Damen considers circular economy, low-emissions vessel construction

Naval architects and shipyards are already at the forefront of building more sustainable and efficient ships, including installing energy storage systems and constructing ships using alternative fuels.

Damen Shipyards design and proposal engineer, Rebecca Belmer, says shipbuilders can do much more to reduce their impact on the environment. She highlighted some of Damen’s initiatives to reduce emissions at Riviera’s Annual Offshore Support Journal Conference, Awards & Exhibition, held in London on 4-5 February 2025.

Damen is designing sustainable vessels to reduce fuel consumption and the materials used in their construction. The Dutch group is building vessels to support the construction and operation of offshore windfarms in remote locations and has designed SOVs and CSOVs that could be fully electric.

In the longer term, Damen is considering using green steel, which is produced from renewable energy sources. Ms Belmer described how green steel could be produced and used in shipbuilding without problems in the production phase. But it will not be commercially available until 2045-2050, she forecasts.

Meanwhile, Damen is building SOVs with green propulsion technologies for owners seeking to maintain a low environmental footprint during offshore windfarm maintenance and support services.