The Lloyd’s List Innovation Poll 2010

Tell us what you think is the most influential technology in shipping

Lloyd’s List has produced a short list of technologies that we believe could radically change the shipping industry over the next 10 years and we are inviting readers to vote for the development that is likely to have the greatest impact on business strategy.

The scope of this poll is evolutionary not revolutionary - the short listed technologies described are either in use already or within the industry’s grasp.

While we believe that more radical developments are inevitable and the future of shipping will be characterised by a faster pace of innovation, this poll examines what is likely to happen within the scope of existing corporate plans and budgets.

The push towards environmentally aware innovation is already plain to see. Hundreds, if not thousands, of projects are already under way to establish efficiencies in shipping from new propulsion sources to robotic hull cleaners to satellite weather routing. Rising fuel prices and the looming promise of mandatory climate change legislation have spurred a rethink in the way that the industry views energy efficiency.

But this is not just a question of environmentally motivated developments. The new age of shipping will be one where the market leaders are those able to rapidly adopt the most effective new technologies to gain a competitive advantage, rather than reacting to legislative demands.

We have said it before but it is worth stating again for the record: success in shipping tomorrow is going to require some visionary thinking today.

You can cast your vote in the Lloyd’s List Innovation Poll 2010 below. The results of the poll will be announced at the Lloyd’s List Global Awards ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel on the evening of Wednesday September 29.

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THE TECHNOLOGY SHORT LIST

Gas fuelled ships

Major engine manufacturers have been delivering engines capable of running on natural gas for some time, but the implications for an industry-wide take-up of this technology are immense. A switchover from standard heavy fuel oil could result in a 30% reduction in CO2 and 85% cut in NOx due to the high air/fuel ratio and no SOx at all. According to a recent DNV study it could also potentially save 45% on total operational costs. The downside is its current limited availability internationally and its low volumetric density means that large tanks would need to be developed in order to run equivalent distances to conventionally fuelled ships. The potential for shortsea shipping, however is clear and a recent high-profile agreement between Wärtsilä and Samsung Heavy industries to develop gas fuelled ships suggests the commercial prospects far outweigh any immediate technical issues yet to be overcome.

Fuel cells

The much debated benefits of fuel cell technology are greatest when the cell is operated on high purity hydrogen and oxygen. But as Lloyd’s Register has pointed out in its research, numerous issues, not least the very low volume density requiring unfeasibly large storage tanks, make it highly unlikely that hydrogen will be a viable marine fuel in the near future. A much more realistic scenario for near term development is a natural gas cell which is already being used in a number of research projects and is showing interesting results. When South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries recently set itself ambitious targets to cut harmful emissions from the ships it produces, reformed fuel cell technology using methane as fuel was high on the list of ways in which it was planning to meet the targets. The potential for this technology to influence the industry long term is significant.

Air lubrication

Interest in the use of air under a ship’s keel to reduce drag has been bubbling under for some time but new research and development means that it is now having something of a renaissance. NYK and Mitsubishi heavy industries launched a vessel with air bubbles earlier this year, while Stena Bulk’s Stena Airmax model ship testing the air cavity concept looks likely to provide some interesting results. While the technical concepts vary, the basic idea of pumping air under a ship’s keel to reduce friction has the potential to offer significant cost and efficiency savings. The long term prospects of this technology are undeniable impressive, but there still seems to be a reluctance among many potential buyers to move this particular innovation out of the test basin and into commercial use.

Ballast water technology

While the industry is still getting to grips with the existing technology developed to deal with the ballast water management convention, innovation is increasingly opening up new possibilities. Vela International has been promoting a flow-through system for large oil tankers, Daewoo has been looking at reduced ballast designs, there have been proposals for using containers as ballast on liner trades and Michigan University has an idea for a variable buoyancy ship suitable for a Great Lakes bulk carrier. There are other designs being considered that use potable water, a possible solution for some cruiseships or large luxury yachts. There are also storm-only ballast designs with hulls that help maintain the stability of the vessel in a non-loaded condition but with extended wing tanks that can be filled to increase stability in heavy weather. These ideas, though, will not become reality until the issue of how to demonstrate that they have the same, or better, impact as sterilising the ballast water is resolved. Nevertheless this field of technology development has the potential to affect ships from all sectors in one form or another and therefore makes the Lloyd’s List Innovation shortlist.

Turbocharger Developments

Turbochargers are seen as one of the best solutions for engine makers to meet the demands placed on them to meet the tier III NOx reduction levels set by the IMO. This requirement sees a demanding 80% reduction in NOx emissions. Two stage turbochargers, hybrid turbochargers and turbochargers with variable turbine area (or variable turbine geometry) are all being developed and currently trialled to meet these challenges. The key to reducing NOx reductions is to not increase CO2 emissions at the same time, currently one of the side affects of NOx reduction efforts. Engine makers are claiming to be able to achieve this with increasingly sophisticated turbochargers.

Scrubbers

Scrubbers, which remove sulphur oxides from the engine’s exhaust, are commercially available for newbuildings and, increasingly, for retrofitting in existing tonnage. The popularity of the technology, which has a price tag of around $2m, is based on its ability to allow a vessel to continue using fuel oils rather than more expensive low-sulphur distillates. While the technology itself is hardly considered radical, it is now rapidly developing and the success or failure of these systems could significantly affect the fortunes of manufacturers, shipyards, shipowners and the entire bunker sector.

ECDIS add on tools for improve passage planning and navigation

The mandating of electronic chart display and information systems, agreed by the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee last year, is seen by some as the most significant change in marine navigation since the introduction of radar or the switch from sextants to satellite navigation.

Meanwhile, paperless navigation and tools are on course to consign charts to history and advances in satellite communications and specialised software systems continue to enhance maritime safety and efficiency as well as extend amenities for shipmanagers, crews and passengers. The proliferation of these devices and rapid advancement in functionality suggest that we have only just begun to appreciate the opportunities that such tools could offer the industry.

Real time weather routing

Weather routing is currently the hot topic in certain circles, promising significant energy efficiencies and advance port arrival communications. It also allows for a more integrated supply chain management and potentially opens up revolutionary possibilities if treated intelligently. As with all sensors and systems, these options are only as good as the master and shore-based staff that operate them, but the promise of significant savings has attracted serious interest. A recent study estimated that fuel consumption could be reduced by up to 30% in new ships by including a range of technological features from waste heat recovery and improved steering configurations to new hull forms and anti-fouling. But equally large reductions of up to 30% are estimated from a range of operational improvements including enhanced weather routing along with optimised trim and ballasting.

Broadband

Broadband internet access is still too limited by price to have had a significant impact on the way in which shipping operates but that is likely to change over the coming decade. The potential for continual shoreside monitoring of ship performance is just one of many practical applications that could have a dramatic impact on efficiency, but perhaps the biggest revolution in onboard technology will come from providing internet access for seafarers. It is being increasingly seen as an important recruiting tool as young people, having grown up with internet access and communications as part of normal life, recoil at the prospect of spending months at sea without such everyday contact. Recent surveys of seafarers have supported this contention. One survey showed that about 40% of seafarers say that communications facilities on board are an important factor in deciding whether to accept employment and join a ship. Another survey asking seafarers about their wish list for communications services generated the highest response of 71% for internet access. Some 90% of crew members said they experienced problems keeping in touch with friends and family, while 25% said they had missed some important news due to the difficulty of the family contacting them.