Norwegian tanker and bulk operator Odfjell will complete a four-year retrofit project on 19 vessels after completing upgrades on its last vessels next month.
The 2004-built, 40,000-dwt chemical tanker Bow Star was upgraded during its 15-year drydock at Chengxi Shipyard in April, followed by 1994-built Bow Flower this month. In June the final vessel, another 25-year old vessel Bow Spring, will be upgraded.
The retrofit package was designed by Odfjell in 2015, in cooperation with engine and machinery suppliers and naval architects. On the last two vessels, the MAN main engine was derated from 12,750 kW to 9,500 kW to cut fuel consumption and emissions. A rudder bulb and upgraded propeller blades were fitted and a ballast water treatment system installed. And the bow thruster unit was replaced with a new model compatible with environmentally acceptable lubricants.
Trials on Bow Clipper, the first Odfjell vessel to be retrofitted under the current progamme, showed that the upgrades had cut fuel consumption by more than 20%. The company reported that the results have now been verified across the retrofitted fleet.
Odfjell vice president technology Erik Hjortland told Marine Propulsion that the retrofit project has helped to drive fuel efficiencies across the company’s managed fleet close to the 40% reduction required by 2030 (on 2008 levels) under IMO’s greenhouse gas emission reductions strategy.
“The Odfjell managed fleet now requires around 30% less fuel to transport one tonne of cargo one nautical mile than it did in 2009,” he said. “This is the result of a variety of operational and technical initiatives implemented over the years. The retrofit project has played an important part.”
Reaching the further 2050 target – cutting carbon intensity (per transport work) by 70% and reducing total emissions from shipping by 50% - represents a “significant challenge”, said Mr Hjortland. He noted that the target will require new propulsion concepts, and that Odfjell is working towards these solutions.
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