The top technology news this week has to be that MAN Energy Solutions has opted to stop selling one of its newest engines.
TradeWinds had been hearing rumours about the engines — which are made specifically for LNG carriers — for a few months, but we certainly did not expect the company to pull the plug.
There has been a trio of significant investment announcements for wind technologies, particularly in the UK. All three — BAR Technologies, GT Wings and Smart Green Shipping — are linked to investments in software to support the use of wind assist tech in reducing fuel use and emissions.
We also have news of a Singapore broker launching a platform to bring green ship recycling deals into the digital age.
And finally, Matson, the Hawaii-based container line, has teamed up with scientists to use thermal cameras and AI to detect whales and reduce the incidence of ship strikes.
Craig Eason, technology editor
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MAN pulls its ME-GA engine for LNG carriers off the shop shelf
by Lucy Hine
MAN Energy Solutions has pulled an engine from sale as talk circulates in the market about issues with the product, which was designed to suit LNG carriers.
The decision affects its low-pressure, two-stroke ME-GA engine.
In a letter dated 17 October sent out to licensees and other interested parties, MAN cited changes at the International Maritime Organization that are expected to be adopted in April, and the performance of its engines. It said it is constantly reviewing its product portfolio.
MAN ES specifically named the IMO greenhouse gas strategy, the Marpol Annex VI regulation and the NOx Technical Code.
“With respect to the G70ME-C10.5-GA type engine, this review would call for significant technical updates and significant investments,” it wrote. “Therefore, we have decided to no longer offer the G70ME-C10.5-GA as of 18 October 2024.”
The company said its high-pressure ME-GI engine “can serve as an alternative” on large LNG carriers due to its high thermal efficiency and low methane emissions.
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Energy group Drax takes stake in UK wind propulsion firm Smart Green Shipping
UK renewable energy group Drax has invested £1m ($1.3m) in British wind tech firm Smart Green Shipping.
The investment will help develop a wing sail system, which is being trialled on board the UK-flagged nuclear waste carrier Pacific Grebe (built 2010).
Drax has also committed to installing a system on one of its chartered vessels following the successful conclusion of the sea trials.
Drax operates a power station near Selby in north-east England that has been converted from using coal to biomass, importing wood pellets made of forestry industry waste.
Smart Green Shipping has built and trialled its FastRig system with funding from the Scottish government and the UK government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
Other investors in the company include Japanese heavyweight Mitsui OSK Lines.
The Drax investment will also be used in developing Smart Green Shipping’s SmartRoute software, which is being designed to help vessel navigators optimise the rig system in conjunction with voyage and weather routing.
Sea trials on the 4,902-dwt Pacific Grebe will conclude at the end of October, when the rig will be dismantled.
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Shipowners and tech firms scoop British government funding for innovation projects
Two British shipowners and two wind assist technology firms have secured cash after a new government funding round.
GT Wings and BAR Technologies are among the Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund winners.
GT Wings and Isle of Wight-based shipowner and shareholder Carisbrooke Shipping secured £187,000 ($243,000) for the development of self-learning trim optimisation for its wing propulsion system, called AirWing.
BAR Technologies, along with its shareholder and backer Union Maritime, secured more than £466,000 to develop its optimisation system to provide real-time analytics on fuel consumption, engine performance and route efficiency of vessels equipped with its wing system, WindWing.
Read more wind technology news here
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Singapore brokers launch platform to bring green ship recycling deals into the digital age
by Jonathan Boonzaier
Singapore’s Star Asia Shipbroking is aiming to transform the way ships are sold for green recycling with the launch of a new platform in a new company.
Bid For Green, which has just gone live, is the brainchild of Star Asia founder and director Rohit Goyanka and global communications manager Sheila Hassan.
“This is going to be the platform where the owners can realise the maximum value for their end-of-life ships in an unbiased, transparent way. We want to enable tech to digitalise a traditional way of selling and make it more efficient,” Goyanka said.
The platform is a “one-stop shop” that provides services beyond just selling a ship for recycling, he said. It also provides connections to carefully vetted companies providing value-added services such as the preparation of inventories of hazardous materials, together with post-sales monitoring services.
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Matson testing AI-based thermal cameras to avoid whale strikes
Hawaii’s Matson Navigation is attaching thermal imaging cameras to its container ships to try to prevent whale strikes.
The operator has installed cameras on three vessels as part of a project in conjunction with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, whose researchers have developed a marine mammal detection system.
Each year, more than 80 endangered or threatened whales are struck and killed off the west coast of the US, according to the institution. North Atlantic right whales are threatened on the east coast, where their numbers are perilously low.
Matson has committed $1m to the research and development of the cameras, which can detect the heat of whales’ bodies and give range and bearing from the ship.
