Marine certification body RINA has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a green retrofit package solution designed by innovative Netherlands-based naval architecture designer, AURELIA. 

Developed in partnership with Econowind, Wattlab and Vertom, AURELIA’s design meets CO2 reduction targets in compliance with CII, and speeds the shipping industry’s path to decarbonisation.

AURELIA’s retrofit package solution can be applied to almost any kind of vessel, whatever its purpose or cargo, and does not interfere with operational aspects, such as loading and offloading cargo. Incorporating rigid sails, solar panels, batteries, optimised weather-routing, and a smart decision support system developed by Hydrographic and Marine Consultants (HMC), the solution is designed to dramatically reduce the emissions of an existing Newcastlemax bulk carrier. Working with sails experts, Econowind, and PV technology leaders Wattlab, AURELIA has demonstrated that big steps towards decarbonisation can be achieved today with practical, viable solutions for the marine industry.

For the Newcastlemax bulk carrier, the challenge was to meet EEXI and the CII index for the reduction of CO2 emissions. The 203,000 DWT bulk carrier has a length of 300m, a beam of 50m and a range of 24,500 nautical miles.

AURELIA developed a CII calculator used to assess the status of the vessel and give an overview of what was needed to comply with the CII index based on five annual sailings between Brazil and China. 

Two investment steps for shipowners towards CII index compliance

The resulting solution proposes two investment steps for shipowners looking to comply with the CII index. The first, to be done in 2023, involves the installation of Solar Flatrack technology, batteries, and the SafePlan software developed by HMC. The combination of such technologies will aim to reduce the hours in service of the auxiliary engines. Any surplus energy not consumed by the vessel is used to charge the battery bank. This first stage of the retrofit of the auxiliary engine reduces the total CO2 emissions by 6.1 per cent, or 3,305 tons, and MGO fuel of the auxiliary engine by 97.5 per cent.

The second stage of investment, required by 2025, includes the installation of six rigid, 30m high sails to provide supporting wind propulsion, along with switching from fossil to biofuels. The added wind propulsion provides power to the vessel and lowers the load of the main engine (2T), thereby reducing fuel consumption and was shown to reach 1237 kW at 67 per cent operation per day. With the use of biofuels to further lower emissions, this investment stage reduces CO2 emissions by 10.3 per cent or 5,560 tons of CO2 per year.

Vertom’s MV Anna: Applying the retrofit solution to a general cargo vessel

The standard dimensions and mounting method of a 20ft container and the minimum height make the model applicable to not only bulk carriers but also general cargo.

A leader in sea transport and pioneer in CO2 emission reduction, Vertom joined the retrofit project with the general cargo vessel MV Anna. Since 2022, Vertom has already started the retrofit process for efficiency improvements and carbon reduction of MV Anna by installing two 16-metre Econowind VentiFoils on the bow. For a more powerful and complete retrofit, Solar Flatrack are being tested this year and will be added to existing Vertom vessels in 2023, showing that this combined solution is possible not only for bulk carriers with available space decks but also for general cargo vessels.

The Solar Flatrack is a modular solar energy system that comprises movable, stackable, thin plates with integrated solar panels and inverters and acts as a sustainable generator.