GLTE partner DNV shows vision – again
08/12/2010
Today at its headquarters in Oslo, GLTE partner Det Norske Veritas (DNV), led by CEO Henrik Madsen, unveiled a new concept ship that could help the shipping industry make important cuts in its emissions of CO₂ and other pollutants. The initiative was formally launched on 6 December 2010 in London.
The concept vessel – for a new breed of crude oil tanker – has been christened “Triality” since it meets three core parameters: it delivers better environmental performance; it makes use of proven, well-known technology; and it is financially attractive compared to conventional crude oil tankers (VLCC class).
Because it is fuelled by liquefied natural gas, Triality tankers would be a far cleaner alternative to conventional VLCCs running on heavy fuel oil. Heavy fuel oil is a key source of the shipping industry’s CO₂ footprint and, through its emissions of NOx, SOx and particulate matter, poses a serious threat to the health of populations living along shipping routes.
A V-shaped hull, coupled with a new way of arranging and operating the cargo tanks, eliminates the need for ballast water – via which aquatic organisms often piggyback from one ecosystem to another, where they can wreak serious environmental havoc. The concept vessel also recovers and reuses cargo vapours, which are typically just vented into the air – a commercial and environmental loss.
All of this adds up to some impressive potential environmental gains:
• no more cargo vapours
• 34% less CO₂
• 82% less NOx
• 94% less SOx
• 94% less particulate matter
Not only would the concept ship use cleaner energy; it would also use less of it, leaving more money in the pockets of shipping businesses. The young DNV team that developed the concept estimate that the innovations could together yield a 25% energy saving over a conventional crude oil tanker.
They say further that if all 504 of the world’s supertankers had been designed with Triality’s features and operated for a year, the following emissions could be avoided: 13 million tonnes of CO₂; 900,000 tonnes of NOx; 750,000 tonnes of SOx; and 90,000 tonnes of particulate matter.
To top it all off, the life-cycle cost of building a Triality tanker would, according to DNV’s projections, come in 25% less than the cost of building than a traditional tanker.
Triality is DNV’s second concept ship this year: in April 2010 it launched “Quantum”, a concept design for an LNG-fuelled container ship.
Xyntéo congratulates DNV for once again demonstrating vision and contributing to the sea-change in innovation needed to make a reality of the low-carbon economy.
Read the DNV press release.
Interested in low-carbon shipping? Download this Xyntéo report.
Interested in the prospects for natural gas? Read this Xyntéo paper.
