,000 ford to be complacent, and we will continue to tap
training opportunities, company connections and into technology to create an integrated, innova-
traineeships across the maritime sector. tive and inclusive Maritime Singapore ecosystem.”
—
05
Azipod® propulsion – 30 years of excellence at sea

Azipod® propulsion:
A revolution under the water
—
98–101

Delivering efficiency to offshore energy

—
102–103

Supplying sustainable power, performance

and comfort to the cruise industry
—
104–107

Electric propulsion for the

next generation of cargo ships
—
108–111
Moving yachting into a
new era of sustainability
—
112–115

Propelling ferries into a sustainable future

—
116–119

Conquering ice
—
120–125
 98 GENER ATIONS

—
Azipod® propulsion
A revolution under the water
From its creation three decades ago to its unique position in shipping
today, Azipod® propulsion has revolutionized marine transport with its
unparalleled performance, efficiency and reliability. This year, ABB celebrates
30 years of Azipod® propulsion in operation, a revolution under the water.
The outboard motor is a familiar sight, mounted The power of pods
on the back end of a boat, providing both power To get an idea of the immense toughness of
and steering. Now picture an electric motor Azipod® propulsion, consider that it was con-
encased in a steel pod, suspended under the hull, ceived to cut through sheets of ice more than two
allowing it to rotate full circle. Then imagine the meters thick. To understand the finesse of the
pod as big as a house, with a motor powerful system, remember that it was entrusted to move
05

enough to move a ship the size of an entire town. humans – the most valuable of all cargoes.
In these images, the ingenuity of the Azipod®
propulsion system starts to become clear. The podded propulsion system relies on an elec-
tric motor, the simplest motor of all, requiring no
oxygen to operate and generating zero exhaust.
As long as electricity can be supplied, the motor
can be placed virtually anywhere on a ship – or in
the case of Azipod® propulsion, not on the ship at
all, but under. This in turn allows the propeller to
be connected directly to the motor, instead of via
shaft lines or mechanical drive trains.

Together, these features allow the motor and

propeller to be rotated 360 degrees, pulling the
ship in any direction, providing the revolutionary
maneuverability that has made Azipod® propul-
sion a legend in the marine industry. Electrical
power minimizes engine noise and vibration as
well, ensuring a smoother, quieter ride.

Clean and quiet

Since the first installation in a cruise ship 25 years
ago, Azipod® units have saved approximately
1,000,000 tons of fuel in the cruise segment alone,
AZIPOD® PROPULSION – 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE AT SEA 99

05
100 GENER ATIONS

while clocking over 20 million running hours at an with Azipod® propulsion. Azipod® propulsion gave
impressive availability rate of 99.9 percent. And the ship unprecedented maneuverability, cutting
with its silent electric motors, Azipod® propulsion the Elation’s turning radius of by half, while treat-
meets international standards for underwater ing passengers to the smoothest ride of their lives.
radiated noise.
An order from Royal Caribbean International came
Up to 95 percent of the material used in the pro- in 1997, with three Azipod® units installed on the
duction of Azipod® units is recyclable, testimo- biggest cruise ship of its time – Voyager of the
ny to the sustainable lifecycle perspective that Seas. Other large cruise lines followed, selecting
guides the development and application of this Azipod® propulsion for their vessels for its supe-
remarkable technology. rior performance and reliability. Soon, Azipod®
propulsion had earned a leading position in the
Baptism by ice newbuild cruise market, powering some of the
An icegoing fairway support vessel in Finland largest vessels on the water.
became the first vessel operating with Azipod®
propulsion in 1991. Early trials demonstrated Serving all segments
remarkable icegoing capabilities with Azipod® With its unique combination of precision and
propulsion, and the images of a large tank ship power, Azipod® propulsion proved perfectly suited
equipped with Azipod® propulsion “chasing its to highly demanding marine operations in the off-
tail” in open water astounded the maritime world shore oil and gas segment. Talking about precision,
and inspired the move into cruise. one captain claimed: “I could hold a fresh egg be-
tween the boat and the dock without cracking it.”
Connecting with cruise
—
Azipod® propulsion
In the mid-1990s, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Dry cargo vessels benefit from Azipod® propul-
saves onboard space Elation became the first cruise ship to be fitted sion in operations where vessels must perform
—
Azipod® propulsion
factory in Helsinki, Finland

reliably over an extended period at maximum Despite the massive dimensions of the units,
efficiency, in addition to being highly maneuver- the safety record at the factories is impeccable.
able in shallow waters. Special requirements such In keeping with ABB’s paramount dedication to

05
as ability to operate in ice is another advantage of safety, strict anti-infection measures were enact-
Azipod® propulsion for these types of vessels. ed at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, en-
And as the mainstream cruise industry strength- suring uninterrupted production with minimum
ens its commitment to Azipod® propulsion, risk to factory workers.
ferries and exploration-class cruise vessels are
emerging as growing markets. Over the years, a Delivering today, designed for tomorrow
full range of Azipod® units has been developed to With future-proof capabilities that allow shipowners
serve the various marine segments. to invest today in anticipation of tomorrow’s power
solutions, the Azipod® system can be powered by
Azipod® factories – the big and the small of things electricity drawn from any energy source, includ-
Azipod® units are produced at three factories, ing batteries and fuel cells, and is designed to be
with Helsinki and Hamina factories in Finland adaptable even to energy sources that have yet to
delivering the largest models’ propulsion and be discovered.
steering units respectively, and compact units
constructed at the Shanghai facility, which cele- The story of Azipod® has been written by innova-
brates 10 years of operation in 2021. tive believers on a quest to deliver a new and bet-
ter solution for propelling ships. Now Azipod® pro-
All factories stand out as models of cleanliness pulsion has rounded 30 years of service to society,
and safety. During production, the giant units are saving fuel and reducing emissions while delighting
transported between workstations on air-cushion captains and passengers alike with smooth, precise
dollies. With the towers of the large units rising and powerful performance. With its built-in ability
several stories into the air, the pods give the im- to tackle new challenges as shipping sets course to
pression of weightless submarines as they glide a sustainable future, the next decades of Azipod®
silently across the gleaming floor. propulsion promise to be equally as rewarding.
 102 GENER ATIONS

—
Delivering efficiency to offshore energy
Today, as the ocean energy industry shifts to sustainable mode, demand for Azipod®
propulsion offshore continues, driven by performance from 360-degree rotating podded
propulsors, high reliability and reduced fuel consumption, and future-proof capabilities
that allow owners to invest today in anticipation of tomorrow’s power systems.

Azipod® propulsion captured a strong position electric propulsion systems and power plants for
in the marine and offshore markets thanks in two new semi-submersible drilling rigs, delivered
large part to the advantages of enhanced maneu- in late 2003. ABB’s scope in each rig included
verability provided by precise speed and torque eight Compact Azipod® podded propulsion units
control, and full thrust in all directions. with a total output of 25,6 MW.

As with all Azipod® installations, podded propul- The platform supply vessel Viking Avant, equipped
sion on vessels servicing the energy industries with two 3MW Azipod® C-series units, was deliv-
05

requires considerably less space inside the vessel ered in 2004 to owner Eidesvik, built at the Aker
than competing mechanical systems, yielding Langsten shipyard. The innovative vessel was
greater flexibility to optimize vessel design. In ad- awarded Ship of the Year by Skipsrevyen in 2004.
dition, optimized installation of thrusters working
with a pulling or pushing propeller increases the Later C-series installations came on the Sevan
hydrodynamic efficiency of the vessel and reduces 300 Semi-Sub Accommodation rigs Arendal
noise and vibrations. Connecting the propeller Spirit and Stavanger Spirit. Featuring six 4.4
directly to the propulsion motor eliminates gears MW Azipod® CZ thrusters, the vessels were
and other auxiliary equipment, meaning reduced delivered in late 2015 and early 2016 to owners
maintenance costs and less downtime due to Teekay and Logitel Offshore, built at the COSCO
faults in these systems. yard in China.

Stepping up offshore Development continues

To better meet emerging offshore requirements, a In order to ensure smooth delivery of both full-
new, compact series of Azipod® units was developed size and compact Azipod® units, a new factory
in the late 1990s, with the first C-series order placed dedicated to production of the C-series was
in 2001. The offshore supply vessel Normand Rover constructed in Shanghai in 2011. The D-series was
became the first offshore vessel to be equipped introduced in 2015, primarily to meet demand in
with the Compact Azipod® C propulsion systems, the offshore segment, receiving the ‘Innovation of
with the two 2.3MW units installed at Aker Yards the Year 2015’ award at Electric and Hybrid Marine
Søviknes for Solstad Offshore. Expo in Amsterdam.

Successful adoption of the new series continued, SeaLoader 1 was the first offshore vessel to be
with Santa Fe International Corp opting for ABB’s equipped with the Compact Azipod® D propulsion
—
NKT Victoria is equipped
system, delivered in 2017 to owner is Cefront Tech- world's largest wind turbine installation vessels.
with three 1.9 MW Azipod® nology AS, and built in the COSCO yard in China. Built by Samsung Heavy Industries for the Danish
C propulsion units
utility company DONG Energy, now Ørstad, the
Later came orders with the pioneering industrial vessels featured four 3.4 MW Azipod® C units.
builder Arne Smedal and Sevan Marine. The project
started with three accommodation rigs with a total In another milestone, the cable-laying vessel
of 16 Azipod® units, and continued with two cargo NKT Victoria was delivered to owner NKT AS in
transfer vessels, with ABB taking part in the design 2017 from the Kleven Verft shipyard. Three 1.9
phase in close collaboration with the owners. MW Azipod® C propulsion units help provide the
vessel with the highest class of dynamic position-
Looking ahead: ing (DP3). Considered the world’s most advanced
keeping pace with offshore renewables cable-laying vessel on its delivery, NKT Victoria
Offshore wind farms are often located in coast- also featured ABB’s award-winning power distri-
al waters, where cleaner operations thanks to bution system Onboard DC Grid™, as well as the
reduced emissions from Azipod® propulsion can complete integrated automation system and an
provide benefits to local environments. And as energy storage system that helped cut fuel con-
installations move further offshore, the flexi- sumption by 27 percent. NKT Victoria was named
bility and performance advantages of Azipod® Skipsrevyen Ship of the Year in 2017.
thrusters can help expand operational windows,
improving overall efficiency and reducing power Fully electric and connected, robust Azipod®
consumption to, from and on the site. technology is a key enabler of future highly auto-
mated and autonomous solutions as well. Having
The first contract for Azipod® propulsion on a propelled the offshore industry into a new era of
wind turbine installation vessel came in 2013 efficiency, Azipod® propulsion is poised to sup-
when Swire Pacific Offshore took delivery of port offshore energy in its next move, into a more
Pacific Orca and Pacific Osprey, at the time the sustainable future.
 104 GENER ATIONS

—
Supplying sustainable power, performance
and comfort to the cruise industry
Since the first installation on a cruise ship 25 years ago, Azipod® technology
has saved approximately one million tons of fuel in the cruise segment
alone, while clocking close to 20 million running hours at an impressive
availability rate of 99.9 percent for the entire Azipod® propulsion fleet.
The success of Azipod® propulsion in the cruise With these built-in advantages, Azipod® propul-
industry can be traced back to its simple, yet sion has grown to become the de facto cruise
highly robust design. An electric motor housed in industry standard, capturing a leading position in
a pod is suspended under the ship’s hull, with the the segment.
propeller connected directly to the motor shaft,
allowing the unit to rotate 360 degrees, improving Starting on a high note
05

vessel maneuverability, as well as minimizing noise The first Azipod® propulsion order for a cruise
and vibration. Space saved by locating the motor ship came in 1995 for Carnival Cruise Line’s new
outside the ship allows for more flexible design as buildings, Elation and Paradise. Both vessels
it frees up space for cabins or other features. belonged to Carnival’s Fantasy class – a group of

—
Voyager of the Seas
cruise ship equipped
with Azipod® propulsion
—
Azipod® propulsion for
eight ships with similar designs. The first six ves- performance characteristics created perhaps the
cruise vessels sels in this class had conventional shaftline propul- most converts on water. On the Elation, Carnival
sion, providing an ideal opportunity to compare reported that Azipod® propulsion gave the ship
them with the efficiency of the Azipod® system. unprecedented maneuverability, cutting its turn-
ing radius by half, while treating passengers to
Sea trials showed the speed of Elation at full power the smoothest ride of their lives.
was approximately 0.55 knots higher than the pre-
vious six Fantasy class ships. This meant that Ela- The vibration-reducing properties of Azipod®
tion needed nine percent less of propulsion power propulsion made it a natural for cruise. Ted Ari-
to achieve this speed, translating to fuel savings son, the founder of Carnival Cruise Lines, famous-
of around 40 tons during one week of operation. ly referred to his passengers’ aversion to heat and
vibration: “Treat them like bananas. Keep them
An order from Royal Caribbean International cool, and don’t bruise them!” Following in the
followed in 1997, for Azipod® units to be installed wake of their first two vessels, Carnival Corpo-
on its Voyager class vessels, the biggest cruise ration went on to select Azipod® propulsion for
ships of their time. The series was continued more than 40 vessels for its various brands.
with the Freedom class vessels, again the world’s
largest, with a total of eight vessels delivered In an interview with The Motorship magazine
with Azipod® units. These milestone deliveries from 1999, Harri Kulovaara, then Senior Vice
ushered in the era of Azipod® propulsion in the President at Royal Caribbean International, had
cruise industry, opening a new chapter that is still high praise for Azipod® propulsion: “On at least
being written. two occasions, one when I was in my bunk and an-
other when I was in the dining room, I thought the
Premium performance vessel had stopped. I could detect no vibration or
While the robustness and economy of Azipod® noise. On both occasions I went to a window to
propulsion proved a good fit for cruise owners, its discover that the ship was doing 24 knots.”
 106 GENER ATIONS

Kulovaara went on to note that Azipod® propul- new service concept featuring remote monitoring
sion excels in maneuvering at lower speeds, criti- and diagnostics, Azipod® propulsion achieved a
cal when operating in shallow or narrow channels, breakthrough in the cruise market, with orders
and in ports. Verifying this claim, ships equipped booming in 2010 and continuing up to the pres-
with Azipod® propulsion are allowed into ports ent. “The upturn in 2010 had a huge impact on the
when weather prohibited shaft line ships from en- business. This gave us references to approach
tering. In addition, ships with Azipod® propulsion new cruise owners, and we began to secure a sig-
can stop in 50 percent of the distance needed for nificant market share soon after,” Högblom notes.
shaft line drives, and the ship can still be steered
while stopping, both major benefits to vessel and —
passenger safety.
All major cruise line companies
According to Marcus Högblom, Head of Passen- have vessels powered by the
ger Vessel Segment in ABB Marine & Ports, the
basic maneuverability and efficiency of Azipod®
Azipod® system.
propulsion has not changed from the first cruise
projects. The difference, he says, is that systems The advantages that brought Azipod® propulsion
now come with a lifetime service package based to the forefront of navigating in ice-covered waters
on advanced digital technology: “ABB Ability™ have also allowed ABB to extend its leading posi-
Collaborative Operations Centers are highly tion in the cruise sector to expedition ships. Azi-
valuable assets for all stakeholders. Azipod® units pod® propulsion was selected for the world’s first
might be the most connected in the industry, and discovery yacht Scenic Eclipse, followed by a string
the more connected, the better the service. We of orders including the first polar newbuild for
can set trends and be proactive in our approach Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc., and the world’s
to maintenance and prevention, providing owners first electric hybrid ice-class vessel for Ponant, the
with improved economy and peace of mind.” 100th cruise vessel order for Azipod® propulsion.
05

Growing to become the biggest All major cruise line companies now have vessels
In 2008 ABB launched a new generation Azipod® powered by the Azipod® system in their fleet, on
— propulsion unit, Azipod® XO. Improved reliability order, or on ships under construction. For the
Scenic Eclipse discovery
cruiser with Polar Class 6
and maintainability as well as improved efficiency biggest cruise vessels, Azipod® propulsion has
with Azipod® propulsion were key to the new design. Together with the become an industry standard, powering most of
—
Azipod® propulsion for
the largest cruise ships in the world. As of April & Ports. “Cruise vessel owners and operators are
cruise vessels 2021, seven cruise vessels have been in successful more and more proactive in choosing technolo-
operation with Azipod® propulsion for more than gies that are likely to bring value to the segment
20 years, and the total number of cruise vessels, in the years ahead. ABB has been closely involved
including the fleet and order book, stands at more in the propulsion, automation and control of
than 130. cruise ships for decades, and we are seeing a clear
trend: the cruise industry is increasingly opting
Flexibility, sustainability the future keys to cruise for more sustainable and efficient technologies.”
“Electrification will drive sustainability as it —
enables flexibility in terms of power sources,”
Högblom maintains. “An electric motor can take Customers are more likely to
power from different sources, and owners can choose a green cruise.
add or exchange power sources as they evolve.
We are even starting to see cruise ships being de- Many forces are behind the push for more sus-
signed to Azipod® propulsion standards in order tainable cruise solutions, Koskela concludes.
to accommodate future developments.” “Customers are more likely to choose a green
cruise, and global environmental regulations will
“The global cruise industry is continuously evolv- only become stricter. With its energy efficiency
ing, with innovations driven by technology, regu- and flexibility to adapt to future power sources,
lations, and changing consumer patterns,” notes Azipod® propulsion can provide solutions to the
Juha Koskela, Division President of ABB Marine biggest of these challenges.”
 108 GENER ATIONS

—
Electric propulsion for the
next generation of cargo ships
Embarking on a new chapter in Azipod® propulsion history, in 2019 ABB entered a
new market segment with an order to install Azipod® electric propulsion on two dry
bulk carriers from Germany’s largest bulk carrier company, Oldendorff Carriers.

The two self-unloading dry cargo transship- forward to reaping the operational rewards of
ment vessels are the first bulk carriers in the Azipod® propulsion, including enhanced vessel
industry to feature Azipod® propulsion. Built at efficiency and increased maneuverability.”
the Chengxi Shipyard in China, both ships are
equipped with complete power and propulsion The Azipod® propulsion advantages
solutions from ABB. Over the course of close to three decades, ABB
has supplied Azipod® units for about 25 vessel
05

The efficient choice types, including icegoing container vessels and

According to Oldendorff, the choice of Azipod® tankers, with the propulsion system accumulat-
electric propulsion system has reduced invest- ing more than 20 million running hours in total.
ment costs dramatically as the vessels are already
equipped with high power generation required The Azipod® propulsion system consists of an
for self-unloading/loading cargo handling. electric drive motor located in a submerged pod
mounted outside the ship’s hull. The propeller
For the Chengxi Shipyard, the project marked is attached directly to the motor, enabling it to
their debut installation of the Azipod® system on rotate 360 degrees, providing enhanced maneu-
any vessel. Mr. Jiafa Jiang, Vice General Manager verability and operating efficiency compared to
of Chenxi Shipyard (Yangzhou) Co., Ltd com- shaftline propulsion systems. The design also
mented: “This was Chengxi Shipyard’s first time frees up cargo space on board, presenting an
installing Azipod® technology, and the process opportunity to boost vessel profitability.
went remarkably smoothly.”
—
Compared to a conventional propulsion system, Azipod® propulsion greatly
Jiang reported that ABB Azipod® propulsion
greatly reduced construction complexity for the
reduces construction complexity.
yard, with its simple design limiting the number Both Azipod® propulsion and diesel-electric
of interfaces required during vessel construction. power management are highly responsive to load
variations, making self-serving cargo ships more
“Collaborating with ABB has been a very positive maneuverable in shallow waters, better able to
—
experience,” added Joern Westfehling, Newbuild- hold station, and more power-efficient during
Azipod® DZ propulsion unit ing Manager, Oldendorff Carriers. "Now we look frequent loading and unloading operations.
AZIPOD® PROPULSION – 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE AT SEA 109

05
110 GENER ATIONS

Looking to the future Bulk carrier vessels can benefit from Azipod®
The global bulk carrier fleet comprises over propulsion in operations demanding relia-
11,000 vessels, and the shipping association BIM- ble performance at maximum efficiency over
CO expects the segment to continue to grow, with extended periods. With the added advantage
over 400 newbuild bulk carriers scheduled for of enhanced maneuverability in shallow har-
launch in the coming years. Shipping intelligence bors with limited space, Azipod® propulsion is
—
21,500-DWT trans-
provider Clarksons Research also projects contin- equipped to meet the future needs of the dry
shipment bulker Calypso ued growth in the global seaborne dry bulk trade. bulk trade.
AZIPOD® PROPULSION – 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE AT SEA 111
 112 GENER ATIONS

—
Moving yachting into a
new era of sustainability
While speed and swank ranked high on the list of priorities for previous
generations of superyacht owners, the most requested features today
relate to sustainability and efficiency, silent operations, and increased
reliability. With proven power savings, quiet performance and a 99.9
percent availability record, Azipod® propulsion checks all the boxes.

From its launch three decades ago, Azipod® In addition to ensuring the highest standards of
propulsion has become a maritime industry comfort onboard, podded electric propulsion
benchmark for environmentally-friendly vessel allows for more flexibility in the overall layout of
technology, with its proven ability to cut fuel the vessel, where the placement of the system can
05

consumption by up to 20 percent compared to be optimally customized.

traditional shaftline propulsion systems.
The first movers
— With 20 years of experience in the superyacht in-
Azipod® propulsion has an dustry, Azipod® propulsion is building an impres-
sive track record in one of the most demanding
impressive track record in the passenger vessel segments.
superyacht segments.
Following the launch of Compact Azipod® pro-
Simply the best pulsion in the beginning of 2000s, MY Ice, built
The attraction of Azipod® propulsion for super- by Lürssen and MY Ambroisa III, built by Benetti
yacht owners lies in a combination of simplicity became the first yachts to be equipped with
and efficiency. An electric motor housed in a pod ABB’s innovative propulsion system, customized
is suspended under the ship’s hull, with the pro- to meet the needs of new vessel segments. Both
peller connected directly to the motor, allowing yachts were delivered in 2005.
the unit to rotate 360 degrees and provide thrust
available in all directions, while minimizing noise The owners of MY Ice had reliable, clean, fuel-effi-
and vibration. cient and silent operations at the top of their list,
making Azipod® propulsion the natural choice.
Silent operations with less vibration enhance Following months of busy operation, Steven Lloyd,
comfort and are key indicators of high quality in Chief Engineer of MY Ice, concluded: “In short, we
vessels. But lower levels of vibration also benefit are very happy with the Compact Azipod® installa-
the vessel itself, with less physical wear on equip- tion and look forward to many more installations
ment and superstructure. in yachts in the very near future.”
 113

Fitting in
Environmentally conscious design features make
yachts a better fit for the most desirable destina-
tions as well, as many of the world’s most pristine
locations are becoming designated as zero car-
bon emissions areas. “For clients seeking unre-
stricted access to the most beautiful parts of the
world, some element of zero-emission operation
will therefore become increasingly critical,” said
James Roy, Managing Director of Lateral Naval
Architects. “In many cases they see the need to
innovate on technology and operate above and
ahead of regulations.”

He points to the increasing importance of alliances

between owners and original equipment manu-
—
Concept illustration of a
The next order for the Compact Azipod® system facturers (OEMs) like ABB in order to achieve this
superyacht powered by followed shortly after for MY Kogo built by Alstom goal: “As the average superyacht becomes larger
Azipod® propulsion
Marine and delivered in 2006, leading to a string and longer, the overlap in power and performance
of orders for the years to come. between yachting, cruise, scientific survey vessels
and naval vessels increases, which is resulting in a
The next wave spread of technology in all directions. This allows
In 2015 ABB signed an order with Benetti for a superyacht builders the option to de-risk custom,
new luxury superyacht, now sailing as MY Lumi- one-off superyachts by using proven systems
nosity, the third of Benetti’s newbuilds with ABB provided by large OEMs.”

05
supplying electrical propulsion and power sys-
tems. The owner selected Azipod® propulsion for Fully served
energy efficiency and passenger comfort. As yachts become more technologically advanced,
and explore remote places further, ABB’s presence
Another milestone followed in 2016, when ABB worldwide becomes more important. ABB takes
signed an order with German builder Nobiskrug care of the yachts with a dedicated aftersales
for the pioneering superyacht Artefact, support- center of excellence placed in the hearth of the
ing them to comply with stricter “Tier III” emissions Mediterranean Sea. With 24/7 availability ABB is
regulations from the International Maritime Organ- able to support the yacht needs with one single
ization then taking effect. ABB supplied Azipod® point of contact and a yacht-minded team at
propulsion, the power distribution system Onboard owner disposal.
DC Grid™ and Power and Energy Management
System (PEMS™) to ensure optimal efficiency. Made for the future
Having been closely involved in the propulsion,
ABB’s debut contract with Dutch luxury yacht automation and control of superyachts for two
builder Oceanco for Azipod® technology, an- decades, the trend as seen from the ABB per-
nounced in 2021, paved the way for broader spective is clear: today’s owners are genuinely
cooperation on sustainable electric propulsion. passionate about the effects of their activities on
“Efficient energy management systems, energy the global environment, leading them to invest in
storage, and advanced propulsion systems are more sustainable and efficient technologies.
considered fundamental to achieving our goal,”
said Remco Jurgens, Naval Architect at Oceanco. The built-in efficiency and flexibility of Azipod®
“We see ABB as a leading supplier and an essential propulsion technology places it firmly at the
partner for future developments.” center of yachting’s new drive to sustainability.
 116 GENER ATIONS

—
Propelling ferries into a sustainable future
Demand for Azipod® propulsion continues to grow in the global
ferry industry, building on success from early installations and
inspired by commitments from shipowners dedicated to moving
passengers and vehicles in the greenest possible way on the water.
Responsible for moving around 2.1 billion “Like cruise, the ferry segment is making the
passengers, 250 million vehicles and 32 million transition from mechanical to electric systems,
trailers every year, ferry owners worldwide are including drives and propulsion, and shipping
increasingly choosing Azipod® electric propulsion companies are now seeing the advantages of
systems. Performance provided by 360-degree podded electric propulsion,” says Marcus Hög-
rotating podded propulsors, high reliability and blom, Head of Passenger Vessel Segment in ABB
reduced fuel consumption are all key factors Marine & Ports.
behind the move. Additionally, lower vibration
05

and the flexibility of design allowed by locating A recent independent study revealed that Azipod®
—
propulsion motors outside, rather than inside the propulsion for ferries could save nearly two mil-
Viking Glory hull, prove compelling for ferry shipowners. lion dollars in annual fuel costs per vessel. Lower
—
Azipod®propulsion
fuel consumption would also mean reducing CO2 by Bohai Train Ferry Co. in China. After 12 years
installed on Viking emissions by around 10,000 tons per ship per of operation, Azipod® propulsion had saved
Glory ferry
year, equivalent to the amount of CO2 emitted by the company over 18,000 tons of fuel. “At that
about 2,200 passenger cars annually. time, ABB’s Azipod® propulsion was frequently
specified for large cruise ships, as operators
— recognized their additional maneuverability and
Azipod® propulsion for ferries can fuel saving benefits, while our smaller units were
dominant in offshore,” said Alf Kåre Ådnanes,
save close to two million dollars in AMEA Regional Division Manager, ABB Marine
annual fuel costs per vessel. & Ports. “The management at what would later
become the Sinorail Bohai Train Ferry Co. Ltd.
Early success in Asia were incredibly forward-looking in their deci-
One of the first contracts for Azipod® propulsion sion to adopt a different technology for their
was for a contra-rotating propeller system on new vessels.”
the Shin Nihonkai Ferry’s vessels Akashia and
Hamanasu, operating in Japan. After several Proving the difference
months of operation, Shin Nihonkai Ferry report- More recently, ABB has contracted to deliver an
ed that the new ferries equipped with Azipod® Azipod® propulsion system for the new Viking
propulsion consumed 20 percent less fuel than Line ferry Viking Glory. Speaking about this ves-
the older ferries in the fleet. sel, Jan Hanses, President and CEO, Viking Line,
said that Viking Line’s expectations were that she
The next ferries equipped with Azipod® propul- would be the most efficient cruise ferry operating
sion were passenger and car vessels operated in the Baltic, if not the world.
118 GENER ATIONS

Viking Line’s decision to opt for the Azipod® sys- part, down to the Azipod® system, which will be
tem came after ABB equipped a virtual model of the driving force behind Viking Glory’s unmatched
Viking Glory with Azipod® propulsion and invited efficiency and sustainability,” said Kari Granberg,
the captain perform the run on a simulator, com- Newbuild Project Manager, Viking Line.
paring it with a conventionally powered ferry. The
captain consistently achieved 30 minutes time Connecting Europe
savings due to increased maneuverability in port. P&O Ferries is currently building two new vessels
This allowed for lower speed in open water, thus at Guangzhou Shipyard International Ltd, with
reducing fuel consumption on the run. ABB supplying electric, digital and connected
solutions including Azipod® propulsion, promis-
— ing to reduce fuel consumption on the Dover-Cal-
Azipod® propulsion allows ship ais route by 40 percent, or one ton of fuel on each
round-trip journey. “We are proud to have ABB
designers to save both space technology at the heart of P&O Ferries’ sustaina-
and weight, while reaping the bility program, as it transitions to zero-emission
future envisaged for shipping,” said Juha Koskela,
benefits of superior Division President, ABB Marine & Ports.
operational performance.
Equipped with four Azipod® propulsion units
“Environmental responsibility and passenger per vessel, the 230 meter-long ships will be the
— experience are two cornerstones of our work, and largest passenger and freight ferries ever to sail
P&O Ferries' new vessels
will be equipped with
Viking Glory will reflect those principles more the route when they enter service in 2023. Built to
four Azipod® units each than any Viking ship before it. This is, in no small double-ended design, the vessels will feature two
 AZIPOD® PROPULSION – 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE AT SEA 119

Azipod® units and a bridge at each end, eliminat- We calculated likely annual time savings of close
ing the need to turn ships in port. The captain and to four days of operation, which was compelling.
senior officers will simply walk to the opposite The solution also saves valuable space on board
bridge, saving seven minutes on each leg of the and simplifies hull construction.”
journey and one ton of fuel – a sixth of what is
used on the 21-mile crossing.
—
Azipod® propulsion is emerging
Tackling an icy environment
Wasaline underscored the growing preference
as the most efficient solution for
for Azipod® electric propulsion with its 2019 the future of ferries.
newbuild order for what is being called one of the
world’s most environmentally friendly passenger The future of ferries
ferries, sailing a route prone to ice cover in the “Azipod® propulsion allows ship designers to save
winter months. “We chose ABB’s Azipod® electric both space and weight, while reaping the benefits
—
Azipod® propulsion
propulsion for several reasons,” said Peter Ståhl- of superior operational performance,” Högblom
installation on berg, Wasaline CEO. “Superior maneuverability concludes. “For these reasons and more, Azipod®
Wasaline's Aurora Botnia
ferry at Rauma shipyard
will save time and increase productivity, enabling propulsion is emerging as the most efficient solu-
in Finland precise schedules to be maintained on this route. tion for the future of ferries.”
 120 GENER ATIONS

—
Conquering ice
Where winters are harshest, the toughest
technology is required for marine operations
to continue uninterrupted during the frozen
months. For 30 years, Azipod® propulsion
has proven to be up to the task, keeping
harbors open and moving goods and
people through the most challenging sea ice
conditions on the planet.

A revolution from the start, Azipod® technolo-

gy has continued to break new ground, or ice,
05

throughout its lifetime. More than 90 icegoing

vessels equipped with Azipod® propulsion are
sailing today, representing a steadily evolving
series of innovations in power and performance.

Icegoing ships powered by Azipod® propulsion can

operate with the so-called double-acting ship ca-
pabilities, running ahead in open water and astern
in heavy ice conditions. Propellers mill the under-
water part of the ice ridge to open a passage; wa-
ter flow generated by the propeller flushes the hull,
allowing the ship to move ahead with ease. This
capability allows ships to navigate in ice-covered
seas without icebreaker assistance, while keeping
higher speeds and consuming less power.

“Vessels with fuel-efficient Azipod® propulsion

can keep ice channels open more effectively than
conventional icebreakers with shaftline propul-
sion, allowing ships following behind to use less
fuel as well. Emitting zero pollutants to the sea,
Azipod® propulsion leaves nothing in its wake
—
Azipod® icebreaking
but open water,” said Sakari Sorsimo, Head of Ice
propulsion Segment, ABB Marine & Ports.
 122 GENER ATIONS

Conceived for the cold crossing in 19 days without the aid of an icebreak-
The idea of a steerable propulsion unit was con- er in 2017. “ABB Azipod® propulsion strongly con-
ceived in Finland in the 1970s, primarily with ice- tributed to the vessel’s successful passage while
breaking in mind. Ice tests at Kvaerner Masa Yards facing some of the world’s most challenging ice
in Helsinki helped engineers to understand the ad- conditions,” said Igor Tonkovidov, President and
vantages that steerable propulsion could provide Chief Executive Officer, Sovcomflot, SCF Group.
to icegoing vessels, in addition to icebreakers.
In 2020 ABB extended its string of orders to
The icegoing waterway service vessel Seili be- the Arctic LNG trade, with a contract to deliver
came the first ship to be powered by Azipod® power and propulsion to six new LNG carriers for
propulsion in 1991. In 1993, the tanker Uikku was transporting gas along the Northern Sea Route.
fitted with Azipod® propulsion. Thanks to her Scheduled to enter service in 2023, each of the six
remarkable icebreaking capabilities, she became newbuild ARC7 class vessels will feature a trio of
the first non-Soviet merchant vessel to navigate the largest and most powerful Azipod® propul-
the entire Northern Sea Route in 1997. sion units ever supplied for ships operating in ice.
Each propulsion system will have a total capacity
Enticed by the success of Uikku, the Russian of 51 MW, which is comparable to a nuclear-pow-
mining company Norilsk Nickel began investigat- ered icebreaker.
ing use of icebreaking bulk ships to avoid costly
icebreaker escort fees. Investment in the new The Northern Sea Route represents one of
technology paid off, eliminating the need for the planet’s vital shipping arteries. Offering
icebreaker assistance when they entered service 30 percent faster passage than the southern
in 2006. Europe-Asia alternative via the Suez Canal, the
Arctic alternative is attractive for the fuel and
Further technical and commercial developments emission savings it offers.
followed, and in a milestone contract in 2014, ABB
has secured an order to supply electrical power
—
05

and propulsion systems for a fleet of 15 specially Emitting zero pollutants to the
designed tankers transporting liquefied natural
gas (LNG) year-round from one of Russia’s most
sea, Azipod® propulsion leaves
significant export developments in a generation – nothing in its wake but open water.
Yamal LNG.
Groundbreaking icebreakers
— The fleet’s 300-meter Christophe de Margerie, Dubbed “the world’s most environmentally friend-
Shturman Albanov
powered by Azipod®
the world’s first icebreaking LNG carrier operat- ly icebreaker” upon its commissioning in 2017, Po-
propulsion ed by Sovcomflot, made the Northern Sea Route laris, the world’s first icebreaker powered by LNG,
was equipped with three Azipod® thrusters, two
on the stern and one in the bow. Polaris Master
Pasi Järvelin praised the vessel’s performance af-
ter its first months at sea: “Polaris is much more
agile than any other icebreaker. This is not only
due to the dual aft Azipod® thrusters, but also the
bow-mounted Azipod® unit, which has proven to
be an excellent aid for maneuvering in ice.”

In 2018 the Xue Long 2 research vessel became

the first icebreaker to be built entirely in China,
equipped with Azipod® propulsion. “Two key
goals for the Xue Long 2 were maximum flexibility
and durability,” said Rong Huang, Chief Engineer
and Designer of the Polar Research Institute of
—
Azipod® propulsion in
China. Speaking about Azipod® propulsion, he Equally popular on the other side of the Atlantic,
icebreaker Polaris added that the system ensured the new vessel’s in 2019 ABB secured a contract equip the first
ability to carry out her missions in varying Arctic US Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (PSC) with
and Antarctic ice conditions “with the highest Azipod® propulsion. The new vessel represents a
possible regularity.” continuation of 15 years successful operational
experience from the USCG Great Lakes Icebreaker
Equipped with twin 5MW Azipod® icebreaking Mackinaw, equipped with two Azipod® units.
units, in 2019 the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel
KV Svalbard became the first ever Azipod-pow- —
ered ship to reach the North Pole, on a mission to
map changing water temperatures in the Arctic.
Polaris is much more agile than
“Keep in mind that this is the region with the any other icebreaker.
most extreme ice conditions on the planet. The
success of the mission was a major accomplish- Proven performance, sustainable future
ment given the physical and environmental pa- The fuel and emissions-saving capabilities of
rameters,” stated Andreas Kjøl of the Norwegian Azipod® electric propulsion have made it the
Coastal Administration. technology of choice for icegoing and icebreaking
vessels for 30 years.
"We were able to navigate through the Arctic
waters and reach the North Pole faster than we “We are committed to supporting the growing
thought possible," reported Ottar Haugen, Norwe- Arctic maritime industries with our unparalleled
gian Coast Guard commander. “This was a signif- technology that has over the years proven to
icant milestone for us and a proof that we have a enable safe, sustainable operations and ensures
vessel in our fleet equipped with a robust propul- year-round transportation of cargoes across the
sion system that enables operations in the harsh- Northern Sea Route,” confirms Juha Koskela, Divi-
est ice conditions – all the way to the North Pole." sion President of ABB Marine & Ports.
—
Shuttle tanker Vasily
Dinkov equipped with
Azipod® propulsion
—
06
Technical insight

Icebreaking LNG carriers:

Propulsion solutions enabling efficient
operations of today and tomorrow
—
128–141

Electric passenger ferries:

Future charging infrastructure
—
142–157

Safer, more efficient ship

performance with OCTOPUS
—
158–163

Automated excellence:
Driving efficiency with ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot
—
164–165

Detecting obstacles from cameras in open seas

—
166–173
GNSS-free navigation:
Resilient and accurate vessel positioning
with radar and digital elevation models
—
174–183

Electric power:
Opportunities for cost guard and navy vessels
—
184–185

Fuel cells in commercial marine applications

—
186–191

Improved PEMFC performance

using zig-zag path of flow channel
—
192–198
 128 GENER ATIONS

—
Icebreaking LNG carriers
Propulsion solutions enabling efficient
operations of today and tomorrow
Since 2007, traffic volumes in the arctic seas have increased substantially,
especially in the North-East Passage following the development of major
oil and gas projects. In development of icebreaking liquefied natural
gas (LNG) tankers, the selection of propulsion system plays a major role
determining vessel performance, safety and icebreaking capability.
SAMULI HANNINEN The recent success of the Yamal LNG project has loading on machinery systems and components.
Key Account Director
ABB Marine & Ports led to accelerated development of new arctic Podded propulsion solutions have played a major
LNG projects, such as Arctic LNG2. This paper role on Arctic ship projects, making these chal-
MATKO BARISIC
Technology Manager will introduce selected operational results from lenging projects technically and economically fea-
Marine Software the revolutionary icebreaking LNG carriers with sible. The latest findings and unique results from
Development Center
ABB Marine & Ports modern azimuth propulsion systems. Arctic LNG carriers represent valuable informa-
tion in the development of future Arctic energy
TORSTEN HEIDEMAN
ABB Marine & Ports This paper describes the methodology for using transportation in the Northern hemisphere.
remote diagnostics systems (RDS) onboard
06

KRZYSZTOF GOLDON
R&D Senior Engineer ice-going LNG carriers to continually record, Hydrocarbon transportation in ice infested waters
Marine Software consolidate, upload, and analyze ice breaking Historically, most oil shipments in ice conditions
Development Center
ABB Marine & Ports propulsion performance. We will further de- were to supply communities in the North or the
scribe how vessel operational experience and Antarctic research stations. These operations
SAMPO VIHERIALEHTO
Sales Manager RDS data can be used in development of ice- were normally executed during the summer
ABB Marine & Ports breaking LNG carrier propulsion design and months with or without the assistance of ice-
PIRJO MAATTANEN product development. breakers. Shipping companies generally used the
Senior Engineer tankers they had on hand, and hardly any pur-
Structural Mechanics
ABB Marine & Ports Special attention will be given to the propulsion pose-built vessels were constructed.
system of a large Arctic LNG carrier equipped
with three 15,000 kW azimuth thruster units. The first Arctic oil was discovered on the North
These propulsion devices help shipowners to Slope of Alaska in the late 1950s. This large
access opportunities in the Arctic region by deposit sparked rapid development in many
providing safe and reliable operation. The paper sectors of the oil industry, and two different oil
will highlight some of the key findings from ship export schemes were investigated. One was the
machinery using data collected with RDS and pipeline across Alaska from Prudhoe Bay on the
further analyzed by an engineer specializing in ice North Slope to Valdez in the south of Alaska. The
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 129

other was tanker shipment along the North West will certainly not guarantee that the ship can reach
passage through the Canadian Arctic. that location or sail that route. It is up to the owner
or operator to specify performance requirements,
The shipping alternative was thoroughly inves- allowing the vessel designer to determine the ap-
tigated by the converting of an existing tanker, propriate power level. The Russian Register, RMRS,
the SS Manhattan, the largest commercial vessel and the Finnish-Swedish Ice Class Rules are the
under the US flag at that time, into a highly only regimes with requirements for vessel power.
sophisticated icebreaking tanker, and by ice
model tests in Finland. The old bow was removed Lessons learned from SS Manhattan showed
and replaced by an extreme icebreaking bow. that required icebreaking performance can
The remaining hull and propulsion system were be obtained with a good icebreaking bow and
extensively strengthened for ice operations. The sufficient propulsion power, at least to a certain
modified vessel was delivered in 1969. extent. As vessel size and performance require-
ments increase, traditional thinking eventually
In the summer of 1969, SS Manhattan made its comes up short.
way through the North West passage from the
east and reached Prudhoe Bay to receive one The Double Acting principle
symbolic barrel of oil to bring back to the US east In the history of icebreaking, the effectiveness of
coast, escorted by US and Canadian icebreakers. having at least one propeller in the bow has long
The following summer the vessel made a second been recognized. In 1888, the railroad ferry SS St
experimental voyage along the same passage. Ignace commenced service on the Mackinac strait
between the Upper and Lower Michigan peninsu-
The main lesson learned from these voyages was las. The wooden vessel had one propeller in the
that Arctic navigation was feasible with a good aft and one in the bow. It operated for more than
icebreaking bow and high power. However, the oil a decade and served as an example for designers
company decided in favor of the pipeline option of icebreakers in Europe. In fact, the sub-arctic
and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was built. Baltic icebreakers stem from SS St Ignace, after
Finnish designers visited the vessel around the
Despite promising discoveries in the Canadian turn of the century.
Beaufort Sea, no further commercially viable
Arctic oil export has taken place in North Ameri- Icebreaking tests with Baltic icebreakers in the
ca. Focus shifted to the Soviet Union when oil was 1970s revealed that ice resistance decreased
discovered first on offshore Sakhalin and later in when more power was distributed to the bow
the Pechora Sea. These events actually meant the propellers. In theory the ultimate icebreaker

06
launch of Arctic oil and gas shipping, and were would have 100 percent power in the bow. In prac-
soon followed by shipment systems for the Novi tice this is not feasible since such a vessel would
Port oil and LNG from the Bay of Ob. be difficult to steer in the desired direction and it
would be very inefficient in open water transit.
Ice class and icebreaking performance
All major classification societies have adopted The advent of the azimuth thruster with pulling
IACS UR for Arctic vessels. The IACS rules focus propeller was a true game changer for icebreak-
on the structural integrity of the vessel, both hull ing technology. Now it was possible to fully utilize
and propulsion, but leave the questions of power the combination of full power at the stern when
and icebreaking performance to the discretion of running astern, with good performance going
the owners and designers. Not all those involved ahead. This method of operation is called Double
in Arctic shipping are aware of this fact. When Acting (DA). The main idea behind DA is to opti-
relating ice class to ice performance, the question mize the stern for icebreaking in difficult ice con-
is often, “Which ice class do we need to go to go ditions, and the bow for various other conditions.
there?” This is only half the truth, in the sense that This might mean a bulbous bow for good open
a certain location or route will require a certain ice water performance, or an extreme icebreaking
class at a certain time of the year, but the ice class bow for breaking multi-year ice.
 130 GENER ATIONS

The podded propulsion prototype with 1.3 MW of berthing of a vessel. The time saved can be used to
power was retrofitted to the fairway service vessel increase the transportation capacity of a vessel, or
Seili in 1990, which first entered service in 1991. to achieve fuel savings through slower vessel speed.
The first commercial applications included the ret-
rofitting of two Finnish 1A Super tankers, MT Uik- Ice management
ku and MT Lunni in the early 1990s. These vessels There are several ice management tasks that can
were extensively tested in both Northern Baltic be efficiently performed using the wake from
and Arctic conditions, and they fully revealed the azimuth propulsion, for example:
superior icebreaking performance of DA vessels • Clearing hummocked ice and breaking ice ridges
running astern in difficult ice conditions. • Freeing a beset vessel without external
icebreaker assistance by manipulating vectored
The improved performance can perhaps best be thrust, enabling autonomous operations
illustrated by a trial where MT Lunni had penetrat- • Breaking and clearing moving pack ice
ed through a grounded ridge field in the Northern • Clearing an ice channel behind a vessel
Baltic running astern. The vessel was not able • Clearing ice from around hull of the vessel
to return through the broken track running bow • Clearing ice from between the vessel and a
first, despite having a very good icebreaking bow. secondary object
(Heideman, 1996). • Widening the ice channel behind the vessel

Considerations on selecting a propulsion system Auxiliary icebreakers

for Arctic hydrocarbon transportation Vessels with azimuth thrusters have proven to be
Icebreaking projects vary greatly according to capable of navigating independently in difficult
environmental requirements and operational ice conditions. This reduces or eliminates the
demands. When evaluating and comparing alterna- need for auxiliary icebreakers, resulting in savings
tive propulsion systems for a ship project, the to- on both investment and operating cost of the
tal operation of the fleet should be taken into con- fleet. The use of auxiliary icebreakers should
sideration. The performance of an individual ship be evaluated against the project’s operational
in the given ice conditions is naturally the basis requirements. Feasibility varies between projects.
for such an evaluation. The following topics should For example, if port operations are significant,
be included as part of the Arctic fleet evaluation: and the port facility is by nature prone to difficult
• Icebreaker assistance requirements for the fleet ice concentrations, a port icebreaker should be
• Icebreaker availability considered. In other cases, overall investment and
• Operational aspects of low load operation of operating costs are optimized with purpose-built
the machinery vessels able to operate independently in all con-
06

• Hull form performance in both open water and ditions without icebreakers. It should be noted
ice conditions that for vessels with more than 40m of beam, two
icebreakers per vessel are typically required for
The following topics relate to an individual Arctic successful assistance. The rate for one medium
vessel and fleet from the point of power plant and size icebreaker can be in the order of USD 30,000/
propulsion system selection. day, meaning investment in a more ice-capable
vessel design may well be justified.
Maneuvering in ice
The maneuverability of the vessel with azimuthing Fuel consumption and exhaust emissions
propulsion is superior compared to normal rudder Due to a reduced need for installed power, the
and shaft line vessel. This makes tactical ice nav- fuel consumption of an azimuth thruster vessel
igation, following leads, and other ship duties in is considerably lower than with shaft-line propul-
ice safer and more efficient. sion. Depending on vessel design and propulsion
configuration, fuel consumption with podded
Harbor maneuvering in ice covered waters drive can be reduced by up to 20 percent. With
Azimuth thrust can be used to clear ice between the electric power plant principle, diesel engine
the pier and the ship, allowing considerably faster loading can be kept closer to optimum. This will
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 131

lead to reduced specific fuel consumption by the Efficiency and seaworthiness in open water
diesel engines, resulting in lower emissions. With azimuth thrusters and the DAT concept, the
bow shape can be optimized for open water oper-
Cargo capacity per vessel ation, leading to reduced resistance and improved
Podded propulsion and its auxiliary equipment seakeeping characteristics. An extreme icebreak-
arrangement have a smaller footprint than shaft ing bow, long with a small stem angle, can be
line propulsion vessels. Therefore the same size highly vulnerable in open water conditions due to
ship can be designed for more cargo capacity, slamming loads in heavy weather. The benefit of
increasing transportation capacity and making it reduced resistance can be used for a higher open
feasible to reduce speed during the voyage. water speed or reduced fuel consumption.

Ship hull form performance When designing the icebreaking capacity of a

Icebreakers have traditionally been designed ship, the following criteria should be considered:
to strike a balance between icebreaking perfor- • Operational profile determining how much of
mance and open water seakeeping ability. The re- the time a vessel is expected to operate in ice
quirement for open water operations is weighed • Prevailing ice conditions
against time used in icebreaking. As an example, • Maximum ice conditions that may be
some icebreakers designed solely for Baltic ice- reasonably expected
breaking are unable to safely make sea voyages • Availability of icebreaking assistance
even with moderate wind conditions of +15m/s. • Required open water transits
On the other hand, some multipurpose icebreak- • Cargo carrying capacity and vessel dimensions
ers are designed mostly for operation in open • Geographical and climate requirements, such as
water, but with limited icebreaking capability. polar service temperature
Azimuth propeller thrust gives the vessel design- • Maritime treaty obligations like Polar Code, ISM
er the possibility to incorporate both excellent and SOLAS
icebreaking capabilities and seakeeping in open • Classification society selection and requirements
water into the design. This is the DAS or Double
Acting Ship concept. Power requirement
Due to more efficient ice and open water hull
DAT – Double Acting Tanker characteristics for DAT with azimuth propulsion,
The DAT concept is a design principle for ice- the comparative power requirement in some cas-
breaking vessels where the vessel bow and hull es can be 50 percent of the shaftline version. This
shape are optimized to meet operational re- will lead to considerable cost and space savings
quirements. DAT design allows for the bow of the on machinery, as total installed power and auxilia-

06
vessel to be optimized for open water operations ries are significantly reduced.
and very good sea keeping, while the aft of the
ship is optimized for icebreaking. The vessel nor- Ridge and rubble performance
mally moves bow first in open water and easy ice Ridge and ice rubble penetration capacity is
conditions. When the ice becomes more difficult far better for DAT than for traditional bow-first
to force, the vessel is turned around and pro- operation, since the ice resistance can be up to
ceeds astern. Azimuth propulsion has the unique 50 percent less when going astern. Penetrating
capability of having the greatest icebreaking hummocks and ridges in difficult ice conditions
efficiency when the pod units are pulling the ship. places great demands on ship design. When a
The propulsor wake flushes the hull and greatly vessel is breaking ice, it uses both the hull shape
enhances icebreaking performance. At the same and thrust to force the ice. When the resistance
time the rotating pods allow for precise control of a ridge formation exceeds the power output,
of the vessel when moving astern. The podded the vessels comes to a stop. If the ridge must be
propulsion configuration also allows the aft to be forced, traditional icebreakers reverse to create a
designed specifically for icebreaking. These oper- path used to accelerate and ram the ice features
ational features are not achievable with conven- bow first. This operation is violent and offers
tional shaftline propulsion. only one option for the bow shape. With DAT, the
132 GENER ATIONS

vessel enters the ridge aft first and manipulates gas brings together long endurance and low emis-
the pods repeatedly. In this way the vessel enters sions. LNG dual fuel engines emit methane, or
the ridge without the need for ramming. methane slip. This occurs mostly in high dynamic
load variations of power. Icebreaking is good
Novel fuels and carbon emission targets example of this. Load bank or battery energy stor-
Many shipowners have decided to build their new age can greatly reduce methane slip and enhance
vessels to work with dual fuel, and this it is of icebreaking capability. In the following, the results
—
Varandey Tanker MT
course a natural choice for an icebreaking LNG of Ice Mode control and load bank enhancing per-
Vasily Dinkov carrier. The combination of marine diesel and LNG formance of Arctic LNG Carriers are introduced.
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 133

Double Acting Tanker references and of Ob in 2017. Several shipping companies have
operational experience acquired a total of 15 LNG carriers of the same
The international breakthrough for the DA con- design for shipment. The 170,000 cbm DA tankers
cept came in 2006, when the mining company each have three 15 MW azimuth propulsion units.
Norilsk Nickel took delivery of the first of five In 2019 the consortium added two 50,000 dwt
ordered containerized bulk DA carriers for the twin thruster DA condensate carriers with 2 x 11
transport of ore from Dudinka on the Yenisey MW pods to the fleet. In 2020, ALNG2, also led
River. The company was aiming for independent by Novatek, placed an order for six optional LNG
navigation along the Western Part of the Northern carriers with a somewhat improved design. A dis-
Sea Route, without the assistance of icebreakers. cussion of operational results of these Arctic LNG
The ice trial results, Wilkman G. (2007) and 15 Carriers follows.
years operational experience have proven the con-
cept. The transport system was a success, largely Arctic tankers for the Yamal LNG project
due to the DA concept, and paved the way for the Arctic tankers and LNG carriers have been in the
concept in the development of the hydrocarbon forefront of adopting new propulsion technology
transportation in the Russian Arctic. over the last decade. The driver for change has
been the difficult environmental conditions pres-
As mentioned earlier, in 1993 and 1994 the Finnish ent in the area of operation. In this chapter we
Neste tankers MT Uikku and MT Lunni were retro- discuss the propulsion solutions used in the fleet
fitted with azimuth thrusters providing 11.4 MW of tankers and LNG carriers operating along the
of power. Since they were retrofits, the propul- Northern Sea Route (NSR).
sion units were the pushing type, meaning that
the propeller was situated behind the propulsion Arctic waters present unique ice condition char-
motor inside the pod. The vessels have been acteristics. Sea ice conditions vary greatly, with
operating until recently in the Arctic Ocean for the ever-changing environments. For icebreaking,
Murmansk Shipping company. In 2001 and 2002 this offers unique challenges. Sea ice in the Arctic
Fortum (formerly Neste) took delivery of two Afra- is also a mix of drift ice and multiyear inclusions.
max 1A Super ice class tankers, MT Tempera and Ice on the open sea is always moving. Experience
MT Mastera. The vessels were equipped with a shows that ice movement ranges from 0.1 knots
single, pulling type azimuth propeller with 16 MW to 1.3 knots, Vainio J. (2002). When the ice is
of power. These two vessels were the first tankers packed against a land mass or fast-ice pack, the
to fully utilize the DAT concept. combination of wind and ice movement creates
ice pressure. This pressure in turn forms differ-
Three 70,000 dwt twin podded propulsion DA ent ice features. In a level ice field, the pressure

06
tankers with propulsion power of 2 x 10 MW were begins to crack and bend the ice, creating ridges
delivered to Sovcomflot between 2007 and 2009 and hummocks. If the ambient air temperature is
for Lukoil’s Varandey offloading terminal in the well below freezing, the hummocks consolidate
Pechora Sea. They were soon followed by two and become very difficult to force. Where swell
70,000 dwt twin podded propulsion DA tankers for and wind work against the ice edge, the result is
Prirazlomnoye project in the Pechora Sea in 2009 different. Here drift ice is ground into shuga by
and 2010, with 2 x 8.5 MW of propulsion power. wave energy, creating brash ice barriers. If the
temperatures are well below freezing, the brash
In 2011 Norilsk Nickel took delivery of an 18,500 ice barrier eventually consolidates into floes that
dwt DA tanker based on the same hull and are very difficult to force.
propulsion as the bulk carriers. During 2016 and
2017, Sovcomflot received six 42,000 dwt twin DA The NSR presents an environment where the
tankers for the Noviy Port oil export terminal, 2 x prevalent ice is moderate to heavy first year ice.
11 MW of power. The NSR is also very shallow, with a dynamic river
output producing characteristic river ice intru-
The Yamal LNG consortium led by Novatek started sion. However, the NSR also typically offers large
to produce LNG in Sabetta located on the Bay ice features of multi-year-ice (MYI), Chai, W (2020).
 134 GENER ATIONS

It is this combination that requires vessels oper- However, the strict requirements for operating
ating along the NSR to be equipped with suffi- vessels along the NSR have been designed to prevent
cient power and dimensions to operate in difficult this, and to create a level playing field. Tanker and
brash ice and shuga conditions with inclusions of LNG operations along the NSR represented a
MYI features. departure from this, in that the operators chose
to invest in tonnage able to operate independently.
It can be argued that without thruster technology,
the LNG operations in these ice conditions might Christophe de Margerie was the first of Yamal
not have been economically feasible. Azimuth LNG fleet’s LNG carriers, total 15 vessels. The first
propulsion is able to direct the thrust vector, and vessel was delivered in 2017. The entire fleet was
combined with the DAT principle, to flush the in operation by 2019. As of February 2020, they
vessel hull when moving astern in difficult ice have delivered 30 million tons of LNG from Sabet-
conditions. The advent of DAT and podded pro- ta to Europe and Asia, Figure 1.
pulsion were key enablers in independent vessel
operations along the NSR. With conventional Some cargoes from Arctic tankers are transferred
propulsion, the fleet would be required to rely on ship-to-ship in the Barents Sea, near Murmansk, to
external icebreaking assistance to a large degree. open water LNG tankers. This optimizes the trans-
The operational requirements for this solution fer operation, where a high ice class arctic tanker
lead to both increased investment and operating operates in demanding conditions, and the open
costs (CAPEX and OPEX). water voyage can be made with lighter vessels.

Arctic countries provide line icebreaking as a The Yamal LNG fleet has operated continuously
public payable or free service for all commercial since 2017 from Sabetta to Europe, and in the
cargo transport. As such, government icebreakers summer months, via the NSR to Asia. Previously
are not well suited to support single operations it was possible to operate the NSR only for four
on a continuous basis. By contrast, icebreaking summer months using icebreaker assistance.
services provided by nation states require Ships employing new technology have now ena-
commercial tonnage to be of sufficiently high ice bled operation for a longer period. In addition,
class. Free-riding is a tempting path for managers ice conditions in recent years have been lighter
chartering tonnage for their company’s operations. than usual.
06

Murmansk
Transshipment
terminal

Yamal LNG
Kamchatka
Arctic LNG2
Transshipment
terminal

Northern Sea Route Westbound

—
Figure 1: Yamal LNG
Northern Sea Route Eastbound
shipping routes
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 135

Yamal Arctic LNG Carriers have made few voyages The ship was operating stern first for most of the
on the NSR Eastbound, the latest in May 2020 and voyage in ice. Parallel to this, two other Yamal LNG
January 2021. In May 2020 a Russian nuclear ice- tankers were sailing the NSR. All three were sailing
breaker provided assistance. In January 2021, one independently without icebreaker assistance. One
— of the vessels sailed independently from Sabetta purpose of the voyages was to study year-round
Arctic LNG Carrier
operating stern first
to Asia. The voyage from Sabetta to the Bering operation or at least extending the sailing period
in ice Strait took 11 days, with an average speed of 9.5 kn. for the Eastern NSR route.
 136 GENER ATIONS

The following is a description of some of Arctic prime mover, the internal combustion engine
LNG carrier technical features that secure safe (ICE). Since impedance on the electrical load-side
and successful operation along the NSR. of the generation sets in question is reduced, this
is reflected on the gen-set’s mechanical side as a
Ice Mode as a control technology for making precipitous decrease of the loading torque on the
gas-fuelled icebreaking performance more robust mechanical axle linking the generator and the ICE.
In addition to the previously mentioned advan- When this happens, given steady-state throttle
tages of podded electrical propulsion in icebreak- opening of the ICE effective for the conditions on
ing conditions, the control of propulsion on such the electrical propulsion network for the imme-
systems is achieved by controlling fast-acting diately preceding conditions, the rpm of the axle
electrical quantities and flows of electrical power. increases precipitously. As a result the governors
The fast-acting nature of such control loops, will decrease the throttle opening, eventually
and the proper dimensioning of solid-state and bringing the system back into balance.
rotating electrical machinery through which the
electrical power flows for mechanical effect, The issue is the fast-acting nature of the electri-
provides further benefits that are impossible to cal load change, which can be a liability in boiloff
achieve with purely mechanical propulsion. One gas-fueled prime mover ICEs. In such dual-fed
such benefit is Ice Mode functionality. This is a ICEs, governors operate in two distinct modes,
networked, decentralized control function that with the gas-fed mode featuring constrained
performs synchronization of electrical power throttle-up and throttle-down curves, due to
flows across multiple propulsion line-ups, i.e. boiloff gas having lower specific energies than
in cases where there is more than one electrical marine diesel oil (MDO). Lower specific energy
drive onboard. In the case of the Yamal LNG pro- of fuel means in turn that the ICE fed with such
ject, this function acts to unify power flow control fuel will stall out and shut down if the throttle is
over the three line-ups for the central and side operated as dynamically as with MDO feeding.
propulsion units. This function increases the ro- Therefore, if the governors detect the need to re-
bustness of the total electrical propulsion system duce the throttle more intensely than allowed by
when acting in a closed bus-bars regime, against the gas-fed throttle-down curves, they will in du-
stall-outs of electrical motors with rigid connec- al-fueled configurations automatically switch to
tion to the ice-milling propellers, which other- the more energetic fuel, MDO, and proceed on the
wise can cause serious power imbalances. Such more liberal curves. Since such events, consisting
power imbalances are caused momentarily on the of rapid intermittent reductions in the power load
electrical side of the electrical propulsion system of the electrical power system, are common in
by a near-instantaneous drop in the amount of heavy-duty icebreaking, in classical installations
06

electrical power that an electrical motor used for this would mean very common surreptitious
ship propulsion via rigid coupling to a propeller switch-over to MDO, rather than proceeding to
can consume. This is caused by the mechanical break ice while consuming boil-off gas, which
obstruction of the propeller by ice too thick to mill would ruin the economy of an icebreaking LNG
in heavy icebreaking conditions, when pods are carrier’s High Arctic transit.
used for active ice-milling in the front-facing, pull-
ing configuration. As a result of the rigid coupling In the case of the Yamal LNG project, ABB has
of the propeller to the rotor, the motor’s function installed further safeguards and followed the
is reduced to that of a transformer, and the effec- “Swiss Cheese” safety model approach in order
tive impedance. Therefore the ability to dissipate to greatly improve the ability to perform heavy
power by incoming currents fed by the electrical ice breaking while the ICEs continue in gas-fed
drive is reduced to negligible amounts. regime. The first safeguard is the rating of the
installed ACS6000 heavy-duty medium voltage
In legacy and competitive solutions to the one drives for intermittent 180 percent nominal
delivered in the Yamal LNG project, the resolu- torque delivery. A fast-acting control loop, acting
tion of such power imbalance is relegated to the on electrical and digital quantities (indirect torque
governors supplied by the manufacturer of the measurement through current measurement,
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 137

acting on pulse widths for individual thyristor ice that the propeller is biting into while ice-mill-
firing), upon detecting rpm reduction in the motor, ing is greater than 180 percent nominal, Ice Mode
will increase the amount of torque provided to functionality kicks in.
the motor, with the goal of matching the increased
loading torque on the propeller by the ice stalling Ice Mode can be conceived as the “middle” barrier
its rotation. If the loading torque provided by the in the Swiss Cheese model in Figure 2. Its purpose
is to provide further robustness of the electrical
—
Figure 2: Swiss Cheese
Ice breaking Blackout system, before relying on the ICE governors, to
model of critical level out the load-side power consumption. It is
propeller stall-outs while
ice-breaking
enabled by installation of additional DC chopper
modules in the electrical propulsion main drives
on the line intended to “bleed” counter-direction
currents into a braking resistors bank. These
Propeller Drive torque Governor Fuel allow the control of currents in the DC link of
dimensioning dimensioning action switch-over
the electrical drives, in effect allowing the fine
Classical layers of safety for ice-breaking with gas-powered prime
control, rather than safety through passive proper
movers and electrical propulsion
dimensioning, of the loads dissipated on indi-
Ice breaking Blackout
vidual braking resistor banks. Ice Mode function,
implemented as a coordinated, decentralized
function of the three separate propulsion control
solutions in charge of their own electrical propul-
sion line-up in Figure 3, therefore has access to a
total of six electrical quantities that it can use to
balance the electrical load of the total system.
Propeller Drive torque Governor Fuel
— dimensioning dimensioning action switch-over
Figure 3: Electric
propulsion line-up
Ice Mode For each line-up, the Ice Mode function can
topology Introduction of Ice Mode for increased safety, robustness, and performance command both the power shunted to the braking
 138 GENER ATIONS

resistor bank, or inject an excess power (power are over-used in this load balancing strategy, they
boost) signal to the requested power to be loaded are soon interlocked on grounds of overheating,
onto each of the pods. Since these six channels for safety reasons. To avoid this scenario, the Ice
of action are all electrical quantities, they out- Mode function starts commanding the propul-
pace the dynamics with which the imbalance is sion control units in parallel on all the pods that
ordinarily converted to the mechanical side of the are not experiencing stall-out events to load up
gen-sets as increase in generator axle rotation more power than commanded by control levers
(which is what the ICE governors will act on). Ice on the bridge. In use cases where Ice Mode is
Mode effectively combines the three braking re- typically active, the exact amount of power with
sistor banks, one in each line-up of the Yamal LNG which each pod is loaded, especially in the short
carriers, into one virtual power “pool” that can be term, is not particularly important, as the vessel
used to offset the imbalance, and all non-stalling is moving slowly while icebreaking, and already
propellers (either two in the case of one pod stall- experiencing a highly dynamic power regime on
ing during ice-milling, or one if two are stalling the propellers.
simultaneously) as another such “pool”. The ac-
tion of Ice Mode vs. the action of only governors While this is ongoing, Ice Mode is aware of the
when stalling events due to ice are encountered is amount of power by which the generation can be re-
presented conceptually in Figure 4. duced following the safe throttle-down slope for the
ICE prime movers burning boiloff gas, and will leave
The power of the Ice Mode function comes from the safe amount of excess generated power uncon-
the interplay of the two available pools of load sumed on the network, such that the governors will,
that are managed and coordinated in order to following their standard functionality, ramp the
stabilize conditions on the electrical propulsion prime movers down safely and appropriately.
network. The braking resistor banks are sol-
id-state devices that can quickly act to stabilize A pronounced example of Ice Mode action in the
the load conditions, by consuming appreciable case of stall-out of two out of the three propellers
currents and dissipating the electrical energy as available to Yamal LNG carriers is provided in Fig-
heat. However, they are limited in the amount of ure 5. These events are rare, even during intense
power they can instantaneously consume com- icebreaking activity, characterized by cumulative
pared to the large electrical motors of the podded statistics of overtorque spikes on the propulsion
propulsion units. drives provided in Figure 6, and identified in the
datasets by the blue high kurtosis component
Additionally, resistors are further limited in the probability distribution function provided in Fig-
total amount of energy (power consumption ure 7. Nonetheless, such events are not exceed-
06

integrated over time) that is converted to heat ingly rare, so for prolonged High Arctic operation
and manifests as temperature increase. If they in winter months it is highly beneficial to both

Ice Mode
Commanded power Excess power (power boost)
Generated power on stalled pod

Stall-out of propeller Commanded power

Governors non-stalled pods

Stalled pod

Braking Non-stalled pod(s)

Mechanical power
resistor
Ice banks

Ice
Propeller

Propeller Therminal capacity

—
of resistor bank
Figure 4: Conceptual
visualization of power
flow control with Ice Mode (a) Power flow control with only governors on the ICE (b) Power flow control with Ice Mode function relying on braking resistors and non-stalled pods
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 139

50

45

40

35

30
Active power [MW]

25

20

15

10

— 0
45,5
45

46,5
46

47,5
47

48,5
48

49,5
49

50,5
50

51,5
51

52,5
52

53,5
53

54,5
54

55,5
55

56,5
56

57,5
57

58,5
58

59,5
59

60,5
60

61,5
61

62,5
62

63,5
63

64,5
64

65,5
65

66,5
66

67,5
67

68,5
68

69,5
69

70,5
70

71,5
71

72,5
72

73,5
73

74,5
74

75
Figure 5: An intense ice-
milling stall-out event t [s]
featuring parallel stall-
out of 2 out of 3 pods Pod 1 Power [MW] Pod 2 Power [MW] Pod 3 Power [MW] Total LB Power [MW] Total Powerplant power [MW]

over-dimension the torque capacity of the drives,

allowing for operation in the area denoted by the
red ellipse on Figure 6, and have recourse to use
— Ice Mode functionality able to allow ride-through
Figure 6: Statistics (event
of ice-milling stall-out events while continuing to
histogram) of overtorque
events during ice-milling. operate prime mover ICEs on boiloff gas from the
Columns in the area above
transported LNG cargo.
150 percent nominal
over-torque are indicative
of stall-out ride-
Trends in Arctic shipping and future development
through on LNG when
Ongoing changes in Arctic sea ice are significant.

06
redimensioning ACS6000
drives to 180 percent
The last twenty years have seen many record lows
over-torque rating
broken for extent of summer ice in the Arctic,
Figure 8, Lindsey, R. (2006). Sea ice extent during
Statistics of squared torque der.
0.03 the Arctic winter has, however, remained constant
despite global warming. The notable change has
0.025
been in ice thickness and the ratio of multi-year
ice (MYI) versus first year ice. Ice conditions in the
—
0.02
Arctic are such that shipping is predominantly
Figure 7: Statistics of focused on the summer and fall months of each
Relative frequency

torque (mechanical
loading of the propeller)
0.015
year. The diminishing summer and MYI ice condi-
dynamics: a Gaussian tions have opened up possibilities for economic
mixture with most
prominent component
0.01
activity not previously feasible. For example, LNG
in low ratings for and oil exploration activities are expanding in the
unconstrained sailing; 0.005

prominent peaks also in

Arctic. Also Arctic mining projects that have not
medium ratings for light previously been feasible are on the rise. Predict-
ice navigation; one trailing 0

peak in high ratings for

4.3e-09 2.2e-07 1.2e-05 0.00062 0.032 1.7 ing according to what we have seen taking place
heavy ice navigation (dTorque/dt)
2
[1/s
2
] (log) in the Arctic in general, we can extrapolate that
 140 GENER ATIONS

there will be growth in economic activity in the re- Thirdly, we can expect to see major new projects
gion. This will drive the change in Arctic shipping. in telecommunications infrastructure in the Arctic,
Saunavaara, J. (2018). Global demand for ever-faster
There are three distinctive sectors where growth data transfer is bound to bring the transpolar cable
can take place in response to the change in ice route to fruition. This endeavor will require special-
conditions in the Arctic. First, as discussed ized shipping solutions, but is nevertheless becom-
above, is Arctic exploration for hydrocarbons. ing more feasible as the climate change advances.
The growth in this sector is however, subject to
changes in the global efforts to reduce green- In December 2020, six newbuild Arctic LNG carri-
house gas emissions. New regimes and treaty ers were contracted featuring a trio of the largest
obligations are to be expected, Henderson, J. and most powerful azimuth propulsion units ever
(2014). It can be argued that this sector will re- supplied for ships operating in ice. Together, the
main difficult to predict. giant 17 MW propulsion units will provide total
power of 51 MW, enabling the vessels to navigate
Secondly, Arctic mining has been increasing in vol- safely through ice up to 2.1 meters thick. In similar
ume for the past years. New projects are also on conditions, conventional comparable ships would
the way, Sharman, H. (2011). Arctic mining has been require icebreaker assistance.
under somewhat similar pressures as hydrocar-
bon exploration regarding environmental aspects. In summary, the need for icebreaking vessels in ship-
However, the technology needed to shift towards ping will be on the rise as climate change increases.
zero-emission transport will require the extraction This may seem counter-intuitive to some extent, but
of minerals. In this respect, Arctic mining can be ice conditions in the Arctic will nonetheless remain
expected to be on a growth track in the future. challenging for shipping for decades to come.

8
Minimum Artic Sea Ice Extent (millions of square km)

6
06

—
Figure 8: NOAA Climate
Change: Arctic sea ice
summer minimum 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 141

Conclusions presented recent results collected from Arctic

The development of podded azimuth thrusters for LNG carriers. The largest icebreaking vessels ever
icebreakers started with small units 30 years ago. built, these ships have further demonstrated the
Over the years, high power units of up to 17 MW possibilities of year-round Arctic shipping. Ice
have been realized. Most new icebreaking ships Mode propulsion control system was specially
have been built for trade and traffic in the Russian developed to provide operational safety and effi-
north, serving mainly the oil and gas industry. ciency for the dual fuel LNG fired engines power-
ing these vessels. Ice Mode control principles have
This paper has addressed the selection criteria of been demonstrated with full-scale machinery load
propulsion system for icebreaking tankers, and data during harsh icebreaking operation.

— —
References Abbreviations
Heidenman, T, Salmi, P, Uuskallio, A, Wilkman, G, Full-scale ice trials in ACS6000 – Type of Medium Voltage electric AC Drive
ridges with Azipod® (Azimuthing Podded Drive) Tanker Lunni in Bay of
Bothnia 1996, Polartech 1996, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation Azipod® – electric podded azimuth thruster produced by ABB

Vainio, J. (2002). Sea Ice Nomenclature. Helsinki: Merenkulkulaitos. DAS – Double Acting Ship, icebreaking ship designed to run ahead in
open water and thin ice, but turn around and proceed astern in heavy ice
NOAA; Climate Change: Arctic sea ice summer minimum
DAT – Double Acting Tanker, icebreaking tanker designed to run ahead in
Author: Rebecca LindseyMichon Scott open water and thin ice, but turn around and proceed astern in heavy ice

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/ DA – Double Acting, operating astern in heavy ice

climate-change-minimum-arctic-sea-ice-extent#:~:text=Dividing%20
the%20satellite%20sea%20ice,2006%2C%20and%204.44%20 DC – Direct Current
million%20square
IACS – International Association of Classification Societies
Sharman Haley, Matthew Klick, Nick Szymoniak & Andrew Crow
(2011) Observing trends and assessing data for Arctic mining, Polar IACS UR – International Association of Classification Societies Unified
Geography, 34:1-2, 37-61, DOI: 10.1080/1088937X.2011.584449 Requirements

The Oxford institute for energy studies; The Prospects and Challenges ICE – Internal Combustion Engine
for Arctic Oil Development; James Henderson , Julia Loe https://www.

06
oxfordenergy.org/publications/the-prospects-and-challenges-for- IMO – International Maritime Organization
arctic-oil-development/
ISM – International Safety Management
AU – Saunavaara, Juha
LNGC – LNG Carrier, tanker designed for transporting liquified natural
Arctic subsea communication cables and the regional development of gas (LNG)
northern peripheries
MDO – Marine Diesel Oil, blend of gasoil and heavy fuel oil
ISSN 2221-2698.2018.32.63
MT – Motor Tanker
Chai, W., Leira, B.J., Høyland, K.V. et al. Statistics of thickness and
strength of first-year ice along the Northern Sea Route. J Mar Sci MYI – Multiyear Ice, sea ice that have survived at least one melt season
Technol (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00773-020-00742-5
NSR – Northern Sea Route, North-East Passage
Wilkman G., Elo, M., Lonberg L., Kunnari, J. Ice Trials of MV Norilskiy
Nickel in March 2006. 19th International Conference on Port and Ocean NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Engineering under Arctic Conditions (POAC'07).
POLAR CODE – International code for ships operating in Polar waters

RDS – Remote Diagnostic System

RMRS – Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

SOLAS – Safety of Life at Sea, an international maritime treaty

SS – Steamship
 142 GENER ATIONS

—
Electric passenger ferries
Future charging infrastructure
Fossil-free propulsion of small ferries is an important technology for
the future. Over the last couple of years we have seen many different
implementations utilizing electric drive trains, some of which are
summarized in the “Review on electric ferries and charging technologies” [1].
STEFAN THORBURN Some factors distinguishing this type of traffic Ferry industry association Interferry estimates
ABB Corporate Research
are the charging needs and number of stops, for that the sector transports over 2 billion passen-
instance in city traffic. The charging power will gers worldwide every year. A substantial part of
most likely be above EV car requirements, but be- these ferries are located in major cities. These
low those of large vessels with many megawatts “water busses” – or small ferries – quickly move
and high voltage. passengers across rivers and narrow lakes. There
are several benefits for the electrification of
Vessels will need a way to store energy onboard. these vessels, such as less emissions and noise
Three primary options are diesel generator sets, pollution in urban areas and for passengers, as
electrochemical battery storage, and fuel cells well as fuel saving cost for the operators. The
operating with hydrogen or ammonia. The choice charging need typically will exceed the leisure
will depend on such factors as travel distance, boat market but must be easier to manage and
ship size, and availability of charging/fueling op- handle than the large shipping electrical infra-
06

tions while at berth. This document will not con- structure now being developed in major ports as
sider the diesel or fuel cell tracks, although some ship-to-shore power. This report focuses on the
of the aspects of these tracks have relevance here. charging infrastructure of these “small ferries”.

There are many factors influencing the design The available battery size will naturally be de-
of an electric charging system for battery driven pendent on physical constraints like volume and
vessels. Above all, systems must be safe for crew weight distribution, but will also be dependent on
and passengers. They should not lead to addition- economic optimization.
al unmanageable stress on the vessel like electro-
chemical (galvanic) corrosion. In addition, there Battery life and hence overall economy is depend-
are economic incentives to avoid long charging ent on two factors: calendar life and cycle life. In
[1]
“Review on electric
times influencing the overall utilization of the ves- short, one can deploy too many batteries result-
ferries and charging sel. Some aspects are highlighted in Figure 1. ing in calendar life ageing, where investments
technologies”, Sub-
report to Elektrifiering
The propulsion and hotel load (lights, cabin heat- are made in capacity that will never be used. If
av marina urbana ing, cabin cooling, navigation equipment etc.) the battery size is too small, deep cycling of the
transportsystem –
Förstudie laddning,
energy requirement is dependent on the route batteries aggravated by high currents will quickly
Energimyndigheten, 2020 and timetable. erode life length.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 143

Opportunity charging Quay-ship interface

10 kV
Voltage
Power
AC or DC
Mechanical design
Grid strength Safety aspects
Quay space
Weight on floating platform Automation level

Destination charging Onboard charger

0,4 kV

Not needed if charger fits onboard Space need

Panel

— Battery size
Figure 1: Schematic
drawing of some aspects Timetable
of grid to battery Charging alternatives Available volume

Charging options and power are key technologies ing solution. It is therefore assumed in this report
to optimize asset life length. Charging power also that the batteries used are Lithium Ion batteries.
dictates the required shore-to-ship arrangement,
where the additional power requirement can lead The operating profile of the vessel will impact the
to equipment that is too heavy to operate manually. way we can connect the vessel to the grid. Timeta-
ble, route length, and method of docking at berth
Charging power can also be constrained by availa- (noose docking, alongside, double direction hull)
ble grid strength in the docking locations used for are factors that will impact the solution. Charging

06
charging. Measures must be taken here as well not via the foredeck/ramp will be much more restrict-
to impact the quality of the electrical grid supply. ed since space around bows is often restricted.
The means of penetrating the bulkhead may also
There are two distinctly different ways of charg- restrict options.
ing buses or ferries: Destination Charging, charg-
ing overnight or at the end points of the route, A major difference between electric ships and
and Opportunity Charging, where charging takes buses, often fast charged from above, is that the
place while passengers are boarding/embarking. “parking accuracy” for a ship is significantly less
accurate than for a bus. The x/y/z variations are
A further constraint could be to prepare the vessel much higher due to varying sea level caused by
for additional tasks like visiting shipyards or tides, and angle errors like listing, ballast, trim,
delivery transports. In these cases, some kind of and quay angle deviations when using noose
extension range support would be considered in docking must also be considered. In addition, dy-
the overall design. namic forces from swell, cargo loading, and oth-
ers may be in play during charging. Here nominal/
Electrochemical batteries have specific features average and extreme situations including weather
that must be considered when choosing a charg- (normal and extremes) must also be considered.
 144 GENER ATIONS

Connection with the electrical grid is anoth- Charging rate or C-rate:

er factor. Traditionally, electrical demand has C-rate describes how fast the cells are charged/
been rather low in ports and quays, and a much discharged. A 2Ah cell charged with 2 A gives 1C in
stronger electrical grid than exists today will be charging rate. Since the voltage output of the cell
required. Figure 3 attempts to summarize some may vary up to 25 percent with State of Charge,
of the relevant aspects. the power output in kW will follow SoC.

This report addresses some of these aspects, Increasing C-rates above design limits will ex-
reviews existing legislation requirements, and pose cells to high temperatures. There are ways
provides suggestions that may influence design. to increase the C-rate, including using thicker
metal foils inside the battery. These will reduce
Charging need energy density, increasing the overall volume of
There are many conflicting interests to be ad- the installation.
dressed in the design. For retrofits, some will
serve to constrain the solution. The list includes: Temperature:
• Route High temperatures will reduce lifespan, while low
• Timetable temperatures will reduce battery capacity. Some
• Available charging points battery chemistries can lose all capacity from
• Onboard battery size 15 oC to -40 oC [2]. There may also be a need to
• Charging power and voltage control the temperature of the battery system.
• Crew handling and manipulation This would require additional energy that must be
• Docking method supported by the battery system.
• Mooring or not during charging
• Anticipated sea and weather conditions over the year Battery size:
• Available space on both dock and vessels All the above factors must be combined with
charging capacity at the docking locations, avail-
Battery system design and rating able volume in battery room, weight constraints,
Lithium Ion batteries are subject to two types of timetable, route, etc. to create a cost-effective
ageing phenomena: calendar life and cycle life re- solution that also considers sufficient lifespan
sponse. Even on the shelf, a battery will age faster and design margins for harsh weather.
at higher temperatures.
The various factors are then combined. Installing
In addition to safety aspects, there are at least a larger battery (more Ah) leads to decreased DoD
five parameters of the battery system of impor- for a fixed route. Temperature increase during
06

tance during the design phase in order to manage normal operation will also decrease with a larger
a long cycle life: State of Charge (SoC) Depth of battery. Most of these factors imply a longer
Discharge (DoD), Charging-rate (C-rate), tempera- lifespan. Increasing charging power is also possi-
ture and size in Ah or kWh. ble since more cells are available in parallel, reduc-
ing standstill costs while charging, and increasing
State of Charge, SoC: utilization of the vessel. However, larger capacity
Represents the available charging remaining in means increased investment. It will also be bulkier
the batteries. A high SoC normally ages the bat- and add weight to the vessel. For fast vessels,
tery faster than a low SoC. weight is critical to hull resistance and hence
energy consumption. At some point, calendar life
Depth of Discharge, DoD: degradation will become dominant over cycle life,
The amount of battery capacity used between and the investment scenario worsens.
sequential charging intervals is referred to as
[2]
Depth of Discharge. A smaller DoD will give a Onboard the ship, space and weight constraints may
https://www. (significantly) longer cycle life of the batteries. dictate how much battery volume may be deployed.
sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/
There are installations where only 20 percent of the Batteries are heavy (higher density than bunker
S1002007118307536 capacity is used before the batteries are recharged. fuel) and will impact the seaworthiness of the ship.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 145

Classification requirements also require that likely significant. There are also capital and per-
batteries be placed to allow ventilation to un- sonnel costs associated with a longer standstill
manned areas of toxic gases that may occur from than the operating profile suggests. The charger
the battery system in critical working conditions. can typically be manually operated.
Depending on ship design, this limits available
space, especially for retrofit solutions. Other safe- Destination charging and the associated over-
ty measures like fire protection will also require night charging have similarities, and design must
space onboard. be balanced between these two options.

Larger battery sizes also dictate additional Opportunity Charging:

cables and electrical switchboards in order to Here smaller batteries can be used onboard, while
manage routine maintenance and electrical the cost driver is the network of high-power chargers
fault cases. along the route. Short stops also imply an automatic
charging solution. Various types of pantograph
Charging Power solutions have been developed for this scenario,
As mentioned earlier, there are two distinctly in particular for buses. High-power charging also
different ways of charging a bus or a ferry: requires dedicated chemistries in the Li-ion battery
Destination Charging, i.e. overnight or at the end to withstand the higher C-rates during charging.
points of the route; and Opportunity Charging
while passengers are boarding/embarking along There are several factors limiting charging power:
the route. Destination charging may be subject to • Battery C-rate. By changing the battery chem-
additional grid and charger constraints if many istry, the power and energy capacity of the cells
vehicles are gathered in one spot during at one can be influenced.
time. This is known as Depot Charging. • Grid strength
• Size and weight of connection arrangement
—
Figure 2: ABB
Destination charging: (cable, arm, manual or automatic)
shore connection With this approach, battery capacity on board is • Available charging time based on operational profile
146 GENER ATIONS

—
Some driving factors for charging
infrastructure requirements
Traditionally, electrical demand has been rather low in ports and quays,
and a much stronger electrical grid than exists today will be required.
This figure attempts to summarize some of the relevant aspects.

Space need on quay

Local peak shaving storage Grid strength

Voltage level Distance to MV voltage cubicle Charging power

Crew and vessel OPEX Docking time

Weight on platform
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 147

Manual

Automatic

Connection method

Space need on ship Charging arm/cable characteristics

Motors

Drivetrain Efficiency

Trim “Hotel load”

Maneuvering Range extender

Weather based Volume need Battery size

route planning
Weight

Timetable Route

Depth of discharge

Battery life length

Battery chemistry

—
Figure 3
148 GENER ATIONS

[3] Manual connection A contact system for AC power is discussed in [3].

”Riktlinjer och
rekommendationer för A manual cable connection will require the crew
anslutning av fartyg to manage the connection and disconnection. In For DC charging it is natural to refer to EV
och fritidsbåtar till
landbaserat elnät”, practice this will increase vessel crew costs. Manu- chargers for battery vehicles. Of significance
Transportstyrelsen, al connection also limits power transfer capability here are available cable lengths and IP protection
2015-04-20
due to weight issues. One national regulation indi- of contacts. For EV charging, a few meters are
cates for example, an absolute maximum handling sufficient, while for lower power, up to approx-
weight for employees of 25 kg without support, imately 10 meters is suitable, with options for
but advises keeping weight under 7 kg. Use of a longer lengths. To provide IP protection, most
cable requires considering stiffness, which also suppliers of EV contacts use IP 54. As discussed
can be temperature dependent, for example caus- later in the document, IP 67 should probably be
ing winter conditions to be more burdensome. a requirement.

Most cable weight is normally attributed to the Fully manual solutions include manual cable with
current conductor and protective shield. If liquid fixed crane arm and EV charger cable.
cooling is used in the cables, this adds weight
but also reduces the needed cross section of Assisted, semi-automatic or automatic handling
the conductor and the resulting added weight. of the connection
The only way to increase charging power beyond For heavier cables, crew will need support to per-
this “weight constraint” is then to also increase form the connection. The solution will be driven
voltage level of the connection. Going above 1 kV by many factors such as the power and voltage of
—
voltage will however introduce additional legisla- the charging, preferences considering the time al-
Figure 4: For heavy tion and safety procedures and increase the cost lowed for the connection/disconnection, available
charging, a robot arm
is needed
of the electric apparatus. personnel, and prevailing safety requirements.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 149

[1] A first step in assisting the connection is a static • Communication and interlocking via wireless
“Review on electric
ferries and charging arm for lifting the cables. The supporting arm will or wired connection is another consideration.
technologies”, Sub- influence the flexibility of the jetty and the dock- Pending standards promote wired interfaces.
report to Elektrifiering
av marina urbana ing procedure. This arm can then be automated • Emergency stop integration and procedure.
transportsystem – in various steps up to the point of a fully automat- • Cable tension force measurement requirement.
Förstudie laddning,
Energimyndigheten, 2020 ic solution that makes the connection without • Safety aspects regarding cable/arm tension to
crew assistance. disconnect electricity in case of risk of rupture
[4]
https://www.charinev. (ship leaving the quay without unplugging or dis-
org/fileadmin/ACD/ Power and voltage levels determine size and engaging charging). Disconnection should occur
criteria_list_ACDU_
v4.6.xlsx Accessed weight of the supply cable/s and selection of the before any electric arc can develop.
202002-03 plug/s. High currents, say above 400 A, present • Precision needed to make contacts without
several challenges. They will either require large wear and tear. Precision is sometimes related to
cable cross-sections, leading to heavy and stiff high force requirement in arm to handle external
cables, or cooling if thinner cables are desired. In disturbances like wind.
addition, the contact resistance in the plug leads • Creating necessary contact force to carry rated
to more heat dissipation and will require a higher current. A higher rated current requires a higher
force between contact surfaces to avoid heating. surface contact force to maintain heat losses in
the junction below rated levels.
Space available on the jetty or ramp, and weight • Utilization. Design and cost may vary for quays
and forces from equipment can also limit options. with several different types of ships calling more
frequently, as opposed to remote destinations with
For the application intended here, some of the less frequent calls and more uniform ship types.
stops are just 90 seconds long, and any charging • Manual alternatives or methods in case of distur-
for that period must in practice be fully automatic. bance on the automated function.
• Functional and aesthetic design. Many commut-
Some factors to consider for the charging arm: ing ferries in cities will operate in a highly visible
• Mainly ship based solution, shore based, or a setting and aesthetics may require considera-
combination. tion during design.
• Available timeslot in timetable for charging de-
termines maximum allowed connection time. A list of several existing charging solutions can
• Connection in bow or stern, or on the side of be found in [1]. Here it is possible to identify a few
the vessel. main principles for the automatic connections:
• Speed and force during movement while main- hanging cable, bow plug, pantograph, robot arm,
taining personal safety. High maneuvering speed ramp charging and side charging.

06
is often related to higher forces.
• Variation in position, in x-y-z, angle, trim and list These requirements can be compared with the
for the docking position. upcoming arm requirements for the next gen-
eration CCS2 EV-charging systems suitable for
trucks and buses, listing 38 criteria for Automatic
Connection Device Underbody connector [4].

Conductive AC or DC connection to shore?

A major decision is whether the connection from
—
Figure 5: "Degrees of
shore to ship should utilize AC or DC. Various equip-
Freedom", Brosen ment such as transformers and converters will then be
• Position can change dynamically during charg- placed on land or onboard. Two options are also availa-
ing, for instance waves, e.g. with many people ble for charger size. Typically, options include a smaller
boarding on a single side and remaining there. charger for overnight or depot charging (up to 100 kW)
• An automatic connection solution would also or a fast charger when using opportunity charging
benefit from an automatic mooring system fix- (typically 150 kW and above). The latter is heavier and
ing the position in a narrower window. requires more volume than overnight charging.
 150 GENER ATIONS

Pros Cons

Small charger Some flexibility for leaving normal From 40 kW charging, the AC cable
placed on routes and charge in “any port” becomes heavy (a 25 m long cable weights
board 35 kg)

Additional volume needs for insulation

transformer onboard

Small charger Longer and more flexible cable for DC PE ground and signal cables between
placed on land charger and battery system can cause
safety and/or galvanic corrosion issues

Fast charger A standard AC shore to ship connection Heavy AC cable at 400 V – may only be
placed on for larger vessels can be used mitigated by increasing AC voltage above 1 kV
board
One expensive charger per ship

If the charger fails, the ship will quickly be

taken out of service

Charger have to fulfill marine standards

Fast charger Multiple fast chargers can create a PE ground and signal cables between
placed on land redundant charging system charger and battery system can cause
safety and/or galvanic corrosion issues
Reduced weight inboard DC cable
thinner and lighter than AC cable

Possible to reuse much of the

EV-charging standards?
06

Existing standards from the land vehicle industry most standard EV charger cables today appear
Several standards from the electric vehicle indus- to use IP class 54 for water and dust ingress. The
try can be used as inspiration. marine application probably will require a higher
IP class. CCS2 uses wired communication and
Combined Charging System 2, CCS2: interlocking circuit.
Today this standard is normally deployed up to
150 kW and using manually connected conduc- OppCharge:
tive charging. More powerful charging is also Several companies support a pantograph-based
available, but uses more advanced liquid cooled open contact placed on the roof of buses, going
cables. The prospective maximum length of a under the brand name OppCharge. The solution
350 kW cable today for an EV application is three can handle up to 600 A and 450 kW charging,
meters, possibly increasing to five meters with but the pantograph solution will probably not be
new regulations. For lower power ratings like viable as is for marine implementation, since it
50 kW, 7-8 meter cables are available, with the requires standstill accurate parking. The contact
standard length set at 10 meters. A marine appli- force needed to carry the charging current risks
cation may require longer cables, and this must pushing the ship sideways as well in the case of a
be looked into separately. One aspect is that slight side force component.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 151

[5] OppCharge uses wireless communication and structure. Harbors and quays have typically been
https://insideevs.com/
news/372749/charin- interlocking circuit. One factor to consider here connected to relatively weak electrical grids. This
hpccv-over-2-mw-power is that IEC PAS 80005-3, section 4.9 requires hard is particularly evident on islands, where grids are
wired circuits for emergency shutdown, and this often weaker than in urban settings. The charging
should therefore be considered in the design and solution must therefore include constraints in
risk review. grid strengths.

Emerging standard for land vehicles: The grid is divided into different types in order to
HPCCV CharINev.org balance various requirements for high capacity,
More than 150 companies are engaged in the work low loss, high availability and safety. A national
to define the sequel to CCS2 intended specifically high voltage transmission grid is typically oper-
for higher power ranges. In reference [5] the ated at 400 kV and feeds power into a meshed re-
following requirements for next generation gional grid feeding a finer surrounding infrastruc-
charging systems for vehicles are outlined: ture, possibly utilizing 130 kV. Running from these
• High Power Charging for Commercial Vehicles substations are a larger number of wires and
(HPCCV) shall comply with the holistic system cables, most often operated at 10 kV, connecting
approach of the combined charging system CCS. secondary substations across the urbanized area.
Compatibility will be a key requirement. These secondary substations transform the volt-
• Up to 1500V and 3000A (Minimum to be defined age level used in buildings, 0.4 kV.
(200V, 0A)
• Vehicles equipped with an HPCCV should be able A secondary substation is located within a few
to charge from existing CCS infrastructure. hundred meters from any electric outlet and
• Coverage of HPCCV power demand via “add-on access to a secondary substation will be a pre-
power extension modules” to the existing requisite for implementing the charging power
connector discussed in this report.
• Reuse of Combo 1/2 connector and communication
with basic safety concept “as is” In the following, several aspects are considered in
• Communication and basic safety concept shall more detail.
be compliant with the CCS standard.
• Common set of documents at the interface Distance to secondary substation
EV-EVSE for requirements and test cases A key factor is the physical distance between the
• Charging use cases as baseline for requirements secondary substation and the quay. For 0.4 kV and
and definitions comparable to existing the power ratings discussed here, slightly above
high/medium power solutions EV fast chargers, a shorter distance between the

06
• Support of reverse power transfer secondary substation and the connection point is
• Automated conductive charging as a second step desirable.

Power grid aspects The overall installation, from secondary AC sub-

An important factor before electrifying ferry traf- station to the battery cells, must take into consid-
fic is to consider the existing electrical grid infra- eration various aspects.

Secondary Grid energy Isolation Operating AC/DC Automation

substation storage transformer panel

—
Figure 6: Various grid
aspects to consider
 152 GENER ATIONS

The shore side can also be equipped with inter- There is also an option to install an energy stor-
mediate energy storage. This is required when the age device on land, particularly for peak shaving
grid is weak in relation to charging needs. Fast the charging power demand in weak grid loca-
charging may then be viable from land storage tions. A battery for energy storage is the most
that is slowly recharged between the charging likely installation, but an emerging option could
port calls. This method is most feasible when less be to use a fuel cell, especially if a gas facility is
frequent but rapid charging is desired. It requires already available in the port.
an overall grid control and optimization of the
charger and storage control. Energy storage can also provide additional grid
flexibility in addition to peak shaving. Local grid
National legislation must also be considered, and voltage control and grid frequency support are
may influence the overall design of equipment on two areas to be considered by the local grid utility.
the quays. For instance, in Swedish legislation, The most extreme option is to include grid stor-
there is presently an increased requirement on age in a so-called micro grid mode. This option
the housing containing the apparatus at about can be used on remote islands where energy stor-
436 kW of power at 0.4 kV. age can be used as a backup solution for shorter
time periods in case of electric grid outages.
Beyond 1 MVA and 1 kV power ratings, additional
requirements emerge between ship and land. Power quality
Connecting a large load on 0.4 kV creates a risk of
In additional to electric requirements, flooding poor power quality. This must be considered dur-
must also be considered. The potential for flood- ing design, and solutions are available. Two key
ing places higher requirements on water ingress aspects are voltage variations, caused by switch-
(IPx7) protection for quay installations than ing charging on and off, and harmonics caused by
normal. EV chargers and secondary substations the conversion from AC to DC.
would also need better corrosion protection of
cabinets etc. Stainless steel may be required. Some AC/DC converters can be used for compen-
sating voltage drop. This functionality can be of
An important factor here is how to handle the value at certain grid points.
differences in docking position. There are two
main options to manage height variation. The System grounding
first includes a solution where the arrangement/ In IEC 60364-7-709, several AC grid connection
crane/arm can handle this height variation, add- configurations are presented for connecting the
ing weight, size and cost. The second option is to ship to the land grid. They represent a mixed bag
06

place the arrangement on a floating platform that of considerations in design, where various types
follows sea level variations. This solution would of faults present varying design criteria. Three
require a flexible arrangement for cables to the aspects must be considered; how to handle over-
platform. Possible solutions are a dedicated cable voltage during fault, how to manage fault current
ramp or some type of cable reel arrangement. magnitude, and how to detect a fault.

Switchboard Load

Phase

Fuse
~

Neutral

Residue
current
protection
— Protective
Figure 7: Simplified circuit earth
illustrating broken neutral
connection and ESD
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 153

[6] System grounding and personal safety: Figure 7 indicates in a very simplified circuit how a
https://www.
electricshockdrowning. The grounding philosophy and methods used are broken neutral circuit in the utility grid can cause
org/esd--faq.html key aspects of protecting human lives in an elec- ESD, even if the fuse and residue current pro-
[7] trical environment. The most important feature of tection function as intended. It also encourages
Christoforos Menos- a safe electrical grid is the grounding of metallic some additional safety procedures for this type
Aikateriniadis, “Methods
to identify broken parts, which should not carry any electric current. of application.
neutral fault in LV
distribution grids by
using existing smart On land, a copper net or rod is normally buried For a 3-phase system, the same phenomena can
meters infrastructure”, to create connection to the ground. On a ship, occur but normally on a smaller magnitude. If
KTH 2019, http://www.
diva-portal.org/smash/ the hull serves at the ground, which in turn uses the neutral wire is broken, a neutral AC voltage
record .jsf?pid=diva2%3 seawater to ground itself. caused by imbalance in the three phases will
A1372876&dswid=-4292
occur. This current is then pushed through the
[8] In case of insulation failure on electrical wiring, protective earth through the water.
https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Galvanic_ grounding is then used to reroute the current and
corrosion to make it visible for protection devices interrupt- Utilities should therefore take care in designing a
ing the electrical service. The fuse and the residue solution to avoid a broken neutral wire. There are
current protection (aka. ground fault circuit inter- also emerging methods for utilities to monitor the
rupters (GFCIs)) are the most common solutions integrity of the neutral wire. See for instance [7].
for managing most fault cases.
System grounding and electrochemical (galvanic)
When charging a ship from land, the two ground- corrosion:
ing systems must be connected correctly to main- Connecting the land grid and the ship grid will also
tain personal safety. The most dangerous fault will create another hazard for the vessel and metallic
then occur if the neutral return wiring between structures in the quay in the form of electrochemical
the ship hull and the land grounding rod is broken. corrosion caused by stray currents [8]. Metals have
If an insulation fault occurs in the electrical wiring, different electrochemical potential. If a DC electric
the current will go through the PEwire (Protective current is run through these materials, the least re-
Earth), the hull, the seawater and the ground, and sistant one will then corrode. Even a very low level of
back to the land station grounding point. Any per- 0.2 V will drive enough current to create corrosion.
son swimming near the ship can then be exposed
to Electric Shock Drowning (ESD). Even a small In a marine installation, there are several addition-
current through the body is enough to lock or al aspects to manage. There are many optional
impair muscle control in a leg or an arm, reducing paths through the hull to the ground via seawater.
the ability of a person to swim. An overview ESD If, for instance, grounding at the land station is a

06
can be found in [6] where a long list of tragic acci- copper rod and the hull of the boat is aluminum
dents is also listed, mostly in leisure marinas. or steel, a galvanic voltage arises, driving a cur-
rent through the protective earth. This may also
While these quays normally attract few swimmers, involve both nearby moored vessels and metallic
there are cases where this may be expected to occur. structures in the quay.

Switchboard Load

Phase

Fuse
~

Neutral

Residue
current
—
protection
Figure 8: Connecting
ship hull protective Protective
earth and land based earth
protective earth may Cu Steel, bronze,
cause galvanic corrosion al, etc
 154 GENER ATIONS

[9] A vessel will also use several different types of ship’s hull and causing electric hazard or galvanic
“Environmental test
specification for metals like bronze, copper, aluminum and zinc, corrosion.
electrical, electronic and the stray current can easily find alternative
and programmable
equipment and systems”, paths to metallic structures at various points and Within the CCS2 standard for electric vehicles, the
DNVGL-CG-0339 create corrosion in the least resistant metals. DC insulation level is required to be over 100 kΩ.
This is measured before any charging is started.
An important factor here is the DC-battery sys- Note that there can be an IMD on the vehicle itself
tem onboard, where grounding of the negative and an IMD in the charger. These two devices
pole of the battery, sometimes applied in leisure should not interfere with each other, and one of
craft, will create another possible driving source them is normally blocked when the cable is con-
for leakage currents from the voltage at the posi- nected in vehicle applications.
tive pole.
Note also that the IPXX protection of the ship
System grounding mitigation methods installation, which includes a cable contact, must
There are several methods to apply in order to be type tested with a salt spray test, as any salt
reduce the risks with system grounding. Some are remaining may influence the insulation level, see
effective for both personal safety and corrosion. for instance [9].

Insulation transformers: Also of particular interest is to investigate any in-

By creating as small as possible galvanically iso- teraction between the battery insulation monitor-
lated electrical grid, the problem becomes easier ing device and installed active galvanic corrosion
to supervise. The grid is galvanically isolated with suppression devices, sometimes called Impressed
a transformer, avoiding connecting the two sides Cathodic Current Protection (ICCP). This adds
with a wire. The transformer can be placed on a DC voltage up to 50 VDC to reduce naturally
land or onboard and is an effective way to block occurring galvanic corrosion. ICCP is most often
DC currents from causing galvanic corrosion. applied on large vessels.
It will also shrink the size of the system to be
supervised in order to avoid ESD. With an insula- Connection procedure:
tion transformer, the fuse and the residue current The connection procedure also affords an oppor-
protection combined have a much higher chance tunity to increase safety. For larger vessels there
of safely protecting from electric hazards. is a clear shore connection procedure to consider
where several steps are made to guarantee safety.
A smaller protection grid makes it also feasible to
measure insulation levels. Charging of many ferries at night (depot charging)
06

The charging infrastructure for the vessels must

For DC insulation monitoring, typical devices also include night charging. Some additional
(Insulation Measurement Devices, IMD) are used overall requirements will arise. This functionality
in electric vehicles and vehicle chargers. These is now implemented in bus depots on land but
ensure there is no DC current leaking into the should also be considered for marine applications

Insulation transformer Switchboard Load

Phase

Fuse
~

Neutral

Residue
current
protection
—
Figure 9: The isolation Protective
transformer will earth
effectively inhibit a
broken wire fault
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 155

— Socket-outlet Ship connector

Figure 10: Possible
nomenclature for cable Shore Plug Ship inlet
connections

early in the planning. Some key aspects are sum- • IEC 62613-2; Plugs, socket-outlets and ship cou-
marized in the following points: plers for high-voltage shore connection systems
• Need for flexible moorings. Vessels may shift (HVSC-Systems) – Part 2: Dimensional compat-
position, and the charger solution must adapt ibility and interchangeability requirements for
to this. accessories to be used by various types of ships
• If night mooring differs from opportunity charging
with regard to bow/stern or side connection, A note on the nomenclature of the cable and its
this may require special arrangements. Aspects contacts is suggested in Figure 10.
discussed earlier such as cable weight and electric
power must also be considered. If there is no applicable regulation, the approval
• Intended power and voltage for night charging process must include a risk review.
and available installed grid power
• There will be a need to optimize the overall We see that for the area of interest in this article,
charging profiles for many vessels to make best below 1 kV and below 1 MVA, there is a Public Avail-
use of transformer capacity and DC converters. able Specification available, i.e. yet to be approved
• All vessels should have the intended State of as a final standard. Note also that these mainly
Charge when taken into service. address AC systems and not DC systems in gener-
• Since the vessels are mostly unattended here, al. The division between 80005-3 and 80005-1 at 1
there will be a need for supervision to make sure kV is, to the author’s understanding, based on IEC
they are charged as intended when returning to 60038:2009 where one voltage category goes up
operation. Charging of all vessels should therefore to 1 kV and the next recommended voltage class
be supervised also when unattended. starts at 3.3 kV, here assumed to be named “High
• The electrical grid design should also be flexible Voltage”. The scope of IEC 80005-3 appears to be
enough to handle variations in how the vessels up to 0.4/0.63 kV as maximum voltage.
are moored, or if for instance a battery charger

06
is unavailable. This will serve to promote A rough estimation of the valid areas of the stand-
standard solutions. ards is provided in Figure 11.
• Optimizing electric energy cost
To summarize, existing standards focus more
International standards on “general shipping requirements” and not fast
Legislation is not complete for this segment yet. charging of batteries, possibly with a DC connec-
Most international standards are focused on AC tion for small passenger ferries.
rather than DC. Connections must handle galvanic
isolation to avoid corrosion in metallic parts on Who is in charge, the Officer of the Watch (OOW)
the ship and quay structure. or the charger?
There are two international standards relevant for The way many ferries are operated today, simply
the actual connection of high voltage cables (typ- powering into the docking ramp while passengers
ically >> 1 kV and AC) where relevant aspects may board, will create a conflict of interest between
be applied, such as pilot wire requirements: charging and the officer of the watch. In case of
• IEC 62613-1; Plugs, socket-outlets and ship cou- fast charging with the ship pushing towards the
plers for high-voltage shore connection systems quay, the ship is in reality “under way” but also
(HVSC-Systems) – Part 1: General requirements “moored” with a technical infrastructure.
 156 GENER ATIONS

Virtual mooring using DP should be enhanced

IEC/IEEE 62613
with sensors for situational awareness. Sensors
IEC/IEEE 80005-1:2019
1 kV could be responsible for calling the OOW back
IEC Public available specification
80005-3:2014
to the bridge if a small craft comes closer than x
meters from the stern, where the propeller thrust
0,3 kV
could create an incident for the smaller craft.
Phase to IEC
ground 60364
7-709 Using sensors, monitoring for PIW is also possi-
— Power
Figure 11: IEC standards
ble. Automation would then call back the
125 A 250 A 1 MVA Current A
rough relations per cable OOW and automatically redistribute the thruster
power such that the side of the boat with a PIW
The most common interlocking approaches to has as little water drag as possible. At the same
avoid someone forgetting to manually disconnect time automatic measures can be implemented to
the cable are then faulted. For instance, blocking stop charging but maintain position, such that
a “motor start if charging cable is connected”, the OOW can determine the best course of action.
as with an eBus, works only if the charging is
performed with the ship moored. We must also Additional ideas influencing design
consider emergencies that can occur here, like Maneuvering support –
Person In Water (PIW). software, sensors and drivetrain:
Maneuvering is an important part of the equation.
The consequences of leaving the quay with a cable There are indications that the energy consump-
connected may include mechanical damage, ten- tion for ship maneuvering during docking and un-
sion rupture of a cable leading to “whipping”, and
exposing the surrounding area to an electric arc
if the power feed is not managed quickly enough
(one approach is to implement the cable tension
measurements as described above). A mechanical
arm carrying the cable would have similar and
probably more severe/costly failure modes.

There are several options to consider in addition

to regular mooring of the vessel each time it
should be charged. An automatic mooring mech-
anism may be employed, or the ship can be put
06

in Dynamic Positioning mode, DP, where the ship

become “virtually moored” by means of automatic
power control. It is plausible to expand the tradi-
tional DP functionality to also include the mode
of pushing towards the quay with a dedicated
force at a defined (typically 90 degree) angle. An
electric drivetrain would be good for creating the
needed force in an energy efficient manner.

[10]
In a longer perspective, the virtually moored DP
https://new.abb.com/ solution could provide additional benefits. For
news/detail/24651/
b0-a-conditionally-
example, “Bridge 0 mode” may be applicable, i.e. a
and-periodically- periodically unmanned bridge. This bridge mode
unmannedbridge
has been discussed for transocean ships [10].
[11] This means that the OOW can be active with other
https://new.abb.com/
marine/systems-and-
tasks like welcoming passengers, supporting
solutions/azipod wheelchairs, etc.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 157

docking (and turning around) is roughly equal to timal advantage of grid connection and chargers.
the transport energy consumed between stops. One such example is an end bus station located
Hence, there is a significant energy efficiency po- next to a ferry docking. The fast charger conver-
tential which directly influences battery capacity sion box could then be used for both applications.
and hence the charging requirement. Questions to be resolved would include how to
share a common AC grid interface to meet both
A drivetrain using azimuth propulsion will allow needs, and how to split capacity optimally.
for improved maneuverability and better efficien-
cy. Here the propeller is installed as a rudder that Range extension as an add on:
can be turned at virtually any angle. Examples A further option related to charging infrastruc-
include ABB’s Azipod® electric propulsion [11]. ture is to consider preparing the vessels for an
“add on-range extender”. Space could be dedi-
Fleet management of charging: cated for an extended battery, fuel cell or diesel
Connecting chargers to the Cloud can provide motor to be lifted onboard temporarily for longer
benefits like greater availaibility and advanced voyages away from charging possibilities.
management features. Fast chargers for passen-
ger ferries must have very high availability, and This could also be a “winter extension”, boosting
Cloud monitoring can increase uptime by predict- battery capacity for higher hotel heating demand
—
ing service and maintenance needs. and ice conditions. The charging infrastructure
Figure 12: Automatic should be planned to meet this extra demand,
shore connection
enabled by the ABB
With connected vessels and chargers come possi- but it would also allow for battery swapping as a
robotic solution bilities for introducing fleet charging to take op- charging principle.
 158 GENER ATIONS

—
Safer, more efficient ship
performance with OCTOPUS
The predictive power behind ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS – Marine Advisory System
to monitor and forecast vessel motions is now so evolved that it is tackling
some of the most profound safety and efficiency challenges in shipping.

JUKKA MAATTANEN World container port throughput grew from 36 The consequences of any loss can be significant.
Product Manager
ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS – million TEU in 1980 to exceed 800 million TEU by Aside from the short-term financial costs, rep-
Marine Advisory System 2019, according to a forthcoming Port Econom- utations are at risk. Environmental impacts can
ABB Marine & Ports
ics, Management and Policy report by renowned also be a major concern – particularly when the
industry analysts Theo Notteboom, Athanasios cargo in question is hazardous. Meanwhile, stray
Pallis and Jean-Paul Rodrigue [1]. containers – whether afloat or on the seabed in
shallow waters – represent a threat to navigation-
These figures demonstrate how the container and al safety.
its economies of scale have continued to drive
globalization, and safety specialists also know that, Today, closer attention is paid to the way cargo is
while the number of containers that are lost over the secured than ever before, while rules to estab-
side of ships each year is relatively small, in absolute lish the weight of the cargoes being loaded into
terms it is a number that has also been on the rise. containers have also been put in place. How-
ever, while containers withstand compressive
06

With around 6-7 million boxes in transit on the and shear forces, heavy weather can still bring
water at any given moment, the estimated 1,500 extreme vertical loads that can cause structural
containers that are thought to be lost each year failure at the bottom of the stack. Again, high lat-
is certainly of moderate proportions. That said, eral loads can break lashings and corner fittings,
[1]
https://porteconomics-
some of these losses can cause major incidents causing containers at the edges of the stack to
management.org grabbing the headlines. topple over.

Reading the waves

Given that the forces acting on containers in
the stack are a result of the ship’s responses to
— prevailing conditions, the ability to monitor and
The Fleet Portal allows
certified onshore
predict vessel motions offers a self-evident safe-
stakeholders to ty benefit for containerships. In reality, vessels
analyze critical voyage
related motion data
are not rigid, and the vessel’s structure does bend
or situations where due to the varying loads on the hull. In addition,
maximum allowable
motions (could) have
accuracy can be limited in some calculations.
been exceeded However, when accelerations are measured at a
minimum of three locations that are widely dis- conditions at sea, shipmasters can avoid areas
tributed over the vessel these limitations can be where vessel motions are likely to be most severe.
overcome. Motion monitoring of this kind may be Simply considering the height of waves may not
used as a basis to quantify the risk of losing con- be sufficient, however, as the distribution of wave
tainers due to excessive accelerations in the wave periods and wave direction relative to the ship’s

06
conditions at the time of measurement. This is a heading can have a greater impact on acceleration
key and well-established component of the ship levels than wave height alone.
operations performance management package
ABB Ability™ OCTOPUS – Marine Advisory System. Interpreting a wave forecast with the aim of
minimizing accelerations at container locations
If the ability to retrieve historical time series data is clearly a task that is too complex to execute
on the accelerations at any container location on manually. Instead, protecting cargo against ex-
board is clearly useful when investigating an inci- cessive loads is best achieved using an automated
dent, and to ensuring current conditions are safe, process known as ‘vessel response forecasting’,
the true value of monitoring becomes clear when in which forecast wave conditions are translated
motions and accelerations can be predicted – and into predicted vessel motions. Knowledge of how
data used to achieve safer operations. a ship responds in different sea states is essen-
tial to this process; accordingly, its motions in a
Weather forecasts, which include information range of wave directions, periods and heights are
on sea states, are fundamental to predicting the recorded over time – with vessel speed and load-
motions of a vessel and the subsequent forces ing condition also taken account of – and stored
exerted on its cargo. With accurate insights into in a database.
 160

—
BigRoll Biscay

Protective reach of OCTOPUS market, where heavy lift ships transport huge,
It is the capability to support real-time deci- unwieldy cargoes such as wind turbine parts and
sion-making in voyage planning and execution jack-up rigs. The sheer scale of these structures
that has led heavy lift vessel owners increasingly means that they are subject to far more extreme
to turn to OCTOPUS. In fact, ABB estimates that accelerations and stresses than are exerted on
the system is currently utilized by around 90 per- container stacks, no matter how ‘mega’ the con-
06

cent of the semi-submersible heavy lift ships in tainer vessel.

operation worldwide.
References include all five existing project cargo
In addition to providing users with detailed infor- carriers for Norwegian heavylift specialist OHT,
mation about current conditions, OCTOPUS helps which describes ship motion calculation and con-
to identify the risks related to vessel motions when trol as essential to its operations.
changing heading or speed. Motions such as roll and
pitch are calculated for the full range of headings Even though project cargo voyages are meticulous-
and ship speeds and compared with an upper limit. ly planned in advance, rapidly developing weather
On the onboard display, red areas indicate condi- systems at sea may require quick changes of plan.
tions where at least one of the given limits is ex- The sheer size of tripods, jackets and wind turbines
ceeded, while amber areas correspond to conditions themselves is only one issue. OHT’s clients often
where motions are acceptable but close to the limit; ask for the log of accelerations after a transporta-
green areas signify favorable sailing conditions. tion, in order to assess the fatigue on the cargo.
Furthermore, where in the past cargo transporters
Vessel motion risk management of this type is and installers were different parties, one compa-
already a powerful safety tool in the project cargo ny can increasingly be fulfilling both functions.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 161

Dutch company Roll Group, meanwhile, has been ing the operational window. A forthcoming vessel
using OCTOPUS for 10 years, with its latest for Louis Dreyfus Armateurs will be leveraging
ship BigRoll Biscay deploying the solution to OCTOPUS as it serves the world’s largest offshore
protect its high-value payloads. The 146-meter wind farm, for example.
long, 12,285 DWT module carrier, which allows
project cargoes to be rolled or lifted on board, Again, OCTOPUS is also making a key contribu-
has joined the Roll Group fleet in early 2020. tion to the far-reaching European Union-backed
The BigRoll Biscay order extends a relationship ‘Project ATLANTIS’ research initiative to develop
between ABB and Roll Group that has been devel- new wind energy fields in the Atlantic Ocean,
oping since 2009, when the first contract for ABB one off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Ability™ Marine Advisory System – OCTOPUS and another further out to sea. A newly devel-
was signed. oped OCTOPUS module will provide actionable
insights to help onshore operators optimize the
Knowing which way the wind blows planning of missions from port to wind farm, cut
Alongside improved safety, vessel response transfer times between land and wind farms,
forecasting based on the OCTOPUS platform also and reduce vessel waiting time and working
brings efficiency gains. According to Roll Group’s times on-site.
senior project manager Joep Janssens, the solution
not only 'minimizes the environmental forces' to The new module will also take into consideration
which Biscay and its cargo are exposed but 'de- the operational limitations of the ship and per-
creases fuel consumption and helps cut emissions sonnel and assess deployment opportunities for
as a result'. remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs),
unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned aerial
Furthermore, ABB’s ship-type specific expertise vehicles. This is an industry first as it allows the
in hydrodynamics is ensuring that the attractions user ashore to plan offshore operations according
of OCTOPUS are ‘transferrable’ across a growing to the performance of the vessel, crew and equip-
range of vessels. They include wind turbine instal- ment in the conditions they face. This is a signif-
lation vessels, where there is a direct relationship icant step forward for remote decision making:
between minimizing vessel motions and maximiz- in adverse weather or rough seas, a mission or
an ROV launch could be aborted to save a wasted
deployment or worse. There are clear benefits for
safety as well efficiency.

Although the latest addition to the OCTOPUS

06
—
OCTOPUS user interface
with indication of
suite was developed with ATLANTIS in mind,
different heading once more potential applications for the advisory
sectors in red, orange
and green providing
extend beyond a single sector. ABB’s vision is to
assistance in voyage develop the module to serve multiple sectors,
planning, minimizing the
risk of cargo damage
such as the cruise industry, where it could be used
or loss to plan short routes, and the offshore oil and gas
industry to map supply operations for rigs and
floating offshore units.

For an advisory software system also already se-

lected to provide gangway safety on the accom-
—
modation vessel Edda Fides, the latest module
The OCTOPUS Motion confirms that, while OCTOPUS offers an imme-
Monitoring function
helps the onboard staff
diate answer to shipping’s pressing container
to take immediate action stack safety challenge, OCTOPUS would be able
when maximum allowable
motions and accelerations
to assist in finding a smoother, safer and more
are exceeded efficient course for each vessel type.
 162
06

—
Edda Fides floating
hotel vessel
 164 GENER ATIONS

—
Automated excellence
Driving efficiency with ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot
Automated docking saves time, money, fuel and emissions. The ABB
Ability™ Marine Pilot product family is key to unlocking benefits, enabling
enhanced efficiency, safety and optimal operations – every time.
VEGARD SÆTERLID Autodocking advantage tor is required when switching between different
Global product manager
Bridge solutions A multitude of hardworking vessels spend much journey modes. To assist, the system will provide
ABB Marine & Ports of their time docking. Typical ferries, for exam- relevant information to the operator to help de-
ple, dock and undock between 10-30 times a day, cision making, for example, relating to stopping,
often working 5-7 days a week, year-round. If such changing course, increasing or decreasing speed,
a ferry can save 2 minutes on each docking and or going from position keeping into speed, or
undocking that can translate to 300 hours a year other changes in operation.
of saved operational time, and expense.
To illustrate with undocking as an example, the
With the ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot product fam- operator starts the process by selecting 'start
ily, vessels can perform docking autonomously, undocking'. The system then notifies the operator
safely and efficiently, in the same precise manner when the undocking is close to completion and
every time. asks the operator if it should commence the next
operational phase e.g autocrossing. When the
06

The information flow between the solutions within rules and regulations for autonomous operations
the ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot family delivers data are more mature, this interaction by the operator
for calculations that determine optimal docking may no longer be necessary, with the system
trajectory. This trajectory is fed into the ABB Abil- deciding on the next course of action.
ity™ Marine Pilot Control intelligent maneuvering
and control system, which moves the vessel ac- Given the time saved during docking and undock-
cordingly and positions it safely at the dock side. ing, the vessel can maintain a lower speed during
transit, and still be able to reach the destination
During undocking, the procedure is carried out at the scheduled time. A lower transit speed
in reverse. The vessel is brought out from the will lead to lower consumption of fuel, or other
dock, and at this point the auto crossing can be energy sources. If a ferry can lower the average
engaged to take the vessel on the next step of speed by 1 knot it can reduce the required energy
the journey. At all times, the operator has a full consumption by about 175kW/h. A case study us-
overview of operations and, if necessary, can take ing a Shuttle Tanker in Korea, shows that lowering
command. While the shipping industry is moving the cruising speed of the vessel from 15 knots to
towards increased automation and autonomy, at 13.5 knots reduces energy requirements from 883
this stage acknowledgement from a vessel opera- kW/h to 566 kW/h, a total saving of 317 kW/h.
If this power saving is converted to a traditional appearing on the operator’s screen, providing
diesel engine utilizing 0.2 kg of fuel to produce much better situational overview for the operator
1kWh, it results in a saving of 65 kg of diesel per to base their decisions on.
hour. Based on a standard operational profile of
6 hours a day, 365 days a year, this translates to a Although there will always be a requirement for a
total saving of 117 tons of fuel a year. lookout in a crowded harbor area, or in the Arctic
to identify ice, the human eye has a narrow focus
A Vision for safety area and struggles to maintain a broad focus
If weather conditions are challenging (e.g. foggy across a wide horizon. Eyes also run into difficulty
and/or dark), or there are other factors demand- when trying to focus on a large number of objects
ing extra caution or attention, the added situa- simultaneously. ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot Vision
tional awareness from the ABB Ability™ Marine can maintain a wide area of focus and keep track
Pilot Vision solution will enhance safety during of multiple objects at the same time. By utilizing
operations, even without the automated docking ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot Vision and ABB Ability™
and undocking options. Marine Pilot Control, a vessel can safely maneuver
in between obstacles preventing accidents.

06
It is very important to note that humans have
strengths that today’s technology cannot com- The future
pete with, such as a natural ability to handle un- ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot technology can not only
certainty and applying knowledge and experience keep vessels safe when maneuvering, docking,
across contexts. Although technology is excellent undocking and in transit, but also reduce energy
at objective, accurate and continuous observa- consumption. When the requirement for maxi-
tions for instance, it struggles with creative prob- mum power output is lowered, it brings down the
lem solving in unforeseen situations. By combin- space required for installed batteries, reducing
ing the strengths of humans and technology, we charging time, while overall fuel consumption can
can achieve improved safety and efficiency. be lowered for diesel electric vessels. In addition,
docking time is reduced, safety enhanced and
Precise information regarding the vessel’s po- stress on operators and crew minimized.
sition and distance from surroundings is deliv-
ered to the operator, removing the possibility By developing digital solutions for vessels, ABB
of human errors. There is no longer a reliance Marine & Ports can enable more efficient, safer,
on perceived measurements, communicated via and greener vessel operations today, tomorrow
radio, but rather accurate, calculated information and far into the future.
 166 GENER ATIONS

—
Detecting obstacles from
camera images in open seas
While self-driving cars are currently a hot topic, fewer people know that the same
level of automation is being developed in the maritime industry. To enhance
safety on board and ensure the optimal utilization of crew members, automated
assistant solutions are being implemented on cargo ships and vessels.
MIKLÓS KNÉBEL One such solution is a monocular camera-based Multiple weeks of recorded measurement data
Co-Founder
Entermo system capable of detecting obstacles in open from a RoPax vessel operating from Helsinki
sea scenarios, and estimating surrounding vehi- allowed testing and validation already during the
cles’ distance and bearing. After solid research development phase of the solution. Results have
of existing methods and literature, an algorithm shown that the system’s detection capability is
has been developed containing three main parts. highly affected by image resolution, and that dis-
First, real-world measurement data and camera tance estimation performance is reliable up to 2-3
images are processed. Secondly, object detection kilometers, but estimation errors occur at longer
is achieved with the YOLO deep learning meth- distances, due to physical limitations of cameras.
ods, employing a high framerate and thus suit-
able for real-time applications. Lastly, distance As an additional evaluation method, a survey
and bearing values of detected obstacles are was conducted with industry professionals to
estimated based on geometrical calculations and compare human distance estimation capabili-
06

mathematical equations, validated with ground ty with the developed system. In conclusion, it
truth measurement data. appears that there is a significant need and great
potential for automated safety solutions for the
Crew size on cargo ships maritime industry.
350
Average number of crew

The backdrop for increased automation

300 The operation of cargo vessels and container ships
has always consisted of multiple complex tasks.
250
Controlling the engines, docking in harbors, navi-
200 gation between continents and steering in heavy
traffic are just a few essential tasks that captains
150
and crew must handle on a regular basis. The rapid
100 growth of automation has reshaped the working
principles of these vessels, while the reliability of
— 50 robotic applications have led to them taking over
Figure 1: The changing
number of crew on cargo
many tasks in the last decades. The effect can
0
ships [1] 1860 1880 1900 1950 2000 be seen clearly in Figure 1, illustrating that with
 assistive and automatic functions, the minimum solutions is a fundamental step in maintaining a
required crew size has been reduced significantly. competitive advantage in the industry [1].

The rising need for safety, simplification of op- Although trends indicate that unmanned op-
erations and reduction of cost are all important eration could be reached soon, autonomous
reasons why developments in the digitalization solutions still require the presence of humans
of shipping are accelerating, and solutions are on board. The steps between partly automated,
becoming more dynamic than ever. The applica- remote controlled, and fully automated systems
tion of game-changing technologies in marine remain significant [2].

Actual Manned Radar

ship ECDIS
Visual
– On board Action

Generic Remote Radar

alternatives ship ECDIS
Visual

06
06
– Ashore Action

Automated Radar
ship ECDIS
Visual
– Action

Symbiosis Autonomous Radar

ship ECDIS
Visual
– Ashore Action

Radar
ECDIS
— Visual
Figure 2: High level
working principle of – Action
automated solutions [3]
 168 GENER ATIONS

At their current stage of development, automated Technological challenges

vessels have assisting functionalities dependent The robustness, reliability and the future ac-
on sensor data, such as obstacle detection and ceptance of automatic functionalities all rely
avoidance. Emerging smart harbors and increas- on technology. If machines are to be primary
ing communication between collaborative vessels decision makers in the coming decades, sys-
are paving the way for self-docking solutions. In tems must detect and measure all surrounding
the long term, all these developments point in the vehicles and obstacles in order to understand
direction of fully automated vessels, where small traffic scenarios.
ferries, and even large cargo ships, could navigate
from one harbor to another autonomously, with- Although many sensors co-exist on vessels,
out human intervention. sensor fusion makes it possible to process reli-
able measurement values and to create robust
Naturally, there are good reasons for the advance- systems. Another technological challenge is
ment of digitalization in vessel operations. One adequate computing power. Multiple high-quality
of the main arguments is safer operation. In 96 sensors produce a large amount of data that has
percent of accidents in marine scenarios, human to be stored with a high framerate. In addition,
error is shown to be the root cause [3]. By reduc- state-of-the-art solutions are often based on
ing human error, many accidents and collisions machine and deep learning methods that solve
could be prevented, and a safer operation could complex equations and require significant com-
be ensured [4]. The motivation is not to replace puting power. Applying the latest technology is
or dismiss human labor, but to use the power of a fundamental building block in such solutions,
engineering to eliminate risks and assist in deci- but technical challenges are not the determining
sion-making. Furthermore, increased efficiency factors in these systems. Several successful pilot
is needed to ensure sustainable business and projects from around the world have proven that
reduce costs. With the help of the latest technolo- technology is robust enough to proceed with
gies, more intelligent navigation can be achieved, autonomous functions.
resulting in more economical service. The optimal
utilization of vessels not only provides an eco- Legal barriers
nomic business model for technology providers, One of the main restraining forces for the imple-
but allows for more environmentally friendly oper- mentation of automatic solutions is the absence
ation of vessels. of a comprehensive legal framework. Regula-
tions consistently lag behind technology, and
there is major uncertainty in legislation as well,
since autonomous ships are a new entity. Similar
a
06

er
m

use cases such as self-driving cars have a poor-

ca
al
a
er

m
r

ly established framework, limiting legislators’

r
da

er
am
da
Ra

Th
Li

ability to rely on pioneering regulations. Strong

Range of detection collaboration is needed between tech companies
and lawmakers, since a transparent development
Dependency on weather
roadmap and technical capabilities of systems
Availability in darkness define the base for new legal rights and licenses.
Object classification
Moreover, compliance between varying nation-
Data density
al and international regulations is difficult to
Cost of equipment achieve due to countries maintaining disparate
levels of legislation. Shipping has always played a
key role in global transportation, and regulations
Good on autonomous functions must therefore be
—
Fair
established on an international level. In practice,
Table 1: Comparison of
radar, lidar, regular camera
all affected countries will not be able to change
and thermal camera Poor their laws according to the same dynamic, due
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 169

to varying degrees of innovation and technical, measurement data. Second, the object detection
economical and political interests. The most inno- method had to be developed to recognize and lo-
vative countries are the likely leaders of reforma- calize vessels in images. Finally, based on location
tory technologies, where successful pilot projects inputs from object detection, a distance estima-
can establish trust, enabling countries from the tion approach had to be established.
second wave to adapt, based on the reliable expe-
rience of the pioneers. The data providing a basis for the thesis was a
large set of measurements recorded on a cruise
Since most automatic functions will likely require ferry operating out of Helsinki. Camera images,
connectivity with surrounding vessels and cloud- GPS positions, internal sensors and more were
based solutions, cyber security will play a key recorded under various traffic and weather
role in enhancing safe operations. Cyber secu- conditions. RGB cameras are the first input for
rity methodologies today are already at a high the system, applying object detection. Based on
technological level, but lack of regulations and analysis of the literature review and existing
specific requirements are again delaying factors solutions, a deep learning-based method was
for applying future innovations. chosen. If a cargo ship, ocean liner or other type
of vessel is selected by the detector, a repre-
Commonly used sensors in maritime applications sentative point must be chosen for further
A key element of automatic solutions is the per- calculations on distance end bearing. During the
ception of the environment with the help of sen- development phase, GPS coordinates served
sors. Marine vehicles run under both normal and as a comparison, to validate the estimation
extreme weather conditions, including darkness, capability of sensors. While current ships are
storms, fog, or even snow. Vessels are equipped equipped with a large number of sensors, the
with a wide variety of sensors to provide a suit- final system is not based on sensor fusion.
able overview of the surrounding environment, Rather, a blind method has been used, where
allowing for safe navigation. Table 1 illustrates the input information relies only on one single RGB
most common maritime sensor equipment that color image.
may be used as the basis for applying a cam-
era-based system. Theoretical capabilities and limitations
Despite commanding the latest technology, cer-
Object detection methodologies and deep learning tain theoretical capabilities and limitations of the
Computer vision as a tool can be applied in many system must be clarified in advance. Two main
use cases. Object recognition is used to identify facts have the greatest impact on the systems
a specific object on an image, while classifica- performance. One of them is the curvature of the

06
tion aims to select the class or category of an Earth, and the other is image resolution and the
object. The relevant field of computer vision quality with which the input images are recorded.
is object detection that not only identifies the
specific category of the object, but also deter- The Earth is spherical, which means that a human
mines its location in the image. The output is or a camera sees the horizon as the end of the
usually a bounding box that shows the external ocean surface. In theory, but also in practice,
boundaries of the target. Object detection objects farther than the horizon can be also seen,
methods are applied in various fields of tech- however, the current use case limits the system
nology, including surveillance and tracking of for objects before the horizon. It is necessary to
persons on security cameras, face detection see the bottom of objects since their location is
or recognizing cars and pedestrians for driver a crucial step in distance estimation. Unfortu-
assist systems [5]. nately, only the upper part of objects can be seen
behind the horizon, which means that their real
Technical design and realization height is unknown and could be arbitrarily high in
System development is based on three main com- theory. In addition, the observation height plays
ponents. First, data collection was needed to pair a key role in determining how far the horizon can
up real-world camera images with ground truth be perceived.
 170 GENER ATIONS

As shown in Figure 6, the higher the observer is ing task, since the foreground and background
placed, or a camera is mounted, the farther away do not share a homogeneous character. Larger
the horizon. Video cameras used in the thesis are waves and clouds can cause strong environmental
set at a height of around 30 meters, meaning that contours, while the critical object, such as a grey
the real distance of the horizon is around 20 kilo- ship, might be blurred by fog. Given the above,
meters, assuming the globe as a perfect sphere camera-based observation systems have not only
with radius of 6,371 kilometers. Therefore, the physical limitations, but are affected by various
upper theoretical limit of detecting an obstacle complicating circumstances and challenges.
on the sea, using currently equipped vessels is
around 20 kilometers. Data collection and labeling
The method developed in the thesis is a concept
The drawing in Figure 7 demonstrates that there solution for industrial application purposes. A
is a significant difference in observed areas by standardized camera with fixed mounting height
pixels at the bottom and the top of images. At and positions had to be established in order to
shorter distances, a single step in pixels means conduct further research on existing method-
10-15 centimeters change in reality. The d1 and dn ologies. The primary source of information for
values indicate that the further pixels are deter- the computer vision-based system was camera
mined, the larger the distances covered will be. images. An industrial camera equipped on a
Based on mathematical calculations, the distance RoPax vessel cruising from Helsinki served as the
steps reach several kilometers of difference near base for development. Although single camera
the horizon, meaning that a detection error of only images would be sufficient for object detection
one pixel will immediately lead to an estimation methods, distance estimation requires ground
error in the kilometer range. Such physical limita- truth measurement data from additional sensors
tions must be considered when designing estima- in order to ensure a reliable basis for comparison
tion systems and evaluating their performance. and validation purposes.

Last but not least, illumination properties, visi- Object detection

bility conditions and a changing environment will The second phase of the algorithm deals with
play a key role in the system’s performance. The object detection on camera images, which will
water’s surface is a highly textured plane that can form the basis for subsequent distance estima-
change rapidly, becoming orange at sunset, blue tion methods. Object detection is a complex
under clear skies, or grey in stormy weather. The task, where relevant marine obstacles have to be
detection of small objects presents a challeng- identified as a classification problem, and as an
06

120
Observation height [m]

100

80

60

40

20

—
Figure 6: Distance of 0
the horizon based on 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000
observation height Horizon distance [m]
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 171

additional step, an image-based, pixel-wise local- Performance of object detection

ization must be performed. Based on a detailed After thorough research of methodologies, the
experimentation of state-of-the-art methodolo- YOLO deep learning framework was chosen
gies, a deep learning-based approach has been as the primary object detection method. As a
chosen as the primary object detection method. general evaluation for the deep learning method,
only a few false positive cases have occurred,
Distance estimation with traditional computer but most issues were true negative cases, when
vision methods existing vessels could not be identified and local-
In the theoretical overview section, multiple ized on camera images. Close-by, colorful shapes
methodologies for distance estimation have been were detected correctly, but ships at farther dis-
introduced, strengths and weaknesses have been tances and distorted forms on the side of images
analyzed, and a combination of methods has been were challenging.
selected for further steps. A basic requirement
for the developed concept solution was the use Presumably, the explanation is that the training
of a monocular camera from the start. In this dataset for the framework has been prepared
section, two methods are introduced: a tradition- using large quality, colorful images with clear
al bottom-up geometric solution based on the shapes and adequate contrasts. By contrast,
pinhole camera model and lens properties, and images from real-life conditions show low-stimu-
a sampling-based top-down method that builds lus scenarios with less outstanding features and
distance mapping on processed measurement blurred colors, not to mention foggy weather.
values as a regression problem. Moreover, due to a low image quality, smaller
vessels did not contain enough pixels to define a
Bearing estimation based on geometry and clear outline that could be detected as a feature in
sampling points the system.
As the parameters indicated earlier, the calcula-
tion of the bearing is also affected by a number Image quality and resolution plays a key role in
of uncertainties. While the physical limitation in detection performance. The evaluation has meas-
distance estimations is not relevant for bearing, ured in how many cases at least one vessel was
camera distortion and lens properties and map- detected on an image and how many vessels were
pings between image plane and ocean surface recognized from all. Three different image classes
do influence the results. The method used for have been tested: Google images, Full HD camera
bearing estimation is resolved as a regression images and distorted SD images. Results have
problem with over 100 data points. shown that while Google-like images detected

06
Camera height [m]

—
Figure 7: Changing
distance resolution
based on pixel steps in d1 dn
the image plane (red) Sea surface
 172 GENER ATIONS

vessels correctly in 90 percent of the cases, only Performance of distance estimation

half of the validation images were recognized After experimentation with multiple methods,
as containing a vessel for distorted SD images. the bottom-up approach provided the best result,
In addition, in images with multiple vessels, 73 building up a distance map for each image pixel
percent of all objects have been detected, but the based on geometrical calculations. It has been
real-world full HD images are at only 50 percent. proven that the estimation error rises with larger
While at least one vessel was recognizable in distances, due to physical limitations of the
most cases, smaller vessels presented a difficulty world’s representation by cameras. Results have
for the system. Distorted SD resolution images been evaluated based on a test set of 100 data
contained some highly challenging scenarios, points with known distances in the form of
and only 42 percent of ships were recognized. In Automatic Identification System (AIS) infor-
addition to being detected, the confidence of an mation. At ranges lower than three kilometers,
object class also plays an important role. Most a relative error of only 11-12 percent has been
objects in the ship category were classified with a achieved. As the distances increase and the image
confidence score between 70-90 percent. resolution deteriorates with the decrease in number
of representative pixel points, the relative error
For identifying different performances across im- begins to rise significantly, as seen in Figure 8.
age quality, retraining the network with custom,
low-quality images and shapes was considered. Human comparison
However, some benchmark measurements have An online research survey was conducted to measure
shown that using transfer learning for a network human distance estimation capability. The survey,
does not necessarily provide better results unless responded to by 55 industry professionals,
a large number of images is achieved. contains 10 images of open sea scenarios with
vessels where volunteers had to estimate distances
The YOLO network’s ship category was trained with limited prior knowledge. Part of the survey
with ten thousands of images, while retrained assessed the background of volunteers, thereby
solutions with a few thousand showed lower per- enabling a connection between captains and
formance compared to the original network. Con- OOWs manning a ship's bridge, crew members on
sidering the scope of the study and the available vessels, or even engineers working in maritime
datasets, retraining the network to achieve better related companies. Performance could thus also
performances was considered not reasonable, or be separated and compared between individuals
in fact even possible. having different background knowledge and skills.
06

60
Relative error [%]

50

40

30

20

10

—
Figure 8: Relative error
of distance estimation 0
based on range 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
categories Distance category [m]
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 173

At first, the average of human estimates showed and how to determine what is considered as an
varying results compared to the ground truth acceptable solution. In addition, an initial goal
values. However, detailed investigations revealed was to give substantiated advice on the feasibility
that large variances can be seen, from 200 meters and limitations that might have an effect on the
up to 20 kilometers. Since crew members on implementation for commercial use.
the bridge are the most relevant category, one
comparison is based on their filtered answers. In Strengths and weaknesses that might affect
80 percent of cases, the system has estimated a the system have been considered. A framework
better value than the absolute average estimates was established to generate validation data for
of captains. When observing individual cases existing measurements, such as RGB images,
across all cases, only 17 percent of volunteers thermal images and processing of GPS coordi-
could perform at levels equal to or better than nates. Besides using state-of-the-art solutions
the developed algorithm. Interestingly, when all as a general guideline, multiple methodologies
participants are considered, 23 percent could have been considered for the next steps. Initial
perform equally or better, meaning that based on results have served as a base to move towards
the results, a more general composition achieved YOLO-based object detection and geometrical
better estimations. It can be stated that the sys- bottom-up distance estimation. Moreover, the
tem could outperform human distance estimation various approaches have been validated using
capabilities on many levels. Due the high variance ground truth data, where results have shown an
and error of human monitoring of the environ- outstanding evaluation for bearing estimation,
ment, such technical systems could contribute to and good results for distance estimation. To
enhance safer operations in the maritime industry. evaluate system performance, a manual visual
monitoring has been used as a base of compari-
Adaptability son. In summary, the developed concept solution
A key question for the system is how it might outperformed human distance estimation capa-
be adapted to safety-critical functionalities in bilities as determined by an online survey of more
future autonomous solutions. Research provides than 50 industry professionals.
a guideline for which methodologies have the
potential to be implemented in various use cases. Limitations that impacted the performance and
As the YOLO-based object detection method is accuracy of the system were analyzed and discov-
an adaptive solution, independent from cam- ered. Based on the lessons learned from the re-
era settings, improvement options should be search, the solution can be adapted to overcome
considered in order to detect smaller objects at the main limitations.
larger distances. Additionally, the geometrical

06
distance estimation method has been designed As an overall conclusion, if certain infrastructural
to be dependent on a minimal number of input requirements can be satisfied in a cost effec-
parameters. With known mounting settings, tive way, and some physical limitations such as
camera properties and just a few camera images, observable distance are admissible, a similar
the method recalculates the distance mapping for solution could definitely enable safer operations,
the whole visible area. Although a more detailed leading to an optimal and efficient utilization of
validation would be required for further steps, the crew members in the long run.
fully functional algorithms developed in the thesis
provide the groundwork for future developments.
—
Conclusion References
[1] A. N. Update, A. For, T. H. E. Finnish, and M. Cluster, “Smart
The overall goal of this study was to determine Maritime Technology Solutions,” 2017.
whether a monocular camera-based assistance [2] “Automation of Ships in Ports and Harbours,” vol. 44, no. 0, pp. 1–7.
[3] A. Kirchner, “Rise of the Machines – Legal analysis of
system could improve the safety and establish Seaworthiness in the context of autonomous shipping,” 2019.
new developments in the maritime industry. Key [4] M. Blanke, M. Henrique, and J. Bang, “DTU Management
Engineering – A pre-analysis on autonomous ships,” pp. 1–27, 2017.
challenges included how to define the measure- [5] B. U. of T. (TUB) C. V. and R. S. Group, “Automatic Image Analysis –
ment of improvements, the basis of comparison, Typical Tasks,” 2019.
 174 GENER ATIONS

—
GNSS-free navigation
Resilient and accurate vessel positioning
with radar and digital elevation models
Today’s vessels rely heavily on satellite-based navigation systems for
safe operations. These systems, however, are vulnerable to interference,
jamming and spoofing. There is another solution: providing absolute
positioning of the vessel based on marine radar scans.

JONATAN OLOFSSON Positioning based on GNSS (Global Navigation out additional localization sensors. Even with
Department of
Automatic Control Satellite Systems) data has revolutionized the good initialization, SLAM is prone to drift unless
Linköping University localization of maritime vessels. However, the combined with known global reference points. In
GUSTAF HENDEBY underlying technology is sensitive to disturbance this paper, we propose the use of DEMs, for the
Department of and spoofing [1–4], and there is growing concern reasons outlined below.
Automatic Control
Linköping University over industry dependence on this single technolo-
gy and its external transmitter-based approach. Most importantly, elevation maps can generate
FREDRIK GUSTAFSSON
Department of more accurate predictions of the radar image.
Automatic Control To increase resilience against disturbance and For instance, steep coastlines will give a much
Linköping University
adversarial actions, it is important to consider more distinct and larger radar return signal than a
06

DERAN MAAS positioning solutions that do not rely on external shallow beach. Moreover, hills and slopes further
Principal Scientist
ABB Corporate Research technology. This requires mapping of onboard away from the coastline will also reflect the radar
sensor data to a global position, either as prior signal, which can explain radar echoes that can-
STEFANO MARANÒ
Senior Research Scientist knowledge or by building a map on the go. The not be predicted from a sea chart. Hence, a DEM
ABB Future Labs latter is known as Simultaneous Localization And model better predicts the multiple responses of
Switzerland
Mapping (SLAM), where a family of algorithms each radar beam. Furthermore,
uses sensor data to build a map in real time and • Sea charts generally only provide a binary map
position the sensor within the map. Compared of sea versus not sea. Hence, only one radar
to using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)-based response can be modeled for each radar beam,
model, SLAM could have the benefit of being representing the closest shoreline.
less sensitive to the detailedness of underly- • Coastlines are not static objects; they
ing data while also adapting to changes more change over time. Elevation maps generated
quickly. SLAM has been previously applied to by satellites can reflect these changes faster,
radar data in a maritime setting [5], but as there and in a more accurate manner than tradi-
is no geographical reference to tie the SLAM map tional sea charts.
to the physical world, a SLAM algorithm would • Elevation maps are global, while sea charts are
not be able to provide global positioning with- most accurate in densely trafficked waters.
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 175

In this paper we describe a system capable of The Particle Filter (PF) [10] is a sequential Monte
localization in a known – but not necessarily previ- Carlo method to solve the Bayesian recursion. An
ously visited – environment through the matching overview of the method is presented here; see
of DEMs with radar scans. The matching is per- [11] for a more thorough description in the con-
formed using a particle filter utilizing a custom text of filtering.
measurement model to model the expected radar
response based on the DEM. This gives a method The idea behind the PF is to use a number of
of localization that is resilient to interference, random samples and weights and to
spoofing, and jamming. represent the sought distribution. This yields
the approximation
The system described in this paper is developed
with, and tested against, recorded data from (2)
the ABB Marine & Ports sensor suite installed on
the Suomenlinna II ferry in Helsinki harbor [6] in where is the number of samples, or parti-
Finland. The data includes, but is not limited to, cles, used in the approximation, all weights are
radar, electro-optical (EO) cameras, GNSS, inertial positive and is the Dirac
sensors, and a digital compass. delta function.

The outline of the paper is as follows. In Section II, The particle filter then updates the particles and
the background theory is presented along with an weights over time to reflect the current informa-
introduction of the data with which the imple- tion. In its basic form, also called the Bootstrap
mentation was made and tested. In Section III, the filter, the filter boils down to the following steps
measurement model of the radar is derived, and all performed for :
a likelihood function is proposed based on the
matching between modeled and measured radar • Initialization: Draw samples from the initial
responses. The implementation used for the eval- distribution, all with the same weight:
uation of the proposed method is described in de-
tail in Section IV. This is then used to demonstrate (3)
a real tracking scenario in Section V. Section VI
concludes the paper. • Prediction: Based on the expected motion, draw
new particles to represent the state in the
Background next time instance:
In this section we review the background theory
used in the research presented in this paper. (4)

06
A. FILTERING THEORY • Measurement correction: Reweigh the particles
The basis for modern positioning is Bayesian based on how well they fit the measurements:
state-space based filtering, in which the state
at time of the studied system is inferred from (5)
measurements using the recursion
such that
(1a)
• Resample: To avoid particle degeneration i.e. all
(1b) but one particle lose all their weight and impor-
tance, new particles are drawn from the old set
The commonly known Kalman Filter (KF) [7] solves with probability , with replacement.
this recursion analytically for the linear Gaussian
case. The Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) [8, 9], There are two differences between the particle
which linearizes the system around the current filter and the Kalman filter that makes the particle
estimate, has been successfully used to solve a filter suitable for the studied application as out-
more general class of problems. lined below.
 176 GENER ATIONS

Whereas the Kalman filter is limited to represent illumination with EM waves. Rotating around an
the state with a single mean and a covariance, the axis, it yields samples at given angles. The raw
particle representation is more flexible allowing radar returns have to undergo significant signal
for several possible hypothesis to be considered processing to make the relevant information ac-
simultaneously. Hence, resolving ambiguities in cessible as imagery or individual detections [12].
the estimated location can be delayed until more The result is the sum of all reflections from the
information is made available. illuminated areas, as well as unwanted noise and
interference phenomena – known as speckle.
The particle filter does not require an explicit
measurement equation where the measurement The returned signals strongly depend on the
is a function of the current state and noise, as the properties of the object causing the reflection,
Kalman filter does. This will prove essential when such as its reflectivity and its orientation in
incorporating the DEM in the measurement. relation to the radar source. These properties are
summarized in the Radar Cross-Section (RCS) [12],
B. MARINE RADAR which is a measure of the object’s detectability.
Marine radar is today an indispensable tool for The return signal power is also proportional to the
situational awareness on commercial ships, in inverse fourth power of the distance to the target,
particular in low-visibility environments. The ma- so limiting the range of the radar.
rine radar instrument measures electromagnetic
(EM) reflectivity of its surroundings by active Returns from an entire radar revolution yields a
scan. In implementations, this is often stored as
a matrix with rows and columns in accordance
with angular and range resolution. However, when
thresholded, this representation can be sparsified
to yield individual measurements – reports – as
2D-points and their intensities, ,

(6)

In this paper, is defined in Cartesian coordi-

—
Figure 1: Radar response nates centered around the ship radar. In each scan
is sampled in polar reports are detected.
coordinates centered at
the radar
The radar’s polar response is exemplified in Fig-
06

ure 1, with its Cartesian counterpart in Figure 2.

Measurement model
This section outlines how the radar response is
modeled from the DEM data, as needed to use the
PF. For simplicity, only the position of the radar
detections is considered, not the intensity. The
model is separated in two parts; the first part
models what radar detections

(7)

— to expect given specific position and orientation,

Figure 2: When the radar
response is converted to
using a radar response model . The second
Cartesian coordinates, part in which the likelihood is
the shape of the harbor
becomes apparent to the
derived. The former step generates potential
human eye radar responses, whereas the latter in essence
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 177

DEM

POLAR TRF

POLAR RADAR

BEAM MODEL

06
POLAR TRF INVERSE POLAR

—
Figure 3: Measurement
model pipeline MATCH
 178 GENER ATIONS

defines a probabilistic distance between two rounding the vessel, as given by a DEM. As radar
sets. In the paper, the orientation of the radar measurements are taken in a radial fashion, we
is assumed as known, as measured by e.g. the start by discussing how reports can be extracted
digital compass. If the orientation is not known, for each individual angle, based on the elevation
the state could easily be extended to estimate along a virtual beam radiating at an angle from
the orientation. the radar, . Based on this elevation, we model
the RCS at a given range. This single-beam model
The full pipeline of the resulting algorithm is is then applied in parallel to all angles reported by
illustrated in Figure 3 for a single particle po- the radar.
sition. The left column of the pipeline and the
matching is then repeated for each particle in the The RCS in a given direction and range is
particle filter. approximated to be proportional to the area of
the reflecting surface projected onto the plane
A. RADAR RESPONSE MODEL perpendicular to the radar beam. This approxima-
The radar response model proposed in this tion makes it straightforward to compute . Let
paper bases its reports on the elevation sur- be the vector originating in the radar ending
in the reflecting point on the surface, and
the surface normal in the reflecting point. Then,
as illustrated in Figure 4, the RCS follows from
linear algebra as

(8)

where represents the scalar product and

the two-norm.
—
Figure 4: Here, the
relevant quantities of the To further model the radar’s received response,
radar reflection model the shadowing effect of the landscape is con-
are illustrated, with
being the vector sidered. To simplify the line-of-sight computa-
originating in the radar tions, all points along the direction of the ray are
ending in the reflecting
point on the surface, and assumed to be visible if they are located higher
the surface normal than any preceding point, otherwise not. Hence,
in the reflecting point
the final
06

RCS becomes

(9)

This process is illustrated in Figure 5.

In the final step all points with sufficiently large

RCS are identified as part of the report set. A
threshold is applied to to obtain the set
of modeled polar reports,

—
Figure 5: The model of
(10)
the radar response in a
single given direction
is primarily a function
where is the maximum range of the radar. This
of the incidence angle polar representation is then, through inverse po-
between the radar and
the ground at range r.
lar transform, converted to Cartesian coordinates
Here, =0 to give i.e. .
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 179

B. POINT CLOUD MATCHING Note that when comparing two point-cloud sets,
With the measured and modeled radar response the association generally associates points from
available, and , respectively, a measure of one set to points in the other, potentially leaving
their correspondence can be created to provide points in the second set without corresponding
the measurement likelihood needed in the PF points. The question is hence whether to com-
measurement update (5). pare the measurements to the predicted points,
vice versa or both. We found that due to the
Defining the difference between two point clouds dominating cardinality of the modeled response,
is nontrivial. From the literature of point-cloud the one-sided matching of sensor data to the
registration, there are a number of error meas- modelled points yielded a more stable tracking
ures as summarized in e.g. [13]. One of the most performance in this particular application – the
basic measures is the mean (sometimes squared) map is in a sense more complete than the incom-
distance between associated points. With un- ing radar scans.
known point-to-point association, a hypothetical
association needs to be established to calcu- C. ADDITIONAL MODELS
late the measure. An intuitive and, importantly, Further to modeling the radar response from the
computationally efficient method of associ- DEM, there are several other useful sources of
ation is the selection of the nearest neighbor data available on a ship, and more information to
of each point, from the other point set. Below, be gained from a DEM.
is the nearest neighbor of in ,
by Euclidean norm. For example, radar returns not only come from
natural sources – as modeled by the DEM – but
Based on the mean error, the following likelihood also from other vessels in the vicinity. Common-
function is proposed: ly, nearby vessels report both position and size
through the standardized Automatic Identifica-
(11) tion System (AIS) protocol. There are primarily
two ways that ships can be included in the match
between sensor data and the single-beam
return model; either the returns can be exclud-
(12) ed from the sensor data, or the returns can be
included in the measurement model. For this,
i.e. the mean distance of measured points to their each ship could, for example, be modeled as an
nearest modeled point is considered Gaussian, ellipsoid described by the reported AIS param-
with zero mean and covariance . eters, with an added approximate height. By

06
adding this to the DEM prior to Algorithm 2, it
would automatically be included in the beam
model and detection matching. It should be
noted, however, that AIS data is not fully reliable
and could potentially be subject to spoofing
and jamming.

Furthermore, from the DEM it is trivial to

extract a virtual measurement of “being on
water” contra being on land. Being a maritime
vessel, it is natural to assume that it is on water
—
i.e. not being on an elevation above water level
Figure 6: Elevation as calibrated for tidal movements. Thus, given
maps provide further
information compared to
a tidal model, it is trivial to extract this data
sea-charts – information from a DEM and to implement this as a parti-
which can be exploited to
model the response from
cle-filter measurement step, or as part of the
a radar sensor prediction model.
 180 GENER ATIONS

Implementation one row per radar angle. The Cartesian map is

In this section, we further describe the algorithm illustrated in Figure 6.
and discuss practical aspects of the implemen-
tation that was made for this paper. The imple- The elevation for each angle can then be de-
mentation of the particle filter and the likelihood fined as a lookup function of the distance (range
function presented in Section III was made in the ) from the radar,
PYTHON programming language along with nec-
essary supporting functions. For example, in the (13)
implementation the tracking was performed with
latitude–longitude state variables, but for each Here, and is the angular and range resolu-
time-update all particles were transformed into a tion, respectively.
local Cartesian north–east system, updated, then
transformed back to latitude–longitude. Pseudocode for the single-beam model from
Section III-A is given in Algorithm 1. Note that the
A. RADAR RESPONSE MODEL projection of (8) is performed with the trigono-
The DEM is given as a discrete map, expressed metric identity of .
in this paper as the matrix . The measurement
model is most efficiently computed in the natural Algorithm 1 – Single beam model pseudocode
frame of the radar, using polar coordinates. Input: Matrix row i, RCS threshold, .
Hence, this data is transformed to polar coordi-
nates to form the polar elevation matrix , with
for do

if then
—
Figure 7: Measurement
if then
model with the
corresponding polar
radar response overlaid
end if
06

in red
end if
end for
Output:

The result from the algorithm applied to all an-

gles yields the polar model of Figure 7, which is
subsequently converted to Cartesian coordinates
as in Figure 9a to match the format reported from
the sensor.
—
Figure 8: The likelihood In the figures, the model is overlaid with the
function from (11)
evaluated around
measured radar response to reveal that the mod-
the reference GNSS el, based on the available elevation data, signifi-
position, in a 5m
resolution grid In the
cantly overmodels the amount of responses. This
plot, the GNSS reference overmodeling, however, is counteracted in the
position (white) as
well as a local maxima
choice of error measure in the point-cloud match-
(green) are marked ing between the sensed and modeled points.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 181

B. POINT CLOUD MATCHING The pseudocode implementation of the point-

The likelihood function of (11) is illustrated in cloud measure used in this paper is presented in
Figure 8 for the example scan in Figure 9a over an Algorithm 2, where the measurement likelihood of
±100m north/east area with a gridded 5m reso- (11) is applied to the joint set of expected meas-
lution. It is clear that in this particular scan and urements.
DEM, a more or less nearby position provides an
even better match for the received radar data. The Algorithm 2 – Measurement model pseudocode
corresponding match is illustrated in Figure 9b. A Input: Latitude (lat), longitude (lon), , heading .
likely reason for this is the fact that the available
elevation data does not include the houses along
the shore that dominate the radar response with-
in this particular harbor. This illustrates a weak-
ness of the DEM approach compared to SLAM
solutions, which are inherently more robust to
discrepancies by not relying on external maps.


for
do

end for

Output:
—
Figure 9a: Match at
GNSS reference. In the
Experiments
likelihood plot in Figure The Suomenlinna II is a ferry that runs between
8, the marked positions
correspond to the
Helsinki harbor and the Suomenlinna fortress in
matches illustrated to the Helsinki archipelago. The ferry is equipped
the right. The modeled
response is plotted in
with Double Acting Technology, meaning its
black and the measured forward/aft direction can be fully reversed, which
radar response in red
leads to some additional considerations in algo-
rithm implementations.

06
The ship has also been retrofitted with a sen-
sor suite including radars, lidars, cameras, and
GNSS. These are connected through a backbone
network to an onboard server for algorithm
development. For the development presented in
this paper, multiple passes were recorded and
post-processed using a real-time communication
framework. This framework enables the same
implementation that is developed offline to be
used online without modification. Online tests are
planned in the future. The marine radar in use per-
forms pre-processing of the radar response. The
radar data is sparsified by extracting individual
points from a thresholded radar response, with a
—
Figure 9b: GNSS, −35m
threshold set at approximately 25 percent of the
north, +40m east radar decibel range.
 182 GENER ATIONS

DEMs were obtained from the National Land Sur- computer. The runtime is dominated by the point-
vey of Finland [14] who provide DEM data under a cloud matching, indicating where future optimiza-
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International tions could be focused.
(CC BY 4.0) Licence [15].
Conclusion
The particle filter was run with 100 particles initi- In this work, we propose a method for maritime
ated at first around a known GNSS position, with navigation independent of GNSS that is able to
an added Gaussian noise having a standard devi- provide absolute positioning of a vessel based
ation of 10 m in the north OBJ OBJ OBJ time on marine radar scans. We describe the method
lapsed since the last measurement update. The and demonstrate the feasibility of using Digital
RCS threshold was set at OBJ OBJ . Elevation Model (DEM) to model the response of
a ship-mounted marine radar. Tracking of a vessel
Figure 10 shows an example run of the proposed is demonstrated using real-world data from a
algorithm. We considered 120 s of navigation, ferry transiting Helsinki harbor. The quality of
with the ferry cruising in a south-southeast direc- the tracking is, without surprise, observed to
tion. In the figure, the reference GNSS track and be dependent on the detailedness of the DEM.
the estimated position are shown on the map in In particular, the exclusion of man-made struc-
red and yellow, respectively. The estimation error tures in the DEM – in this case buildings along the
and the particles’ standard deviation of spread harbor front – sometimes skews the results by not
are shown in the lower plots. The estimation error, providing a major source of detections present
post measurement updates, is kept below ap- in the sensor data, instead comparing it to the
proximately 10m to 15m throughout the majority more subtle coastline. Nevertheless, the model is
of the evaluation. capable of tracking the vessel in the harbor with a
tracking error comparable to that of GNSS, main-
In this case, the tracking was performed on taining an error in the harbor of less than around
every 20th 3Hz radar measurement, resulting in a 10m to 15m throughout the majority of the test-
runtime of approximately real time on a consumer case using only 100 particles.

At this point, the model does not factor in ground

properties such as varying reflectivity, as only the
position of expected returns are considered.

The implemented particle filter using the pro-

posed likelihood was shown to be capable
06

of real-time tracking of the vessel. Real-time

tracking enables robust localization. This pro-
vides a redundant system to complement GNSS
navigation. It can also be used to detect GNSS
malfunctions or attacks, providing immunity to
interference, jamming, and spoofing. The track-
ing performance could, with optimizations and in-
crease in computing power, further be increased
by including more of the radar scans at a higher
rate or increasing the number of particles in the
— particle filter.
Figure 10: Track and
error of the particle filter
tracker, as compared Acknowledgements
with the GNSS reference.
The reference GNSS
We wish to thank ABB Marine & Ports and asso-
track and the estimated ciates for the dataset used in this article, as well
position are shown
on the map in red and
as for the assistance provided in reading and
yellow, respectively interpreting the data.
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 183

—
References
[1] J. Bhatti and T. E. Humphreys, “Hostile Control of Ships via False
GPS Signals: Demonstration and Detection,” Navigation, Journal
of the Institute of Navigation, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 51–66, 2017.
[2] A. J. Kerns, D. P. Shepard, J. A. Bhatti, and T. E. Humphreys,
“Unmanned Aircraft Capture and Control Via GPS Spoofing,”
Journal of Field Robotics, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 617–636, 2014.
[3] M. Harris, “Ghost ships, crop circles, and soft gold: A GPS
mystery in Shanghai,” 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.
technologyreview.com/s/614689/ ghost-ships-crop-circles-and-
soft-gold-a-gps-mystery-in-shanghai/
[4] M. L. Psiaki and T. E. Humphreys, “GNSS Spoofing and Detection,”
Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 104, no. 6, pp. 1258–1270, 2016.
[5] J. Han, Y. Cho, and J. Kim, “Coastal SLAM With Marine Radar for
USV Operation in GPS-Restricted Situations,” IEEE Journal of
Oceanic Engineering, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 300–309, 2019.
[6] https://new.abb.com/marine/marine-references/suomenlinna-ii
[7] R. E. Kalman, “A New Approach to Linear Filtering and Prediction
Problems,” Journal of Basic Engineering, vol. 82, no. 1, p. 35, 1960.
[8] A. H. Jazwinski, Stochastic Processes and Filtering Theory, ser.
Mathematics in Science and Engineering. Elsevier Science, 1970.
[9] G. L. Smith, S. F. Schmidt, and L. A. McGee, Application of
Statistical Filter Theory to the Optimal Estimation of Position
and Velocity on Board a Circumlunar Vehicle, ser. NASA technical
report. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1962.
[10] N. Gordon, D. Salmond, and A. Smith, “Novel Approach to Nonlinear/
Non-Gaussian Bayesian State Estimation,” IEE Proceedings F -
Radar and Signal Processing, vol. 140, no. 2, p. 107, 1993.
[11] F. Gustafsson, “Particle Filter Theory and Practice with Positioning
Applications,” Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, IEEE,
pp. 1–40, 2010.
[12] J. A. Richards, Remote Sensing with Imaging Radar, ser. Signals and
Communication Technology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2009.
[13] S. Rusinkiewicz and M. Levoy, “Efficient variants of the ICP
algorithm,” Proceedings of International Conference on 3-D Digital
Imaging and Modeling, 3DIM, pp. 145–152, 2001.
[14] https://tiedostopalvelu.maanmittauslaitos.fi/tp/kartta?lang=en
[15] https://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/en/opendata-licence-cc40

06
 184 GENER ATIONS

—
Electric power
Opportunities for coast guard and navy vessels
Across the shipping industry, electric power systems incorporating batteries and
energy storage systems, fuel cells and other sources of shipboard energy and
ship-shore energy integration, are set to transform ship design and operation
in the years ahead. At the same time, sensors on board ships are transmitting
fast increasing amounts of data between systems, accumulating knowledge on
board and on shore to optimize operations and enhance remote support.
DANIEL AHERN Electric power and propulsion systems have es- silience, and can be scaled up or down to serve a
ABB Marine & Ports
VP Navy and tablished a strong foothold across shipping, with variety of vessel types and operating profiles
Coast Guard Segment successful deployments onboard high perfor-
mance icebreakers, shuttle tankers, offshore con- Demanding operating profiles
struction vessels, icebreaking liquefied natural Many Navy and Coast Guard vessels share
gas (LNG) carriers, and wind farm support ships. similar operating profiles with these special-
ized commercial ships, where variable power
For navy and coast guard vessels, the power of demands need to be available in seconds, not
electricity has great potential to raise operational minutes. Where efficiency allows for greater
flexibility, increase efficiency, cut response times range or reduced fuel storage, operating de-
06

and enhance maneuverability, reduce life cycle mands range across standby transit, high-speed
maintenance costs, and improve sustainability. missions, docking operations with maximum
Also, due to changing mission load requirements, maneuverability and the capability to operate
the flexibility of the electrical system can support unassisted if necessary.
varying mission needs.
In contrast to traditional AC systems, today’s
Sectors of commercial shipping have already em- DC grids provide the flexibility required to meet
barked on the energy transition. In many cases, these wide-ranging operating profiles. DC power
this involves the smooth integration of energy systems lie at the heart of shipping’s energy
generated from different sources, a catalyst in transformation today and will be essential for
the development of ultra-flexible direct current the multi-source shipboard energy arrangements
(DC) grids that are increasingly being chosen over that are in development and will be required
alternating current (AC) arrangements. Suita- tomorrow. Ship operators are already hailing their
ble for ships operating in the low-to-mid power benefits as replacements for conventional AC
range, DC-based power systems are based on systems on a growing number of ship types. They
pre-engineered modules that can be combined cite advantages including simplicity, operational
to deliver the required balance of power and re- flexibility and life cycle economics.
 185

In terms of safety, the relative simplicity of DC

grids provides greater scope to protect against
faults, to predict them, to detect them, and for
system recovery. Confidence in the overall system
has also been shown to encourage more sustain-
able ship operation because additional power
sources are not brought online unnecessarily.

Meanwhile, the simplicity of the setup enables

common faults such as governor and auto-
matic voltage regulator failures to be handled
more quickly and effectively. The risk of engine
overload is dramatically reduced because each
In addition to their usefulness in the integra- generator has a built-in overload protector that
tion of physical technologies, DC-based power limits output power and ensures that engines do
systems provide a unique platform for digital not stall.
solutions. With sensors on board transmitting
data between systems instantly, this opens the Why electric
way for optimization in bridge- and shore-based If the benefits of greater efficiency, real-time
performance – as well as to remote support vessel management and remote diagnostics are
through on-shore support centers. Because dig- self-evident, the switch from AC to DC offers still
ital systems are fully available to the ship and at more in the way of flexibility for Navy and Coast
control centers ashore, both efficiency and safety Guard ships. It can, for example, facilitate ze-
is optimized at all times. ro-noise and/or zero-emission operation for sensi-
tive deployments. Operating range can also be
Why DC power? significantly extended, particularly with the adop-
The shift to DC power has been a response to the tion of azimuth or podded electric propulsion.
changing energy and operating requirements of
many ship types. These include the development A decentralized DC system can also provide
of variable speed engines, the integration of bat- increased redundancy and survivability to the
teries and energy storage, scope to integrate oth- vessel. By segmenting and distributing the
er energy sources such as shaft generators and, in power generation and the consumers along a DC
the future, fuel cells and power from the wind. bus network, a high degree of survivability can
be achieved.

06
In fact, DC systems have many practical, opera-
tional and safety advantages over those based on But there are also lifetime benefits that are less
AC. Many of these benefits are directly relevant apparent at the outset, but which should appeal
to the Navy and Coast Guard sectors and can be to Navy and Coast Guard Commanders. These
summarized as follows: include improved reliability, longer maintenance
• Variable speed generators to match power supply intervals with digital predictive systems, and
and demand at all times, saving fuel, cutting fewer spare parts.
emissions, and reducing maintenance requirements
• Efficient integration of additional power sources, Meanwhile, remote support capabilities in real
including shaft generators, batteries, energy time from expert Navy or Coast Guard person-
storage systems, and fuel cells nel can maximize uptime and minimize mission
• Increased flexibility through weight and space delays. Overall, reduced lifecycle costs, improved
savings of up to 30 percent sustainability, and significantly smaller carbon
• Superior fault tolerance supported by remote footprints should appeal, while the adaptability of
and real-time diagnostics service DC arrangements provide a strong degree of ‘fu-
• Effective distribution capability ture-proofing’ as new technologies gain ground in
• Remote and real-time diagnostics service functionality the years ahead.
 186 GENER ATIONS

—
Fuel cells in commercial
marine applications
Recently, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) have emerged as the
preferred solution in transportation applications, and there are already several
marine projects with PEMFC under development. Experience gained from
small-scale installations can be utilized in larger ships, as development and
demonstration of megawatt-scale fuel cell solutions is already in progress.
DR. SAMI KANERVA The need to cut emissions from seaborne traffic several measures are anticipated to cut emissions
Global Product Manager
Fuel Cells is guiding shipowners to apply alternative fuels already around 2025, as illustrated in Figure 1.
ABB Marine & Ports and fuel cell systems in their vessels. Fossil fuels Logistics, energy efficiency and speed reduction
KLAUS VÄNSKÄ can be partly replaced by bio-based and syn- will have an impact, but the transition from fossil
Head of Global thetic fuels, as they can be used in combustion to renewable fuels is inevitable if targets set by
Strategy and Business
Development engines directly or following modifications. The the IMO are to be met. The gap to be closed by
ABB Marine & Ports introduction of synthetic fuels also requires fuel transition is around five percent in 2030 and
HANSUELI KRATTIGER ramping up hydrogen production, which in turn nearly 50 percent in 2050.
Business Developer enables implementing efficient fuel cell systems
ABB
for producing electrical power for the shipboard With a generally accepted 20-30 year life cycle
power systems. for ships, the transition to renewable fuels must
take place at a rapid pace if these goals are to be
06

Introduction met. Backward calculation of the CO2 reduction

In 2018, the International Maritime Organization shows a need of 200,000 GWh of carbon-free
(IMO) adopted an initial strategy to reduce green- energy per annum in 2030. In order to utilize this
house gas (GHG) emissions from ships [1]. In the fuel, approximately 40-50 GW of new machin-
first stage, targets were set to reduce CO2 emis- ery needs to be installed as well. This will place
sions per transport work by 40 percent by 2030 massive pressure on newbuild projects, as well
and total GHG emissions from shipping by 50 per- as creating demand for converting or retrofit-
cent by 2050. The IMO strategy will be revised in ting existing machinery in order to meet the GHG
2023, defining specific short-term measures and targets in time.
outlining mid- and long-term measures to achieve
the targets by 2030 and 2050. Although LNG will aid the transition in the begin-
ning, it will not provide the final solution. Hydro-
Based on the GHG reduction targets above, DNV gen and fuel cells together present an interesting
has presented a forecast for maritime transport solution for emission control, since the fuel itself
going towards 2050 as part of their Energy Tran- is free of carbon, and the absence of combustion
sition Outlook 2019 report [2]. Seaborne trade in fuel cells also keeps the exhaust free of nitro-
is expected to continue growing until 2035, but gen oxides.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 187

According to the annual review by the fuel cell in- The international code of safety for ships using
dustry [3], production of proton exchange mem- gases or other low-flashpoint fuels (IGF code) [4]
brane fuel cells (PEMFC) underwent a dramatic from the IMO is the main guideline to be applied,
increase during 2015-2019. This was due in large although at present it offers detailed rules only
part to demand from the automotive industry, for LNG. Revisions for other gaseous fuels are
but the interest in marine applications is none- pending, but it will take years to complete the
theless on the rise. code to include hydrogen-related regulations.
However, classification societies are developing
The growth of marine fuel cell projects started guidelines in collaboration with flag state author-
with demonstrator projects, applying fuel cell ities in order to create a predictable roadmap and
modules originally developed for buses and support shipowners with the alternative design
trucks, typically with installations between 100 process for flag state approval.
kW and 600 kW on small vessels. A few hydrogen
concept vessels have received funding as well, Renewable scenarios
and projects have shown increasing trends in Although targets for emission reduction have
power capacity. Behind the scenes, there are been widely adopted, there are still several
many projects in the planning stages, confirming alternative pathways open for meeting targets
the trend. on a global scale. A study by University Mari-
time Advisory Services (UMAS) presents various
When applying fuel cells to larger ship solutions, carbon reduction scenarios related to regula-
several challenges have yet to be addressed. To tions, fuel availability and cost development [5].
begin with, safety concepts for new fuels and sys- The report concludes that reduction of carbon
tems must be developed. Considerable changes intensity in shipping will require a transition to
in the general onboard arrangement may also be bio-based or synthetic fuels in addition to energy
expected, and the basic principles of ship design efficiency interventions. The role of hydrogen and
may even need to be challenged. Fuel storage and hydrogen-based fuels in shipping varies widely
machinery present different space requirements between the different pathways, presenting a
with fuel cells than in conventional systems. share between 30 and 60 percent in the most like-
Reconsidering heat recovery concepts will also be ly scenarios. The share of biofuels vary between
needed due to considerations regarding cryogen- 10 and 20 percent in most scenarios.
ic systems and low-temperature exhaust.
Representing an even higher level of ambition,
The regulatory landscape on hydrogen is still the Energy Watch Group (EWG) and Lappeenranta

06
somewhat immature, since administrative regula- University of Technology (LUT) offer a pathway
tions and class rules are still under development. to shift globally to 100 percent renewable energy

—
Figure 1: Shipping
emissions reduction by
measure (2018-2050) [2]
 188 GENER ATIONS

in all sectors [6]. In the transport sector, of which In addition to biofuels, it is possible to produce
shipping is a substantial part, use of hydrogen synthetic hydrocarbons from hydrogen and car-
would be ramped up between 2025 and 2050. As bon dioxide, or ammonia with nitrogen [8]. These
presented in Figure 2, liquid renewable fuels and synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, have a car-
hydrogen would together eventually represent bon footprint relative to the feedstock and energy
more than half of the total energy demand in the used in the production process. Producing carbon
transport sector. neutral e-fuels requires that hydrogen originate
from e.g. water electrolysis. Carbon dioxide is
Alternative fuels captured from industrial flue gases or directly
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has exam- from air, and the energy for the production pro-
ined the availability and potential market for bio- cess is supplied from renewable sources.
fuels in the marine sector in a research perspec-
tive [7]. Current production capacity for biofuels Potential carbon-based e-fuels include methane,
is far below the potential need in the maritime methanol, diesel and jet fuel, all of which could
sector, and even with considerable ramp-up of be used directly with conventional machinery or
production, biofuels could only partially support blended with existing fuels. However, the devel-
decarbonization targets. Biodiesel derived from opment initiatives for e-fuel production are still
plant oil or pulping residues could be produced at the demonstrator level, and even after scaling
at relatively high capacity, and can be used as up to commercial quantities their production cost
drop-in fuel blended with marine diesel. Bioeth- will be substantially higher than current fossil
anol can be produced with an even higher supply fuels. Hence, it is widely considered that the most
potential, although this would require modifi- prominent e-fuels in the medium and even long
cations in machinery in order to be used with term would be non-carbon alternatives, i.e. am-
combustion engines. monia and hydrogen [2][5][6][8].
06

—
Figure 2: Energy demand
for the transport sector
to meet the pathway to
100 percent renewable
energy [6]
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 189

Since hydrogen is the primary feedstock for all shuttles, and costs are relatively low. Proton
synthetic fuels, a massive ramp-up of hydrogen exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology
production is inevitably needed for large-scale is widely used in transport applications. Its main
production of synthetic fuels. As hydrogen is also advantage is high power-to-weight ratio. Both
applicable as primary fuel, it is anticipated that technologies utilize only pure hydrogen as fuel,
simpler production chains and logistics will favor and operate at relatively low temperatures.
hydrogen over other e-fuels. In the long term,
hydrogen is also expected to have substantially Phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC) operate at
lower cost than other e-fuels due to its simple temperatures up to 200°C and can also support
production process [6][8]. heat recovery systems. Molten carbonate fuel
cells (MCFC) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) both
Fuel cell technologies operate at temperatures higher than 500°C. Di-
Compared to combustion engines and gas turbines, rect methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology allows
fuel cells provide higher efficiency without NOx the use of methanol as fuel without a separate
emissions. With few moving parts in the system, reformer. Both MCFC and SOFC can operate with
they are quiet and reliable. For these reasons, fuel flexible fuels due to integrated reforming pro-
cells provide a very competitive means of utilizing cesses, and PAFC can also run on LNG or methanol
hydrogen as fuel in ships with electric propulsion. with an external reformer.

Fuel cell technologies for shipping are reviewed in The development of the fuel cell market during
the study by the European Maritime Safety Agen- 2015-2019 is illustrated in Figure 3. Over last five
cy (EMSA) and DNV [9]. Alkaline fuel cell (AFC) years, PEMFC has experienced continuously in-
technology has a long history from the space creasing growth, while the annual market for oth-
er technologies has remained constant. Growth
is mainly due to demand from the automotive
industry, which favors the compact size, reliability
and lifetime expectancy of PEMFC. In addition
to automotive applications, the same benefits
apply for heavy transport and marine. According-
ly, increasing capacity of PEMFC would indicate
decreasing production cost in the near future for
—
Figure 3: Annual
all industries, including marine.
production volumes
(megawatts) for
Selected marine projects with fuel cells

06
different fuel cell
technologies during Sandia National Laboratories started a project in
2015-2019 [3]
2013 to design and build a containerized hydro-
gen fuel cell generator for maritime use [10].
The maritime fuel cell generator is powered by
Project Year Fuel cell power Fuel a 100 kW fuel cell system from Hydrogenics and
includes storage for pressurized hydrogen. The
Maritime 2017 100 kW H2 container was upgraded with power conditioning
container and control systems from ABB in 2017. Similarly,
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) presented a
RCCL 2017 100 kW H2 100 kW demonstrator at RCCL Technology Display
demonstrator Days in 2017. The event was powered by the fuel
cell system engineered and developed by ABB and
Cargo vessel 2021 400 kW H2 Ballard Power Systems.
in France
Another example is an EU-funded project, FLAG-
—
SHIPS, was awarded EUR 5 million of funding in
Table 1: Examples of Ferry in Norway 2021 600 kW H2
marine PEMFC projects 2018 from the EU’s Research and Innovation pro-
 190 GENER ATIONS

gramme Horizon 2020, under the Fuel Cells and In the commercial shipbuilding market, there is
Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), to deploy a clear interest in designing and building fuel
two hydrogen vessels in France and Norway [12]. cell ships, also in the megawatt range. With such
ratings, it is no longer feasible to compose large
In other long-term research programs, the HySeas fuel cell systems from modules of a few hundreds
III project aims to launch a hybrid passenger ferry of kilowatts. ABB and Ballard Power Systems
for operation in the Orkney Islands, Scotland announced in 2018 their collaboration on jointly
[13], and Sandia National Laboratories published developing marine-specific MW-scale fuel cell
a feasibility study on SF-BREEZE concept in units. Following the announcement from ABB and
2016, which has continued as Water-Go-Round Ballard, other consortiums have been formed to
ferry project planned for launch in 2021 [13][15]. develop large-scale fuel cell systems for marine
There are also other fuel cell projects going on in use. It is expected that the first demonstrators of
Norway, France and the Netherlands, targeting such systems will be running onboard operating
hydrogen powered vessels with propulsive power ships within 2023-2025.
up to 1 MW or slightly above.
Considerations for ship design
Solutions for large ships One of the main challenges with hydrogen fuel
Existing fuel cell references have thus far been cells is the space required for hydrogen storage.
applied on smaller vessels, but most of the On a large scale, the most feasible solution is to
principles are also applicable to larger ships use liquified hydrogen (LH2), where the technolo-
with large fuel cell power plants. Several marine gy for cryogenic storage is modified from known
stakeholders are conducting larger-scale fuel LNG solutions. For cases with limited available
cell solution studies, although these have not yet space for fuel storage, original feedstock may be
been published. Safety concepts for hydrogen are stored in the form of another fuel and reformed
similar for small and large vessels, and many of into hydrogen by a specific reformer or utilizing
the rules or design guidelines originate from the auto-reforming fuel cell technology.
experience gained from LNG. The double barrier
principle from LNG systems is to be applied to Selection of primary fuel and fuel cell technolo-
hydrogen supply lines. Hydrogen is flammable or gy should be made at an early stage of the ship
explosive in a wider range than LNG, and more fo- design process, since it may have notable effects
cus should be placed in leakage detection scenar- in the power balance and general arrangement.
ios. As the regulatory landscape is not complete For instance, low exhaust temperature in fuel cells
for hydrogen, the ships must generally follow the may limit the use of heat recovery, but also free up
approval path for alternative design. valuable space due to reduced need for insulation.
06

On the other hand, a cryogenic system may be

Integrating fuel cells into the electrical distribu- utilized for cooling with high efficiency, as the
tion network follows the same principles with heat for the vaporizer can be extracted from the
both small and large vessels. In order to form pow- air conditioning system.
er-generating units of convenient size and voltage,
the fuel cell stacks can be connected electrically The general arrangement of a hydrogen ship may
in parallel and in series. DC/DC converters are be significantly different from a conventional ves-
generally required for regulating the load-depend- sel. Because of the low-temperature exhaust from
ent output voltage from fuel cells to a constant e.g. PEMFC, the amount of thermal insulation in
value. Connection to an AC network is carried out exhaust air channels is substantially lower com-
by a DC/AC converter and transformer in order to pared to combustion engines. Accordingly, more
ensure galvanic isolation and the correct voltage payload can be added in the upper deck area.
level. Integration with a DC network saves cost Additional freedom is also gained for the general
and space due to reduced equipment require- arrangement of machinery spaces, since the fuel
ments, although implementation of DC networks cell units are flexible in shape and can be distrib-
in large vessels still requires further development uted around the hull. This also simplifies distribut-
of medium voltage DC distribution technology. ing the power plant into independent sections.
TECHNICAL INSIGHT 191

Hybrid solutions However, there are other considerations related

Ongoing fuel cell projects will help to resolve sev- to ship design when implementing hydrogen fuel
eral challenges related to hydrogen and fuel cell cell systems on large ships. For instance, the low
installations. A natural movement towards larger temperature of exhaust air places restrictions on
fuel cell ships would be to apply fuel cells in hybrid heat recovery, but allows for more flexibility of
power systems, where fuel cells are installed in the general arrangement. Fuel storage and supply
parallel with battery systems or conventional systems are also slightly different from conven-
generator sets. tional systems. Nevertheless, there are no major
obstacles to the application of hydrogen and fuel
Hybrid vessels can operate in zero-emission mode cells in large ships, while some engineering chal-
when idling or operating close to a harbor. An ad- lenges remain to be solved.
ditional feature of the hybrid fuel cell power plant
—
is silent operation using fuel cells, and batteries References
when needed. Internal combustion engines or [1] Initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships,
International Maritime Organization, Resolution MEPC.304(72),
gas turbines can still be utilized to produce high April 2018.
power for the system when there is need for high [2] Energy Transition Outlook 2019, Maritime Forecast to 2050, DNV
GL, September 2019.
speed or other high-power applications. [3] The fuel cell industry review 2019, E4tech, December 2019.
[4] International code of safety for ships using gases or other low-
flashpoint fuels (IGF code), International Maritime Organization,
Solutions for naval ships Resolution MSC.391(95), June 2015.
Regarding naval ships, lessons learned from [5] Smith, Raucci, et al., CO2 emissions from international shipping.
Possible reduction targets and their associated pathways, UMAS,
commercial projects will be useful when consid- October 2016.
ering alternative fuels and fuel cells. For instance, [6] Ram, Bogdanov, et al., Global Energy System based on 100 percent
Renewable Energy – Power, Heat, Transport and Desalination
combatants typically have high installed power Sectors, Lappeenranta University of Technology and Energy Watch
with very specific requirements to deal with more Group, March 2019.
[7] Hsieh and Felby, Biofuels for the marine shipping sector,
dynamic loads and survivability compared to University of Copenhagen and IEA Bioenergy, October 2017.
commercial projects. However, fuel cell systems [8] Yugo and Soler, A look into the role of e-fuels in the transport
system in Europe (2030-2050) (literature review), Concawe Review,
for such naval applications would not be very dif- Vol 28, No 1, pp. 4-22, October 2019.
ferent from those of commercial ships. [9] Study on the Use of Fuel Cells in Shipping, European Maritime
Safety Agency and DNV GL, January 2017.
[10] Maritime Fuel Cell Generator Project, Sandia Report SAND2017-
Conclusion 5751, Sandia National Laboratories, May 2017.
[11] MARANDA research project website, available online: https://
The emerging need for decarbonization has been projectsites.vtt.fi/sites/maranda/www.vtt.fi/sites/maranda.html
widely acknowledged in the marine sphere, and [accessed 05/07/2020].
[12] FLAGSHIPS research project website, available online: https://
the IMO has adopted ambitious targets to cut flagships.eu [accessed 05/07/2020].

06
emissions dramatically by 2030 and 2050. Accord- [13] HySeasIII research project website, available online: https://www.
hyseas3.eu/ [accessed 05/07/2020].
ingly, alternative fuels and fuel cell systems for [14] Feasibility of the SF-BREEZE: a Zero-Emission, Hydrogen Fuel
carbon-free electricity production have gained Cell, High-Speed Passenger Ferry, Sandia Report SAND2016-9719,
Sandia National Laboratories, September 2016.
traction among shipowners and shipyards. [15] Water-Go-Round project website, available online: https://
watergoround.com/ [accessed 05/07/2020].

On a short to medium timescale, PEMFC tech-

nology supplied by hydrogen is likely to be the Originally presented at the ASNE TSS 2021 virtual conference

leading selection for marine fuel cell systems.

Nevertheless, high-temperature technologies
able to utilize other fuels like SOFC and DMFC may
break through eventually. The market for marine
fuel cell applications has evolved from technology
demonstrators to the smaller ship segment for
hydrogen power propulsion systems. In the next
phase, fuel cell systems are expected to be devel-
oped in the megawatt range, able also to power
larger vessels.
 192 GENER ATIONS

—
Improved PEMFC performance
using zig-zag path of flow channel
In the work presented here, we have attempted to improve the flow channel
configuration of the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC).
MAHESH VAZE Abstract the assembly. It separates the cathode side and
Senior Scientist
Corporate Research Center The proposed configuration incorporates the the anode side.
ABB Ability™ features of the straight channel and the serpen-
Innovation Center
Bangalore tine channel. The channel offers zig-zag flow path PEMFCs use hydrogen as fuel and oxygen from
India for reactants. This research examines the overall the air as an oxidizer. The reaction produces
AJIT BHAMBURE performance efficiency of the modelled fuel water and heat as biproducts and pass electrons
Department of cell configuration. Initial findings with straight into external circuits that can either be used to
Mechanical Engineering
Birla Institute of channel geometry indicate close agreement with store electrical energy or transform it into me-
Technology and Science experimental results. Numerical simulation was chanical energy. In order to ensure the healthy op-
Pilani
Hyderabad Campus conducted for the design of the zig-zag path erating condition of the membrane, the reactants
India channel, and the results were compared with the are humidified before entering the channel. The
The authors have PEMFC straight flow single channel. This investi- humidity level in the membrane affects the proton
collaborated with gation demonstrates significant improvement in conductivity. Water deficiency in the membrane
ABB Marine & Ports and
ABB Energy Industries polarization curve due to the uniform distribution can result in declination of proton conductivity
of pressure over the flow path. Modification in and may cause permanent damage. Hydrogen and
flow path also increases the power density by air flow through the anode and cathode, respec-
06

almost 30 percent compared to the straight flow tively. Part of the main stream of these reactants
single channel PEMFC. diffuses and reaches the catalyst from either side
through anode and cathode GDL. Electrochemical
Introduction reactions occurring at the catalyst are:
Fuel cell technology is today seen as one of the
solutions to the energy and climate change crisis. Anode:
With all available fuel cell configurations, the
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) Cathode:
attracted more attention due to their suitability
for different applications [1]. The construction of The water produced due to the above electrochem-
PEMFCs is simple (Figure 1). The anode channel, ical reaction is largely evaporated through the gas
cathode channel and Membrane Electrode Assembly channels. Water produced at higher rates at higher
(MEA) which is composed of three reigns. MEA current densities may cause water flooding issues.
is sandwiched between cathode channels and Bhambure and Vaze [2] have recently conducted
anode [1]. It consists of the Gas Diffusion Layer Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) investigations
(GDL) on cathode & anode side and electrolyte to quickly flush out water flooded in the anode
catalyst layer, which is the central component of and cathode flow channels within two minutes.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 193

Research over the past decades has concentrated considered thermal transfer between solid walls,
on the creation of PEMFC cell structure, catalytic and reactant and membrane water transport by
and membrane materials, operating parame- electro-osmatic drag. But for modelling, GDL was
ters, flow field configuration, thermal and water not considered. Membrane drying based on elec-
control in PEMFCs [3]. Hashemi et. al [4] investi- tro-osmic forces was studied by Fuller and New-
gated the PEMFC performance for straight and man [8]. The model uses diffusive mass transfer
serpentine flow channels using CFD. Numerical equations. The convective mass transfer of gases
simulation studies are very helpful in understand- in a model was considered by Gurau et. al [10].
ing the fuel cell, but CFD simulations are complex
and require several assumptions [5]. Theoretical CFD methods have been used recently to analyse
1D research and other studies have focused on PEM fuel cells. The knowledge provided by CFD
electrochemical kinetics and transport phenome- methods contributed to a more detailed under-
na. For the first time, Springer et. al [6] developed standing of PEMFC physics. These methods have
a 1D steady state isothermal model to evaluate made it simpler to investigate the transportation
PEMFC efficiency. Bernardi and Verbrugge [7] of PEMFC phenomena and electrochemical kinet-
have developed a 1D model based on GDL reac- ics. The first 3D PEMFC model developed by Dutta
tant transport. For their study, they assumed et al. [11] determined velocity, density and pres-
steady state, isothermal and ideal gas behaviour sure variation in GDL. Its findings revealed current
conditions and determined electrochemical and directional dependence on GDL and membrane
transport phenomena in MEA. GDL gas diffu- mass transmission phenomena. Few researchers
sion was modelled as porous media transport have attempted FEM. Futerko and Hsing [12] used
phenomena. Bruggmen's equation was used to FEM to solve transport and potential equations
calculate the diffusivities and to pass the pro- in GDL and channel and demonstrated that
ton through the membrane of the Nernst-Plank with Mole fraction of reactants, water content
equation. Electrode kinetic modelling was based in membrane, current density depends on the
on the Butler-Volmer equation. The pressure drop pressure distribution in channel and GDL. With a
in the channel has not been considered. These 3D isothermal model, Kumar and Reddy [13] have
studies have drawbacks, such as that 1D analysis optimised serpentine flow field dimensioning.
does not capture full physics, as real phenomena For the channel height, ground width and channel
are not isothermal by nature. width, 1.5 mm, 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm were the opti-
mum dimensions in their investigation.
For the PEMFC analysis, 2D approaches have also
been established [8, 9, 10]. Research with isother- In the present study, new channel geometry was de-
—
mal conditions was carried out in a study conduct- veloped and compared with straight channel geom-

06
Figure 1: Schematic
diagram of PEMFC ed by Nguyen and White [9]. The modelling method etry. For the straight channel modelling, geometrical
and experimental data from literature was used.

Computational Methods
The present study considers transport equations
in channels, gas diffusion layers, and membrane
[14]. Numerical simulations considered following
assumptions throughout the study:
• Isothermal conditions
• Steady state operation
• Reactant gases are considered to behave like
ideal gas
• GDLs and membrane are isotropic and homogeneous
• Proton conductivity of membrane is constant
• Negligible contact resistance of current collector
and MEA
• Incompressible flow
 194 GENER ATIONS

Boundary conditions and parameters used in the

simulation are tabulated in Table 1 and Table 2, Parameter Value
respectively. Anode Cathode

Reign Boundary condition Reference current density 1,000 20 (A/m2)

Anode plate collector Reference concentration 1 (kmol/m3)

terminal
Concentration exponent 1

Exchange Coefficient (a) 1

Cathode plate collector

terminal
Open circuit voltage 1.07 V

GDL Porosity 0.6

Other wall boundaries Viscous Resistance (GDL and 1×1011 (1/m2)

Catalyst)

Porosity (Catalyst) 0.112

Membrane equivalent weight 1,100 (kg/kmol)

Protonic conduction 1
coefficient
Anode channel inlet
Protonic conduction 1
exponent

Surface to volume ratio 2 × 105 (1/m)

The operating conditions used are listed in Table 3.

06

Cathode channel inlet

Temperature 323 K

Pressure 1 Atmosphere

Anode inlet velocity 2 m/s

—
Table 1: Boundary
conditions Cathode inlet velocity 2 m/s

H2 Mass fraction (Anode) 0.3

—
Table 2: Parameters used
for simulations
H2O mass fraction (Anode) 0.7

O2 mass fraction (Cathode) 0.14

—
Table 3: Operating H2O mass fraction (Cathode) 0.079
conditions
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 195

Material properties used in simulation are listed SIMPLE algorithm with least square cell based
in Table 4 below: spatial and second order discretization schemes
were used in this CFD based PEMFC model. The
Electrolyte thermal 1.3 (W/m-K) CFD solution is said to be converged when residue
conductivity for all the equation reached 1 × 10-4.

Electrolyte electrical 17.1223 (S/m) Single Channel PEMFC Model

conductivity Geometric data of the single channel PEMFC
model and other required simulation data were
Catalyst, GDL thermal 10 (W/m-K) obtained from Awan et. al [15]. Figure 2 shows
conductivity the geometry of a single straight channel PEMFC.
The structured grid as shown in Figure 3 has been
Catalyst, GDL electrical 300 (S/m) constructed. Cells in membrane, catalyst and GDL
conductivity reign were divided into four to six divisions in the
Y direction (through plane). Drastic jumps in cell
Collector thermal conductivity 100 (W/m-k) size from GDL to channel have been prevented.
In order to avoid numerical error, analysis of grid
—
Collector electrical conductivity 4,000 (S/m) sensitivity has been carried out. Figure 4 dis-
Table 4: Material properties
used for simulation plays the outcome of grid independence analysis.
Current density and temperature are considered
to be a grid independent parameter. The grid
marked with the red box has been selected for
further validation of CFD model with experimen-
tal results. For single channel geometry, the mesh
with 36,480 elements was selected for further
— simulations following a grid independence study.
Figure 2: Single
channel geometry

06
—
Figure 3: Meshing in
MEA reign

Current density

Temperature, K

0,4 Selected mesh 323,542

Current density

Temperature, K

0,395 323,54

0,39 323,538

0,385 323,536

0,38 323,534

— 0,375 323,532
Figure 4: Grid 6080 18240 24320 30400 36480 53200 60800 68400
independence study No. of elements
 196 GENER ATIONS

1 Experimental results

Voltage, V
0,8 Simultation results

0,6

0,4
—
Figure 5: Comparison 0,2
of experimental and
present simulation 0
results for single straight 0 0,5 1
channel geometry Current density, Amp/cm2

In order to verify the CFD model, simulation

results are compared with experimental results
reported by Wang et al. [16]. Figure 5 represents
the comparison between numerical simulation
and experimental results of the polarization
curve. It was observed that the CFD model follows
the experiments exactly. Further comparison of
the new flow channel configuration is currently
being conducted with this model to demonstrate
effectiveness and performance improvement.

Zig-zag channel PEMFC model

Numerous efforts were made by researchers to
—
increase the power density of the fuel cell. Various
Figure 6: Zig-zag designs with parallel flow, counter flow, serpen-
channel geometry
tine flow, interdigitated designs, bio-inspired
designs etc. were suggested to improve the
power density of PEMFC. In the present study, we
have attempted to improve the design by utilizing
the back pressure and increasing the resting time
of the reactants in the flow channels. This new
channel, called the zig-zag flow channel, is de-
signed to increase local back pressure. Due to the
06

extruded sections and grooves in channels, pres-

sure near obstacles increases, which increases
the reactant diffusion in porous GDL. Increased
diffusion increases the reaction rate as a result of
the improved fuel cell performance. The zig-zag
flow channel is as described in Figure 6. This new
design was checked for the grid sensitivity to
prevent numerical errors. The grid independence
study was carried out with three different sets of
mesh elements. The optimized grid was found to
be with 316,000 elements (Figure 7) and further
simulations carried out using this grid. The fine
grid size used in MEA and the coarse grid was
created in the collector domain. Numerical sim-
ulation was carried out taking into account the
—
Figure 7: Mesh for
above grid and boundary conditions of the PEMFC
zig-zag channel single-channel flow.
 TECHNICAL INSIGHT 197

Straight channel Zig-zag channel

—
Figure 8: Contour maps
(a) Pressure (b) Velocity
in GDL

1 Zig-zag channel
Voltage, V

0,8 Single channel

0,6

0,4

0,2

— 0
Figure 9: Polarization 0 0,5 1 1,5 2
curve comparison Current density, Amp/cm2

1
Power density, W/cm2

0,8

0,6

06
30%

0,4

0,2

— 0
Figure 10: Power density 0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 1,4
curve comparison Current density, Amp/cm2

Figure 8 (a) indicates distribution of the pressure Better velocity distribution ensures more reactant
in the gas diffusion layer. Pressure in zig-zag chan- penetration in GDL, but less for straight channel.
nel configuration is higher due to the extruded bar-
riers in the flow channel. It has also been observed Figure 9 provides a comparison of the polariza-
that pressure is evenly distributed from inlet to tion curve between the single straight channel
outlet. This has helped to increase the use of the and the zig-zag channel. The latest design indi-
reactant for electrochemical reactions, which re- cates a major change of the polarization curve.
sults in more power output from the zig-zag chan- Typical PEMFC power density is 0.4 to 0.8 W/cm2.
nel. Figure 8 (b) shows the velocity distribution in When the power density of the zig-zag channel
GDL. Velocity in GDL for zig-zag channel configu- is compared to the single channel as shown in
ration is more than for the straight channel case. Figure 10, there is a significant increase. The new
 198 GENER ATIONS

—
zig-zag channel design reveals a 30 percent in- References
crease in power density compared to the PEMFC [1] M. J. Vaze and M. Kajava, "The Fuel Cell: A Green Powerhouse," ABB
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