The merger process between Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd to create DNV GL has been largely completed but there are still some aspects outstanding where further work is being done.
The merger process between Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd to create DNV GL has been largely completed but there are still some aspects outstanding where further work is being done.
Nonetheless, since the merger was confirmed, DNV GL’s market share of the global classed fleet has declined from a combined share of 24 per cent to 21 per cent, of what is a larger world fleet. Some degree of fall-off was anticipated but the drop has been bigger than it expected and it is a figure that is being closely monitored.
Despite the inevitable focus on the merger process Jon Rysst, regional manager Norway, Finland, Russia and the Baltics, emphasised to Norwegian Solutions that DNV GL’s efforts remained focused on its classification role and its contribution to shipping and offshore industry innovation and assisting companies meet the increasing regulation that affects how ships are designed and operated. “We are aware of the risks of focusing too much on the merger process and taking the edge off our business, so we have directed some people to work on the merger aspects while others remain focused solely on external business.
Some work arising from the merger is still ongoing. In particular work to combine the two sets of class rules and production systems is continuing. “We are now presenting common rules to customers, with information on both legacy fleets being accessible and we have made good progress. We are more or less on schedule.” He said that the new unified class rules should be in force in 2016 and by 2017 it should be using a common administration system.
Many of the merger processes have been completed. For example, international operations have been merged, resulting in the closure of 150 offices around the world. Surveyors have all been cross-trained in respective rules and processes. “This was the first merger of two big class societies so there was no model to follow,” he said.
Mr Rysst told Norwegian Solutions that the recent decline in the newbuilding market is posing a challenge: “We have seen a net loss of tonnage and some other class societies have gained. The decline in the total combined DNV GL fleet is not just due to the merger, but changed market and competitive dynamics.”
He added that the transfer of the maritime headquarters to Hamburg has had no effect on Norwegian shipowner clients as the group headquarters is still in Norway, along with all the senior management. Decisions on where competence centres should be based for different ship types were based on where the main centres of expertise are: “We have a prominent position in the Norwegian maritime cluster and that will remain. Most research and development work remains in Oslo along with the Research and Innovation Centre.”
Big Data opportunities and threats
DNV GL is pushing the use of big data to improve ships’ efficiency and safety, but it is also aware of the risks and threats to increased reliance on software control systems
Speaking in March at the European Shipping Week in Brussels, chief executive of DNV GL Maritime Tor Svensen said that new software and Big Data solutions could enable the industry to implement smart maintenance strategies and increase operational efficiency. Automated systems for remote areas generate safety improvements and decision support systems can permit faster and more informed decisions by crews. Apart from the use of Big Data solutions to improve the safety track record, the industry needed to push for greater transparency in the information exchange, learn more from reported accidents and implement preventive and mitigating barriers to the risks faced.
However, such software and data-based solutions also carry risks that need to be considered and in another forum, at CMA in the US, Mr Svensen warned about the risks of cyber security, with ships and offshore structures increasingly dependent on programmable control systems.
He warned: “Ships and offshore structures are becoming more and more interconnected. In theory, all programmable components may be exposed to cyber threats, be it machinery, navigation or communication systems. This is a weak spot. There are many ways something can go wrong with the systems or software whether it is caused by technical or human error, or cyber criminals.”
Mr Svensen referred to some examples that have already happened in the maritime sector such as the manipulation of AIS, ecdis and GPS data. He said that last year more than 50 cybersecurity incidents were detected in the Norwegian energy and oil and gas sector. There is therefore a need to improve protection against cyber attacks.
“At DNV GL, we have always favoured a risk-based approach and also advocate this to reduce cyber risks,” he said. He recommended that asset owners and operators should consider cybersecurity self-assessments, third-party assessments, audits, testing and verification, and suggested that such requirements could also be brought into future regulations.
Cybersecurity audits, or health checks, are the starting point. With a combination of so-called hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and cybersecurity testing, DNV GL-owned Marine Cybernetics offers tests addressing typical threats such as network storms and penetrations, password attacks, disconnections and communication failures.
Focusing on the integration of software dependent systems, DNV GL introduced its own Integrated Software Dependent Systems (ISDS) standard in 2009. Originally developed for the offshore industry and enhanced since then, ISDS helps ensure that the integrated and stand-alone control systems of a vessel perform reliably and safely. ISDS requirements ensure quality control throughout the development process, which means the resulting systems are more robust by design.
Mr Svensen said: “If you have already taken care of software integrity, installed data protection and assessed the risks such as with HIL testing or ISDS, you are in a good position to take the next step in improving cybersecurity.”
Recently, DNV GL provided comments to the US Coast Guard, Guidance on Maritime Cybersecurity Standards, drawing on DNV GL’s competence and cross-industry cyber security knowledge in the maritime, oil and gas and energy industries. “If regulating authorities such as the US Coast Guard define cybersecurity requirements, DNV GL is well positioned to contribute to regulations, and to establish rules, class notations, recommended practices and guidelines,” Mr Svensen advised.
In May 2014 DNV GL acquired Norwegian company Marine Cybernetics, based in Trondheim, and with offices in Stavanger and Alesund in Norway and overseas in Houston and Rio de Janeiro, specialising in marine control systems to promote the safe and reliable operation of offshore vessels. It was responsible for the introduction of HiL testing of computer control systems to the maritime and offshore industry.
Eco Insight uses Big Data
DNV GL is increasing its focus on operational issues as a way of improving energy efficiency. It has recently launched a new software tool Eco Insight to provide more detailed information using Big Data as the basis for changes in operational practices.
Albrecht Grell, head of the DNV GL maritime advisory division, said: “Many hardware solutions to improve vessel efficiency have already been adopted. Now the focus is shifting to operations and software solutions, harnessing data. Eco Insight provides fleet performance management, bringing Big Data to shipping. Many of our customers are taking an intensive look at how their vessels are being operated.”
Data acquisition for Eco Insight is based on sensors and hard wiring using a third party. It is a fast system and can take just two to three months to get up and running onboard vessels. No crew input or training is required nor any additional hardware or IT installations. The Eco Insight portal is web-based and organised on a dashboard. The system was piloted onboard 80 vessels from 10 different owners across a range of ship types.
Thilo Dückert, DNV GL manager for technology, knowledge and governance, said that the data can be used to foster economic engine setting and use by assessing and benchmarking key performance indicators (KPIs) for main and auxiliary engines, boiler, cooling water system, pressurised air system and lube oil system. KPIs such as consumption, specific fuel oil consumption, rpm, loads, pressures, running hours, production rates, temperatures, and others can be benchmarked against their own fleet and the wider industry. He said: “There is a need to monitor performance using existing data that is already being collected and processed, but using it more effectively.”
Advanced analysis uses a precise ship model with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) enabling viable hull fouling prediction, performance advice and analysis by DNV GL technical staff.
There are three major performance categories: voyage performance shown on dashboards, which identify the reasons for poor performance such as the speed profile, hull condition and auxiliary machinery use; hull and propeller performance, shown through performance benchmarks and can identify optimum hull cleaning intervals; and engines and systems performance, with performance advice relating to engine operation or any other machinery.
DNV GL has recently launched the advanced hull and propeller performance analytics module as part of Eco Insight. The module is based on CFD methods to make corrections for changing operational conditions. It produces more accurate results than existing approximate or experimental methods.
Hull and propeller performance computations show how much resistance is added over time due to fouling, by analysing the gap between the theoretical and measured power demand of a vessel, after correcting for influences like speed, draught, trim, weather and other operating conditions.
Since it was officially commercially available from the beginning of 2015 until the end of March, more than 100 vessels installed Eco Insight, and a further 30 owners are trialling the system.
Early feedback from the system in operation indicates fuel savings in line with expectations for straight running, but it has revealed that different hull coatings appear to have a bigger impact on performance than was anticipated.
A number of new features are being added this year. These include alarms, weather data, performance management, and fuel benchmarks covering both quality and price.
Hybrid and battery power developments
DNV GL is investing considerable money and time in promoting the development of hybrid propulsion systems and battery power technology as offering an important solution towards sustainable shipping and in particular reducing CO2 emissions.
Tomas Tronstad, DNV GL principal engineer, machinery and systems, outlined the continuing research and trials on hybrid power systems. The FellowShip research programme Phase III running from 2011 to 2014 involved the integration of a battery into vessel power systems. The trial was carried out onboard the offshore support vessel Viking Lady, operated by Eidesvik Offshore in the North Sea. Engine supplier Wärtsilä is also involved in the project, which is co-funded by the Research Council of Norway.
Viking Lady was fitted with a 0.5MWh battery as part of the propulsion system and was also fitted with a fuel cell. Various measurements were carried out from sensors onboard. These included fuel flow and power emissions as well as the equipment conditions and navigation data. The system was tested in various operating modes and weather conditions during 2014. DNV GL’s COSSMOS modelling and simulation software tool was used to derive the best operating strategy.
The vessel uses a conventional diesel-electric propulsion system, comprising four dual-fuel engines driving five thrusters for propulsion and manoeuvring and dynamic positioning (DP). The battery acts as an energy buffer that is able to cover the intense load variations that can occur, especially in DP and standby operations.
This effectively increases the propulsion system’s available power and redundancy increasing the level of safety in high-risk operations. This means that the gensets can operate with a relatively constant load and in an optimal way making operations safer and more energy-efficient.
The results showed that in harbour and standby modes it meant the engine can run for fewer hours, with the battery maintaining power output. This provides a fuel saving of 25-30 per cent. In DP mode, using the battery enables running one engine instead of two, with the one engine running at optimum load instead of two engines running at low load.
The normal requirement in DP mode is to have two main engines running. Mr Tronstad said that class now accepts that with a battery a vessel can run on one engine in bad weather instead of two. In good weather fuel savings were 35 per cent, with methane slip reduced by 60 per cent and a reduction in NOx emissions. In bad weather the fuel saving was only slightly lower. In transit mode fuel savings were up to 20 per cent using a battery with three gensets operating.
Overall, fuel consumption was reduced by 14 per cent, taking into account all operating modes, although actual savings will depend on the operating profile of each vessel. There will also be a reduction in maintenance costs due to reduced genset running hours and running at stable high loads.
Mr Tronstad said that this approach can be adapted for larger vessels and can be made more compact depending on the vessel’s power requirements and operating profile.
A techno-economic analysis of the battery system showed that the most important factor for profitability of a hybrid installation is the capital cost of the battery. The typical cost is US$1,000/kWh. The size of the battery in terms of output can be minimised using analysis of the ship’s operation. The battery life is dependent on various factors including temperature, charge and discharge rates and the battery chemistry.
Ships most suitable for hybrid propulsion are those with frequent variation in loads operating mainly on low loads, ships with frequent load transients, with a high requirement for power flexibility and response, with prime movers having operational limitations, and ships operating in environmentally sensitive areas. Ships meeting these criteria include offshore support vessels, shuttle tankers, tugs, cruise ships and fishing vessels, and some naval vessels.
Speaking at the 2015 Offshore Support Journal Conference in February, Bjorn Vardtal, DNV GL programme director for maritime transport, strategic research innovation, said that a number of options for the choice of energy storage system were considered. These included compressed air energy storage, flywheel, supercapacitor, and batteries. The decision was to use a lithium ion battery.
In 2012 DNV GL developed tentative rules for battery power on ships covering design of spaces, battery chemistry, dependent requirements, and safety. Mr Vardtal said that in summer 2015 these rules will become permanent. They are currently out for comments but he did not expect any significant changes, although there will be some amendments in the details.
The next phase of Fellowship project, Phase IV, runs from 2015 to 2017 and will investigate reliability and robustness and further performance enhancements.
Mr Tronstad told Norwegian Solutions: “Our recent developments in the modelling and simulation tools and capabilities are especially relevant for hybrid battery power systems as well as complex systems in general. This is the outcome of many years of research and development, to the point where we now have a well-developed library of components, and case studies. The way we use this in co-operation with the owner, and sometimes the charterer, is new.”
He said that designing fuel-optimal solutions involves a chain of inter-relations including the hull shape and hydrodynamics, propeller and propeller interference with the hull, power generation and engines, machinery and propulsion systems. A number of assessment criteria are used that include technical, operational and commercial criteria such as charter requirements and capital expenditure, as well as the fuel cost.
When DNV GL is working for a client or designer before a contract is placed with a shipyard there are three stages to the process of optimising the design. These are: collecting operational data and functional requirements; considering alternative designs such as propeller/engine combinations, propulsion options, and electro-system solutions; and modelling and evaluation of the various options and ranking them in terms of total lifetime costs.
DNV GL contributes to this process with specialists from all technical disciplines, with databases of hull and hydrodynamic data, its network of suppliers and manufacturers, and input from its own R&D.
Modelling and simulation tools are used to calculate a yearly fuel oil cost for the different concepts as well as a total lifetime cost.
The Maritime Battery Forum that DNV GL established in April 2014 now has 40 company members from across the maritime industry. A seminar held in March was attended by 80 people.
However, Narve Mjøs, DNV GL director for battery services and projects, stressed to Norwegian Solutions that battery power is still in the early stages of development with testing and pilots taking place for different applications. “But in the future most vessels will be hybrid or plug-in hybrid powered. Even though fuel oil prices have fallen, batteries are still a positive long-term development.
Hybrid operations are so far concentrated on offshore support vessels, tugs and ferries. “But there is much more potential and we are looking for research projects for other ship types,” Mr Mjøs said.
Erlend Nervold, principal engineer for machinery systems told Norwegian Solutions about a new hybrid power generation project that started at the beginning of 2015 and is due to be completed by the end of this year.
It is based on the knowledge gained from the FellowShip project and aimed at applying the same principles to other maritime segments, using Lithium-ion batteries to other ship types with diversified operating profiles.
Mr Nervold said that DNV GL expects to announce an industry partner for a joint development project that will involve retrofitting a hybrid system on a high speed craft. The first phase involves a feasibility study looking at the operating profile, environmental and financial analyses and potential downsides. This is due to be completed by summer 2015.
It will look at various options such as thruster propulsion, with battery powering and electric motor, combined with engine power, or with reduction gearing to an electric motor, Another option is a combination with a diesel-electric configuration with gen sets. “We aim to provide the best tailored system for each vessel taking into account various factors such as the cost, weight, optimum battery utilisation, and various vessel speeds. There are a lot of options to look at,” Mr Nervold said. “The operator should not need to be a battery expert and the vessel should not be affected by the extra weight or size of batteries, or the need to mitigate hazards.”
Green Coastal Shipping initiative
DNV GL has taken the lead in launching a Green Coastal Shipping programme in Norway, in partnership with government and industry, with the declared aim of Norway having the world’s most environmentally friendly fleet of coastal vessels. This is likely to include increased use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and battery power.
Narve Mjøs, who is DNV GL programme director for the Green Coastal Shipping programme, said: “We envisage a fleet of offshore vessels, tankers, cargo, container, bulk and passenger ships, ferries, fishing and aquaculture vessels, tugs and other coastal vessels, run entirely or partly using batteries, LNG or other green fuels. We want to make Norway a world leader in, and a showcase for, green coastal shipping and to attract international attention.”
Mr Mjøs said to Norwegian Solutions that this project will produce a major business opportunity for Norway as a world leader. The programme is a long-term project comprising four phases with an overall timeline of about 20 to 30 years, with the first phase just starting. The first phase is to evaluate the potential for battery and LNG-based transportation in Norway, followed by the evaluation of business cases. Two pilot projects involve the battery powered Norled ferry Ampere, and for cold ironing – the use of shore-based power supply for ships in port – in Bergen. “We are working with Energi Norge to enhance the power availability for ferries in Norwegian ports,” he said
A number of government and industry participants have signed up. They include tanker operator Teekay Shipping Norway, which is looking at the design of its next generation of shuttle tankers.
The vision for the final implementation phase of the project is that all short sea and coastal shipping in Norway will be powered by LNG or hybrid batteries.
As part of its futuristic thinking DNV GL has developed an automated shortsea vessel concept. Dubbed ReVolt, it is an autonomous and fully battery powered concept. It is powered by a 3,000 kWh battery, reducing operating costs and minimising the number of components that require maintenance. It has a range of 100 nautical miles between battery re-charging. It has an average speed of 6 knots and can operate without crew onboard, further reducing operating costs and safety risks, while increasing cargo capacity.
Hans Anton Tvete, senior researcher at DNV GL, said: “Building and operating this vessel would be possible with today’s technology. ReVolt is intended to serve as inspiration for equipment makers, shipyards and shipowners to develop new solutions on the path to a safe and sustainable future.” The concept is continuing to undergo testing. NS
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