Carnival Cruises’ Italy-based, clean technology subsidiary Ecospray has expanded its range of innovative products with WESP, a preparatory technology for carbon capture solutions combined with EGCS and diesel engines.

WESP (Wet Electrostatic Precipitator) which was developed in recent months is ready for its first installation on a cruise ship. Subsequently, thorough testing will be run in collaboration with important third-party bodies, such as RINA and SGS, in order to validate and assess the results.

The WESP system was developed to eliminate visible smoke from the stack, especially during engine start-up and at low loads, by capturing particles (PM2.5 and below) and part of condensable species (SO3). It can be installed downstream of the scrubber DeSOx tower and has low pressure drops and high removal efficiency. WESP can be integrated into an existing DeSOx tower or installed as a stand-alone unit, for both Open Loop and Hybrid scrubber systems.

All required laboratory testing has been successfully completed in recent months at the Ecospray Labs. The project will be developed in collaboration with RINA, who will support Ecospray in the assessment of the technology and run various tests.

SGS will also assist Ecospray with the laboratory analyses to test system performance in full scale.

Andrea Cogliolo, Senior Director Marine RINA, said, “RINA’s role in this project begins with the verification and validation of the installation drawings onboard the ship, continues by establishing a test protocol which is to be performed with the support of a third-party company equipped for measurements, and ends with the issuance of a report on the results achieved. The collaboration with Ecospray is part of RINA’s strategy, which looks at the energy transition as an area in which to make an important contribution. In the coming years, the shipping industry will be driven by decarbonisation and RINA is playing an active role in this transformation, making its multidisciplinary skills available to the sector to build an increasingly sustainable future.”

Vladimiro Bonamin, Director of SGS I&E Marine Services Geneva, said, “For this project, SGS Marine Services has been tasked with establishing the details for the analytical side of the test protocol prepared by RINA, and above all, preparing the QAQC protocol in order to guarantee top quality measurements. This collaboration with Ecospray is part of SGS’s wider strategy – as the only global player operating in the field of environmental measurements on large transport and cruise ships, we also want to be leaders for complex measurements in technological and scientific content.”

Filippo Lossani – Ecospray added, “Like the EGCS plants for diesel engines, WESP is a ‘bridge’ technology, meaning it’s a true transition technology which will guide us towards the 2030-2050 objectives. We are very satisfied with WESP, as it is a new product for the maritime industry and is ready to be installed. Considering the ever-increasing focus on issues involving environmental sustainability and health – and given the growing demand for the reduction of polluting emissions – we expect that the standardisation process of dust and particulates will be the necessary next step; and we are ready.”

Japanese operator K Line is claiming a world first with the installation of a carbon capture system on a bulk carrier as part of its CC-Ocean project carried out jointly with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

K LINE has been conducting the joint project with Mitsubishi and Class NK to develop CO2 capture plant onboard vessel as part of the “Research and Development for advancing marine resources technologies”.

The small CO2 capture plant was installed on the coal carrier Corona Utility, operated by K Line for Tohoku Electric Power at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Yokohama Works. For the installation of the plant, Class NK conducted a Hazard Identification Study (HAZID) and verified the viewpoint of safety.

After departure of the vessel from MHI Yokohama, experts from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will be on board the vessel for one voyage to commission the small CO2 capture plant, evaluate its operation performance at sea, and analyse the captured CO2. After that, until the end of FY 2021, the ship’s crew will evaluate the operation, safety and operability of the CO2 capture plant, and will conduct demonstration tests in order to commercialise the plant such as downsizing in size and weight, efficiency of CO2 capture system with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

Based on the K LINE Environmental Vision 2050, the shipowner will continue to research, develop, and introduce various environmental load reduction technologies, including the “CC-OCEAN” project, and contribute to activities aimed at achieving GHG reduction targets and realising a carbon-neutral society.

Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) and service provider MaDfly – Marine Drone Services – have successfully completed the first full in-water ship’s hull survey with a mini ROV on Brittany Ferries’ ship Bretagne.

The survey, which was supervised by BV on behalf of the French Flag, provided an opportunity to validate the integrity of the entire ship’s hull’s bottom. Efficient underwater inspections of shipping vessels are playing an increasingly important role for the industry as a substitute for docking surveys at agreed intervals or occasional surveys of hull damage.

This inspection was the first of its kind, with the test survey performed twice. A remotely operated drone performed an in-water survey with a BV surveyor onboard the vessel. In parallel, BV also tested the capability with its own remote inspection solutions using full HD live video footage from MaDfly. This enabled BV to carry out the survey remotely without any attended surveyor onboard with live streaming, as well as video and audio recording and photo options.

Bureau Veritas has noted the following benefits of using this system:

• Safer operations as divers do not have to be in the water
• Reduction in preparation time – with a single operator and limited equipment
• High-quality pictures from the drones
• Reduced risk of disturbance to ship operations

MaDfly CEO, Thierry Guillot, commented, “MaDfly’s team is delighted to be the first company in the world to achieve a vessel survey with a mini ROV for BV. Even more for a Brittany Ferries’ vessel as they supported us from the very first day. New technologies are improving daily to achieve more and more maintenance services in a safer and more cost-effective way.”

Arnaud Le Poulichet, Technical Director for Brittany Ferries, said, “Brittany Ferries has always invested in research and development and this partnership is a success. This underwater inspection with a mini ROV demonstrated the technical relevance of this method and reduced the inspection time.”

Laurent Leblanc, Senior Vice President Technical & Operations for Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said, “Underwater remote surveys improve safety and reduce risk, time and costs to produce high-quality results. Maintaining the integrity and safety of a ship is a crucial task. Today, technology brings digital classification to another level, providing new opportunities and options to our clients.”

Prices of dry freight shipping containers have doubled over the past year to reach historic highs but will moderate over the next few years, according Drewry’s recently published Container Census & Leasing Annual Review and Forecast 2021/22 report.

Dry box newbuild prices rallied strongly in 2020 from the lows of the prior year to reach their highest level since 2011 by the fourth quarter, with a YoY gain of 75%. Then by 2Q21 40ft high cube containers breached the $6,500 threshold, more than doubling over the year, to reach their highest value since Drewry started monitoring container equipment prices back as far as 1998.

“Pricing has been driven by soaring demand for newbuild containers as shipping lines and lessors have been seeking to rebuild fleets in the face of chronic equipment availability due to widening disruption across the container supply chain,” said John Fossey, Head of Container Equipment & Leasing Research at Drewry. “But also increased input costs, particularly for Corten steel and flooring materials have also played a part. We expect dry box prices to peak in the third quarter and to soften thereafter, easing further over subsequent years as trade normalises.”

In sharp contrast, reefer and tank container prices changed little over 2020, but rallied in the first six months of 2021, up 6.5% and 40% YoY, respectively, in 2Q21. Prices of these specialist container types have different cost drivers to dry containers and are expected to continue rising although at a moderate pace over the next few years.

Newbuild container output has soared through the first six months of 2021, with China dry box output climbing 235% YoY to 3 million teu and reefer production more than doubling to 260,000. Drewry expects full-year production to reach 5.2 million teu, representing a 67% YoY rise. The main buyers of this equipment have been lessors, accounting for 68% of newbuild purchases. But Drewry expects carriers to invest more in their own container pools over the near term given their much improved levels of profitability.

Despite record newbuild output, insatiable demand for equipment raised utilisation of the leased fleet across all equipment types to over 99% by the second quarter of 2021, its highest level on record. This drove dry box LTL per diem rates to their highest level in 10 years, doubling over the year, bringing investment cash returns (ICRs) back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Looking ahead, dry box per diems are forecast to rally 65% in 2021, the steepest rise since Drewry started recording lease rates in 1990,” added Fossey. “This acceleration will outpace that of newbuild prices as the lagging effect means that lease rates will stay higher for longer, lifting ICRs further. But thereafter we expect some softening of returns.”

Norway-based ship designer and builder VARD and Rem Offshore have announce an order for two Construction Service Operations Vessels (CSOVs) with an option for two additional vessels. The contracts for the firm two vessels have an indicative total value of €100m.

The CSOVs are tailor-made for world-wide services and maintenance operations at offshore wind farms. The VARD 4 19 design, developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway, is a highly versatile platform for all offshore windfarm support operations, focusing on onboard logistics, security, comfort, and superior operability.

With a length of 85m and a beam of 19.5m, the vessels will have a height-adjustable motion-compensated gangway with elevator system, a height-adjustable boat landing system, and a 3D-compensated crane. The CSOVs will have an accommodation for 120 persons on board.

The first vessel will be delivered from VARD in Norway in first half of 2023. The hull will be built at Vard Braila in Romania. The second vessel will be built and delivered by Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam, scheduled for delivery in 2024. VARD’s specialised high technology subsidiaries will be involved with major deliveries onboard, and in the shipbuilding process of the vessels.

Rem Offshore’s Chairman, Aage Remøy said, “Rem Offshore has during the last few years increasingly focused attention on building a sustainable platform for growth in offshore wind. Our shareholders are driving this development together with our Rem colleagues onshore and offshore. We are proud to continue our newbuild programme in Norway and support the local maritime industry.”

VARD CEO Alberto Maestrini commented, “We are proud to be chosen as the preferred partner for Rem Offshore in this exciting project, and we are looking forward to working together with their team. These contracts confirm VARD’s leadership in the CSOV market, both in terms of innovative ship design, breakthrough technologies and shipbuilding quality.”

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VARD wins 2+2 CSOV order from Rem