Japan’s Eco Marine Power (EMP) has released details of a new handymax bulker that incorporates a range of renewable energy solutions, energy-saving devices, electric propulsion, and fuel cells.
The ship design concept is known as the Aquarius Eco Handymax II, and all the technologies currently encompassed in the design are either currently available or under development, the company said.
The design includes integrated sail-assisted propulsion and solar power system known as Aquarius Marine Renewable Energy, or Aquarius MRE. The system was granted approval in principle by ClassNK in 2021, and a further patent related to this system was applied for recently. A range of energy-saving devices, including an air lubrication system, have also been added, along with electric propulsion and fuel cells.
Some of the technologies incorporated into the design will be installed for evaluation purposes on an actual handymax bulker this year, and as the project continues, further technologies should be deployed.
“The Aquarius Eco Handymax is the result of years of research and development including shore-based and ship-based trials. The design focus is not on any one solution or technology, however, but rather how various alternative power sources and energy saving devices can work together to achieve the zero emissions operation of a large ship,” commented Greg Atkinson, president and chief technology officer at Eco Marine Power.
Several companies are cooperating on R & D activities related to the Aquarius Eco Handymax II within the framework of the Eco Marine Power Research Institute with additional companies expected to join this year.
