August 17 - Lloyd's Register (LR) has joined the Quadriga sustainable shipping project - an initiative from Hamburg, Germany-based Sailing Cargo, which aims to build the world's biggest wind-powered cargo ship.
The project outlines a plan to build a 170-m car carrier, capable of carrying between 1,700 and 2,000 cars, which will be equipped with four DynaRig masts and will operate on hybrid propulsion with sails and diesel-electric engines, and an optional battery system for peak loads. The vessel will be capable of sailing at 10-12 knots with the aim of reaching 14-16 knots in the next few years through combined expertise.
Wind-assisted propulsion offers one of the few realistic options for introducing renewable power into shipping. The IMO target for CO2 emissions requires a 50 percent reduction in global ship-sourced CO2 emissions by 2020, which means significant changes in the industry are required. LR's Low Carbon Pathways 2050 study found that low carbon ships will need to enter the fleet by 2030 to help achieve this goal.
The big question is whether the technology will be available on the scale needed to achieve the level of reduction required. The consensus is that engineering advances alone and the associated efficiency gains will simply not be enough to meet the IMO target. Fuels will have to change and the Quadriga project provides one of the potential viable alternative solutions.
Uwe Köhler, founder of the Quadriga project, commented: "We must do the right thing for the future of our industry; the Quadriga project combines traditionally proven systems with cutting edge technology and aims to provide a solution to achieving the CO2 emissions reduction target. We are delighted to be working with Lloyd's Register on this project."
LR's Nico Dettmann, marketing and sales manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Marine & Offshore, said: "It's a very exciting initiative to be involved in. It's always motivating for us to be involved from the concept stage of any project, especially those that involve innovative technology and new ways of doing things. We have a long history of working with and supporting our clients to bring their new and novel concepts, safely and robustly from inception to operational reality."
Through consultancy during the design and specification stage followed by onsite new construction supervision, LR will help to ensure compliance with the highest technical, safety and environmental standards upon realisation of the project. LR will also verify whether the predicted performance parameters have been achieved.
