Whilst the shipping industry enters the fifth year of the financial crisis, the classification societies benefit from the demand on fuel-saving ship designs as well as technologies meeting environmental regulations which come into force soon.
For most of the classification societies the year 2011 was a busy and more or less a successful one. The[ds_preview] shipping industry demands economically efficient and ecologically beneficial ship designs, following emission control requirements to be in force in the near future as well as increasing fuel prices. In search of renewable energy sources and their cost-effective exploitation and development, the offshore industry, and especially the growing offshore wind branch with its new ship types, need international valid rules regarding construction and safe operation.
Thus the two most vibrant sectors in 2011 were the offshore energy sector and gas as ship fuel. To date, there are no international valid regulations for using LNG as fuel on ships which are not classified as tankers. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), supported by the classification societies, works hard to close this gap and clear the way for the construction of gas-fuelled non-tank vessels. The »Guide for Propulsion and Auxiliary Systems for Gas Fuelled Ships«, published in May 2011 by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), provides criteria for the arrangement, construction, installation and operation of machinery components and systems for vessels fuelled by natural gas. Consideration was given to industry standards including the IMO Resolution MSC.285(86) Interim Guidelines on Safety for Natural Gas-Fuelled Engine Installations in Ships, the International Gas Carrier Code, and the IMO International Code of Safety for Gas-Fuelled Ships, currently under development. »It is a matter of when, not if, LNG will be a commonly-selected fuel source and we need a sound basis for ship designs«, says Christopher J. Wiernicki, CEO and President of classification society ABS.
Gas-fuelled containerships
Ship design concepts for gas-fuelled containerships were drafted by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Germanischer Lloyd (GL), Bureau Veritas (BV) and ABS amongst others. For instance, GL finished the approval in principle (AIP) of a 14,000 TEU vessel for the Korean yard DSME, furthermore for a range of 3,000–4,200 TEU vessel concepts from IPP Ingenieur-Partner-Pool. Moreover, a GL study conducted in cooperation with MAN Diesel & Turbo, which examined a range of containerships throughout the year 2011, modelled the cost and payback times of LNG and scrubber systems – calculating a variety of scenarios based on fuel prices, investment costs, the use of waste heat recovery systems, and route exposure to emission control areas (ECA). The study suggests that the decision to use LNG as ship fuel compared with using a scrubber systems depends on the price difference between LNG and heavy fuel oil (HFO), as well as on the ECA operation share and the starting year of the vessel. Most LNG systems are expected to become profitable in 2020 when a global low-sulphur fuel standard will be implemented.
DNV’s »Quantum 9,000« design with a capacity of 9,000 TEU has used two-stroke dual-fuel engines from MAN Diesel & Turbo. Further ship designs by Det Norske Veritas are: »Eco-Ship 2020« – an open hatch bulk carrier (OHBC), LNG fuelled, with wide hull, twin skeg and heat recovery system; »ECORE« – a very large ore carrier (VLOC) with dual fuel engines; and »Triality« – a very large crude carrier (VLCC), also powered by dual-fuel engines, burning volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the cargo, with a hull form which supersede ballasting.
Also BV developed an ultra-large gas-powered container ship (14,000 TEU), in addition to the classification of the first LNG carrier »Coral Energy« built at Meyer Werft. Moreover, BV was active in the gas sector in the form of classing several new LNG carriers with dual-fuel engines, more and larger LNG-regasification vessel projects, which can also act as receiving terminals, as well as by developing new guidance and automated calculation techniques for LNG sloshing loads.
Common Structural Rules
In 2006, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) introduced Common Structural Rules (CSR) for tankers and bulk carriers. The agreement to develop common classification rules was widely supported but moving from the idea to reality involved many challenges. Classification made a significant step forward by implementing the CSR and ensured that, in principle, the rules for structures would be the same for all the leading societies.
Lloyd’s Register (LR) and ABS established the company Common Structural Rules Software LLC, developing a common software solution so that, in practice, the same rules should produce the same results from ship design and assessment software. Also BV updated its assessment tools »Veristar Hull« and »Mars« to harmonise the Common Structural Rules.
The Polish Register of Shipping (PRS), an IACS member again since 2011 after losing its membership in 2000, has verified load cases, especially load definition procedures for critical hull sections, specified in the CSR with a special focus on FEM- (finite element method) based verification.
Energy management certification
June 2011 saw the launch of the new international energy management system standard (EnMS), ISO 50001. It will provide public and private sector organisations with management strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve energy performance. There is a clear migration process to ISO 50001 certification from both EN 16001 (the dominant regional EnMS) and ISO 14001, the global environmental management system (EMS) standard as well as integration capability with ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001.
It is this integration and migration ability that makes certification to ISO 50001 such a compelling proposition for organisations, irrespective of their size or geographical location. GL has been accredited by DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle), the national accreditation body of the Federal Republic of Germany, to provide worldwide certification of energy management systems according to DIN EN ISO 50001:2011. GL is among the first certification organisations worldwide to be able to offer such accredited certifications. BV, however, delivered the first certification audit of any shipping company worldwide to the new standard: The certification was achieved by Stena’s ship management division, Northern Marine Management.
»We have developed a suite of tools to help owners and yards to design and operate ships more energy efficiently – running ahead of regulation«, said Bernard Anne, Managing Director of BV’s marine division, referring to the development of three new software tools for energy management: »Seecat« models the total energy use on board ships, »E2« helps owners and charterers benchmarking energy use, and »EMIT« is a simple software tool to help owners construct a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) and achieve attestation to IMO standards.
Green, greener, EEDI
Environmental issues remain at the top of the shipping agenda. Forthcoming legislation, rising fuel prices and customer expectations are all driving change in the industry. A significant milestone was reached in July 2011 with the IMO’s decision to adopt the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), mandatory from January 2013. Provided the attained energy efficiency level is equal to or less than the required EEDI for that ship type, ship designers and builders will be free to use the most cost-efficient solutions for the ship to comply with the regulations.
At the same time the SEEMP, a mechanism for ship operators to improve the energy efficiency of ships by managing their individual efficiency measures, will become mandatory under MARPOL Annex VI for new and existing ships.
GL’s maritime consulting subsidiary FutureShip offers specialised consulting services to the maritime and non-maritime industries in the fields of fleet development, design and operations, environmental and regulatory and management certification consultancy. In 2011, the lines of a 9,000 TEU container ship series were significantly improved in a joint venture between the Chinese design office Maric and FutureShip. Shipowners Schulte (Germany) and Costamare (Greece) had requested the design review. As a result of the optimisation, a main engine smaller than originally anticipated could be installed. The fuel consumption is reduced by more than 10 % and CO2 emission is cut by more than 90 t per day.
Plasma-based exhaust treatment systems are an alternative in NOx-reducing technologies. PRS participates in pilot tests of a prototype. Assessment of the novel device for future application on board ship is one of the project outputs. Another scheduled output is the development of certification criteria and type approval guidelines for low emission technologies.
Renewable energy offshore
The challenge to all countries to provide secure, sustainable electricity supplies with minimum impact on the environment is one that occupies governments and power companies alike. By 2050, 30 % of world energy demand is expected to be met by renewable sources such as wind, wave and tidal power. In Northern Europe there are already 1.2 GW of offshore wind energy operating with a further 40 GW under development and construction.
LR developed the safety case for the first offshore wind turbine in the North Sea and is currently working on the construction of offshore wind farm supply vessels. Closely involved in creating guidelines for the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) standards, LR has also carried out peer reviews for other standards, covering manufacturing, testing, reliability and maintenance. Statoil, Dong Energy and Siemens belong to LR’s clients. For the heavylift crane manufacturer Mammoet the class provided design appraisal during the design of platform twin rig containerised (PTC) cranes with a lifting capacity of up to 3,200 t.
By having taken control of the engineering consultancy D’Appolonia Group in November 2011, the Italian classification society RINA was able to expand the range of services in the offshore and port development fields. D’Appolonia’s Managing Director Roberto Carpaneto said that he sees a
big growth area for RINA as a result of joining with D’Appolonia in Central and Eastern Europe and in Germany in particular. »D’Appolonia is providing an independent review and monitoring service of the Nord Stream pipeline project development on behalf of the lenders’ group, which includes SACE and Euler Hermes, and numerous international commercial banks«, he explained. The 1,224 km long Nord Stream twin pipeline system runs through the Baltic Sea from Vyborg, Russia, to Lubmin, Germany. As part of the development of the project an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) has been prepared in accordance with the Espoo Convention. D’Appolonia contributed to the finalization and compliance of the Espoo report and of the related environmental and social management system to the lenders’ group applicable international standards.
Further, BV published a suite of new rules and guidance notes in the offshore sector including new rules for drill ships, integration of drilling and subsea equipment into offshore rules, new rules for risk-based assessment of new technology and classification of offshore units as well as new rules for tension leg platforms. In addition, new guidelines for offshore wind turbines and the classification of wind turbine IMR (inspection, maintenance and repair) vessels were issued.
Arctic shipping
The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a globally recognized arctic ship classification expert. Since 2006, ten arctic ships capable of moving through ice fields independently without icebreaker assistance have been constructed in accordance with the RS class, including five arctic double-acting large capacity tankers. In 2011, the arctic tanker »Enisey«, constructed and classified by RS, was delivered by Nordic Yards (see HANSA 11/2011). Other constructions for the arctic shipping were a scientific research expedition ship and an asymmetric ice-breaker built at JSC Shipyard Yantar, developed by the Finnish company Aker Arctic Technology.
Recently, LR announced the publishing of the first dedicated set of rules for stern-first ice-class ships. More and more ships are being ordered with podded propulsion systems and azimuthing thrusters – products that can improve the icebreaking capability and reduce resistance –, allowing them to navigate stern first through ice. The LR rules also include a framework for alternative-load scenarios when unusual operations are envisaged, as well as interpretations of international regulations and classification rules based on industry precedents. Sovcomflot’s tankers »Mikhael Ulyanov« and »Kiril Lavrov« for instance, dual classed by LR and RS, were designed and built for operating stern first in ice in the Arctic as shuttles from the »Prirazlomnoye« platform in the Pechora Sea to a floating storage and offloading unit moored off Murmansk.
Company facts and figures
Celebrating the 150th anniversary, 2011 was a memorable year especially for RINA. The acquisitions of Simtex, a private Romanian certification body for corporate management systems and products, and the aforementioned D’Appolonia Group will cause a significant increase in turnover, which is expected to surpass 300 mill. € in 2012 (2011: 249 mill. €, a rise of 21 %). Last year, the classed fleet grew by 8.5 % to 4,375 ships, totalling 33 mill. GT. RINA’s order book closed the year with 425 ships and a total of 3.3 mill. GT.
Another anniversary took place in Poland, where PRS was founded 75 years ago. Furthermore, GL celebrated the 100-mill.-GT-mark that was surpassed by its fleet for the first time. More than 8,000 ships are currently under GL’s technical supervision.
With 9,892 ships BV reached 86.17 mill.GT and was able to secure new orders in 2011 of 6.8 mill. GT in total. Classed tonnage with German shipowners tripled during the last five years. The world’s leading provider of marine classification remains LR with a turnover of 377.3 mill. £ in 2010 (group-wide: 855 mill. £). Further growth is expected – in 2011 (balance has not been published yet) and the upcoming years.
