Planet under Pressure

several ways. It can reduce the required
power consumption on board when used
for air conditioning and cold equipment
in the kitchen. It can also improve the
efficiency of power distribution through
superconducting and reduce the surface
temperature of solar panels.
Outside view of the ship featuring solar panels and pontoons
Other sources of waste originating from
the ship’s operation are stored on board
the vessel and unloaded at port. This
improves the environmental footprint
of the vessel and reduces the amount
of equipment required onboard, such
as incinerators.
Operation
An inside view from a cargo deck featuring innovative use of materials
movement of fishtails to deliver greater
efficiency than screw-type propellers. The
flapping foils are driven with efficient,
permanent, magnetic electric motors.
Another important aspect is the creation
of renewable energy on board the
vessel. By 2050, solar power will be
the most cost-efficient new source of
energy at land-based as well as maritime
installations. Therefore, the ship area is
optimally utilized for solar panels that
can rotate to follow the sun for the best
possible efficiency. Fifteen percent of the
vessel’s energy demand will be covered
by solar panels.
Zero waste
One way to increase efficiency is to
eliminate all sources of waste. Excess
heat from machinery is already being
utilized today to produce electricity, but
the NYK Super Eco Ship 2050 will go one
step further. As the need for heating the
ship’s spaces decreases, there is no need
to heat the bunker fuel, the exhaust fume
temperature can be low, and therefore
most of the excess heat can be used to
create electricity.
Waste cold that originates from liquid
hydrogen bunker fuel can be utilized in
Operational efficiency has a major impact
on emissions from shipping. Already today,
weather routing, just-in-time arrival,
as well as advanced power and energy
management are used to some extent
and will be standard procedure by 2050.
The optimization will be done across
entire logistical chains. For example, port
arrivals will be optimized between all
vessels heading to port, and shore-based
logistical chains will be aligned with the
arrival of vessels. Also, cargo for feeder
vessels will be moved directly from one
vessel to another, reducing the duration
of the port stay for vessels.
Time between bunkering will be another
important change in vessel operations.
As most alternative fuels require more
storage space compared to current fuels,
bunkering will need to be more frequent.
The vessel will require a capacity of
21 days compared to several months for
current vessels in order to keep costs and
space demands reasonable.
Conclusions
The NYK Super Eco Vessel 2050 is a
source of inspiration and an idea for
further discussions. The vessel clearly
demonstrates the importance of energy
efficiency for the adoption of alternative
fuels. To achieve the 2050 target, a development
roadmap should be produced
and followed – an example set by NYK.
Global Goals Yearbook 2020 99