ULYSSES - Ultra Slow Ships
Overview
Background & policy context:
With the climate change coming to the forefront of society's perception, there is increasing pressure on all industries to reduce CO2 emissions through increased efficiency, and the maritime industry is no exception.
Objectives:
The objective of ULYSSES project was to demonstrate that the efficiency of the world fleet can be increased to a point where the following CO2 targets are met, through a combination of ultra slow speeds and complementary technologies:
- Before 2020, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared to 1990 levels;
- Beyond 2050, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to 1990 levels.
Methodology:
ULYSSES focused on bulk carriers and tankers, as these ship types produce 60% of the CO2 from ocean-going vessels. As bulk carriers and tankers are reasonably similar in design and operation, it was felt that investigating these ships would give the best value for money in terms of the potential impact of the project. Additionally, it is more technically challenging to reduce the speed of these ship types, as they are already relatively slow speed vessels and therefore, it is expected that directional stability and other seakeeping issues will arise. However, the results of the project will be directly transferable to other ship types.
To achieve these goals, it was expected that the target speeds would be:
- Phase I - Existing vessel in 2020: ~10 knots;
- Phase II - New vessel built in 2020: ~7.5 knots;
- Phase III - New vessel built in 2050: ~5 knots.
The project was divided into nine Work Packages:
- WP1 - Requirements and Evaluation;
- WP2 - Technical Coordination, Integration and Design;
- WP3 - Resistance and Propulsion;
- WP4 - Wind Power;
- WP5 - Structures;
- WP6 - Machinery and Equipment;
- WP7 - Seakeeping and Manoeuvring;
- WP8 - Project Management;
- WP9 - Communication and Dissemination.
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