Hanwha Ocean launches smart ship solution to help shipowners reduce carbon emissions
(Hanwha’s Geoje shipyard, on Korea’s southeastern coast)
- Newly developed carbon intensity monitoring technology to be deployed in recently contracted orders for very large ammonia carriers (VLAC)
- The technology offers eco-friendly and efficient suggestions through integration with HS4, Hanwha Ocean’s smart ship platform
Hanwha Ocean announced that it has developed a smart ship technology that monitors a vessel’s carbon intensity index (CII). The solution presents shipowners with a range of options to comply with strict environmental regulations.
The new technology assesses how much carbon dioxide a ship produces while it is operating and uses this information to calculate its annual operational CII — a measure of fuel efficiency based on fuel usage and distance traveled. Hanwha Ocean will deploy this technology in recently contracted orders for very large ammonia carriers (VLAC), improving the carbon footprint of these vessels.
Hanwha Ocean has integrated this new technology with its proprietary smart ship platform, the Hanwha SmartShip Solution & Service (HS4), to automate monitoring. Shipowners can see important data in real time — the vessel’s current rating, the rating for a single voyage, and a projected rating for the end of the year — so they can optimize navigation routes and speed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Since last year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has required all ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above to calculate and report their annual operational CII. Based on the number reported, the IMO evaluates a ship’s carbon intensity on a scale from A (best) to E (worst). Vessels rated D for three consecutive years or E for one year must submit a corrective action plan and cannot resume normal operations until they achieve a C grade.
Hanwha Ocean equips its ships with energy-saving devices such as air lubrication systems¹ and shaft generator motors² and rotor sails³. These eco-friendly technologies will further support shipowners in complying with environmental regulations while remaining competitive.
| ¹ An air lubrication system generates a layer of bubbles under a ship’s hull to reduce frictional resistance so the ship glides through the water more easily while using less fuel. It offers the dual benefit of cutting emissions and muffling engine noise. ² In a shaft generator motor system, a shaft is connected to a generator and a propeller. The shaft’s rotation generates kinetic energy, which is converted into electricity. ³ A rotor sail is a cylindrical structure installed on the deck of a ship to harness wind energy and give the vessel additional propulsion force. |