LeanShips Project to Prove Effectiveness of Green Technologies

Damen Shipyards Group, the ship building giants has launched a new project titled “The European Innovation Project LeanShips – Low Energy And Near To Zero Emissions Ships” at the company’s headquarters in Gorinchem, the Netherlands.

The aim of the project is to demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of energy saving and emission reduction technologies at real scale. LeanShips are one of the first projects funded under the new European Research and Innovation Framework Program named “Horizon 2020”.

The project is coordinated by Damen, and jointly managed by the Netherlands Maritime Technology Foundation (NMT), the Center of Maritime Technologies (CMT) from Germany and Cetena, the Italian Ship Research Centre.

LeanShips had officially started on May 1, 2015 with a grant of EUR 17 million. The projects partnerships consist of ship owners, the shipyards, equipment suppliers and research institutes. In total, 46 partners (81% from industry) from 12 EU member states and one associated country are part of the project.

LeanShips aims to put innovations into practice by carrying out eight demonstrator show cases that will combine technologies reflecting efficient and less polluting vessels with end-users’ needs and requirements.

Damen states there will be dedicated teams of the equipment manufacturers (technology providers), shipyards (technology integrators) and ship owners (technology users) as well as rule makers will make certain that the innovations developed in the project are matured to market uptake capability.

The following eight demonstrators are part of the project:

• A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) powered RSD (Reverse Stern Drive) Tug;
• 2. An LNG tug;
• Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) or Methanol Dual Fuel for Offshore Service Vessel;
• Efficient LNG carrier;
• Retrofit of short sea cargo ship (SECA) with LNG;
• Inland cargo ship with large oscillating propulsion;
• Large propeller for general cargo vessel; and
• Energy efficient PAX /cruise ships.

Small to mid-sized ships for intra-European Waterborne transport which also includes vessels for offshore operations and the leisure and cruise will be the target markets.

First impact estimates for LeanShips show fuel saving of up to 25%, CO₂ reduction of at least 25% and an expected decrease of SOx/NOx/PM air pollutants by up to 100%.