By Jouni Salo, Product Manager, Shipping Solutions, NAPA
Many claims are made by eco-technology manufacturers regarding their ability to cut fuel usage and, importantly, deliver cost savings for shipowners and charterers. But ultimately is it the credibility of these claims that will dictate whether or not they are to be believed; who is making the claim? How have they arrived at the figure? And what proof do they have?
There are many new technologies, fuels and tools being introduced to the market. However interesting and innovative they may seem, shipowners and operators must be presented with a sound business case enabling them to understand exactly how a vessel will benefit. It is crucial that they completely understand the ROI that each solution promises and how that will impact future operating costs. Common sense dictates that the industry will be much more receptive to a proven, measurable technology than one with hypothetical, unverified projections. In today’s operating environment, risk aversion is a necessity.
Despite the current downturn in fuel prices, the market remains challenging and many companies have turned to ‘clean tech’ for existing vessels and newbuilds to improve efficiency, environmental credibility, and to deliver a competitive edge. The multiple technologies available range from dramatic state of the art air lubrication or harnessing wind power, to fuel additives and software solutions that can provide subtle changes or decision support. Each provides different measurable data, and different conditions present unique variables that need to be filtered out of the results they produce. But the one thing that they all have in common is that proven results are crucial to commercial success.
As the breadth of solutions increases, securing the interest of the market becomes more difficult, which is why independent third-party data capture and analysis to provide easily understandable and tangible evidence for their claims is as critical as ever. Measurement and analysis conducted by credible and well-known industry data specialists provides a solid foundation from which to credibly communicate the potential of a technology to both potential clients and investors.
Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution is an excellent example. Norsepower offers a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder using the Magnus effect to harness wind power to deliver forward thrust. When the wind conditions are favourable, Norsepower Rotor Sails allow the main engines to be throttled back, saving fuel and reducing emissions while providing the power needed to maintain speed levels and retain voyage time.
One Norsepower rotor sail was installed as a trial on Finnish ship owner, Bore’s, 9,700 DWT Ro-Ro carrier, M/V Estraden. ClassNK-NAPA Green monitoring and analysis was also installed to verify the efficiency savings delivered by the rotor sail. To deliver an accurate result it was essential to take into account factors such as wave and wind resistance, propeller efficiency and the effect of different drafts and tide conditions. By continuously monitoring the ship’s performance NAPA identified the baseline efficiency for a vessel without the technology active. With this baseline in place analysis can identify and filter out the effects of waves, tides and draft on fuel consumption. From this analysis NAPA was able to confirm a fuel saving of 2.5% from a single Rotor Sail.
As a result of the proven effectiveness of this technology, Bore installed a second Rotor Sail on the same vessel, the first commercial order of the technology. This installation has also been verified by NAPA with fuel savings of 6.1% recorded on the vessel with the addition of the second Rotor, more than doubling previously recorded savings.
This data analysis and verification has been fundamental to Norsepower’s business development by proving the effectiveness and applicability of its technology on operational commercial vessels. A syndicate led by Power Fund III, a clean tech venture fund managed by VNT Management, has now invested €3 million to support Norsepower’s growth and market expansion. In addition to the expanded market potential offered by the first commercial purchase, this evidence has also helped Norsepower increase its enterprise value and protect the ongoing commercial activities of the company.
It could be argued that current market conditions may stifle innovation. However there are clear opportunities for fuel savings technologies that genuinely deliver results. Shipowners and operators are more risk averse than ever, so unverified estimates or model trials often don’t provide the assurance that boards must have to make crucial purchasing decisions. But by enlisting rigorous real-time monitoring and analysis, technology companies can elevate themselves from the crowd and make the leap from ‘interesting and innovative’ to ‘established and proven’. And that commercial credibility is what provides the business case for installation.
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