The world's first sail-assisted VLCC is about to set sail

Image: Wang Junli, senior executive of the Science and Technology and Information Department of CSSC, and Wu Jianyi, deputy general manager of COSCO-HONG KONG SHIPPING CO., LTD., China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) Cai Zhuyi, chief engineer of CSIC, and other relevant responsible persons from the project management department and participating research units attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

On September 1, the groundbreaking ceremony for the production of sails for the "Sails Technology Demonstration and Application Development" project, a national high-tech ship research project undertaken by CSIC, was held in the machine processing workshop of CSIC's rudder shaft company. This means that the world's first ultra-large wind-powered oil tanker (VLCC) is about to set sail.

Cai Zhuyi, chief engineer of CSIC, introduced that the sail project is a major innovative project both domestically and internationally, and it is the first time that sail demonstration applications have been carried out on an actual VLCC. Since its launch in 2015, through the joint efforts of all project member units, a large amount of research, demonstration, calculation, testing, review, and analysis have been carried out from sail airfoil design and hydrodynamic analysis to structural, hydraulic, and electrical design, as well as various risk assessments, design drawing reviews, and manufacturing procurement. Today's groundbreaking ceremony marks a new stage for the project from research and development to processing and manufacturing. In the subsequent processes of assembly, land-based testing, sea transportation, hoisting, and installation and commissioning on the actual ship, the workload is still very large. The project team needs to further cooperate closely, according to the requirements of the project task book, overcome difficulties, and complete the research and development of sails and their demonstration application on the actual VLCC on schedule.

Wang Junli, senior executive of the Science and Technology and Information Department of CSSC, said in his speech that the sail project is an innovative key project approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology focusing on energy saving and emission reduction of main ship types. Undertaking national projects means representing the country and the industry in solving technical problems. With the in-depth research of the project, the innovation, criticality, and complexity of the project are fully demonstrated. Today, the start of sail production is an important node. We hope that CSIC will organize the project team to continue to do a good job in the subsequent stages of sail production and overall assembly, land-based testing, and sea transportation, ensuring that the tasks are completed as planned, meeting the schedule requirements of the COSCO demonstration ship, and finally passing the acceptance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Image: Sail equipment processing machine tool

It is understood that the sail equipment is a special equipment integrating mechanical processing, hydraulics, electrics, and structures welding and other multiple disciplines. According to the design scheme, it consists of several parts such as a rotary mechanism, a mast, and a sail. The sail is 39.68 meters high and 14.8 meters wide, with a maximum outer diameter of 5.3 meters for the rotary base and a diameter of 4.5 meters for the central cylinder of the base. The start of production this time starts with the processing of the sail rotary base. The CNC heavy-duty horizontal lathe used for processing the rotary base is currently the lathe with the largest processing capacity in China. Its maximum tool diameter is 5.6 meters and its maximum length is 15 meters.

Image: 300,000-ton class combined engine-sail power ship plan developed by 702 Institute

In 2014, the "Sails Technology Demonstration and Application Development" project spearheaded by CSIC was officially approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance to be included in the national high-tech ship research plan. According to International Ship Network, the project is led by CSIC, in conjunction with CSSC 702 Institute, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian Maritime University, China Classification Society and the China Shipbuilding Society, as well as COSCO SHIPPING Energy Transportation Co., Ltd. The project combines the new requirements of international conventions for ship energy saving and environmental protection technologies, taking ultra-large oil tankers (VLCCs) as the target ship type, and through the research of new sails main engine hybrid propulsion technology, mastering key technologies for sail design, manufacturing, and application, completing the engineering application of sails on large oil tankers, and achieving a target of reducing the average daily fuel consumption per ship by more than 12% at the same speed index.

Lloyd's Register (LR) recently pointed out that the use of wind-assisted propulsion system is one of the realistic options for the shipping industry to use renewable energy. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal of reducing global shipping CO2 emissions by 50% by 2020, which means that the shipping industry needs major changes.

With the official start of sail production by CSIC, it marks the entry of Chinese shipbuilders into a new stage of wind energy utilization in the research and development of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies for large cargo ships, creating favorable conditions for building a new generation of large cargo ships and maintaining a market competitive advantage.

【Appendix】Latest progress of foreign sail-assisted power ships

Lloyd's Register has joined the Quadriga Sustainable Shipping project, aiming to build the world's largest sail-powered cargo ship. The project plans to build a 170-meter-long car carrier which will be equipped with 4 DynaRig masts and will use hybrid propulsion during navigation, including sails and diesel-electric engines ，

       Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. will build 1+1 2800-passenger cruise ships for Viking Cruises passenger and ro-ro ships . Rotor sail equipment is also installed on the ship, using the Magnus effect of the rotor to generate forward thrust from wind power, which can achieve a maximum fuel saving of 25%.

Maersk Tankers has partnered with Norsepower Oy, the UK Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), and Shell Shipping to install and test Flettner Rotor sails on one of its LR2 product tankers . The ship will be equipped with two rotating sails, 30 meters high and 5 meters in diameter. Combined with these wind propulsion devices, the average fuel consumption during navigation is expected to be reduced by 7-10%.

At the 2016 SMM in Hamburg, Germany, the "E-Ship 1" rotor sail cargo ship stood out from the fierce competition with its competitors, the "UT Wind Challenger" and "Norsepower," and won the Wind Propulsion Innovation Award from the International Wind Sailing Association (IWSA).