in-depth

[ in-depth ]

Boosting
ferry
efficiency
40 Twentyfour7. 2.09
 in-depth

While the efficiency of ships in

general terms has become a hot
topic in recent years, the need
to reduce fuel costs is perhaps
most urgent in the ferry sector
of the marine industry.

Text: Oskar Levander, Head of Conceptual Design, Wärtsilä Ship Design

Twentyfour7. 2.09 41
 in-depth
Levels of installed power are often relatively high
in ferries and it is this segment that competes most clearly with
other forms of transport such as road, rail and air. Higher fuel
costs therefore have a big impact on the bottom line and can
encourage a modal shift away from sea transportation. This would
be undesirable, since there is a common need to transfer both people
and goods from overloaded road and rail networks to more efficient
sea transportation routes.
Even though current oil prices are lower than the levels achieved
last year, expectations are that prices will move back to high levels in
the future. Interest in saving fuel therefore remains - and exploiting
every possible method of reducing costs is of course essential for
survival in this fiercely competitive sector.
Another important factor is pollution. Ferries that operate close
to shore, often berthing in densely populated areas, are under
significant public pressure to reduce their exhaust emissions. This
further increases the need to cut power demands.
[ in-depth ]
Multiple specifications. Ferries transport a mix of wheel-based
cargo, cars and passengers. Ferry types in use today cover everything
from high-speed craft and small double-enders to large RoPax vessels
and luxury cruise ferries.
Ferries usually operate on short routes with a fixed itinerary and
regular schedules. Their speed is tailored to suit each route so that
the desired departure and arrival times can be offered. Speed and
displacement are the two dominating factors affecting the power
42 Twentyfour7. 2.09
“interest
demand of a ship. Conventional
ferries often operate at Froude in saving
numbers between 0.25 and 0.35.
The relatively high hull speeds of fuel
displacement-type vessels make
hydrodynamic optimization
particularly important. The
remains.”
block coefficient of such vessels
should be kept low so that their
resistance to moving through the water is as small as possible.
Using low-weight structures is therefore beneficial, especially as
the ship’s lightship weight (LWT) represents a big proportion of
the total displacement in a ferry. Careful optimization of the main
dimensions is of the utmost importance during the initial stage in
ferry design. Lengthening the hull often reduces power demand
significantly. This can be seen from the benefit a ferry can achieve
by adding a ducktail to give a longer effective waterline. Other stern
features such as trim wedges and interceptors can also yield very
good results. As fast monohulls and catamarans operate in the semi-
displacement mode, saving weight becomes even more important.
Reducing appendage drag. Ferries often have a low draft and twin-
screw propulsion is very common. As the two shaft lines result in
relatively large drag, appendage design can have a major impact
on power demand. Alternative configurations include combining
a shaft line in the centre skeg with either a single pulling thruster

- forming a contra rotating propeller (CRP) couple
- or twin pulling thrusters, one on each side of the
central propeller. Compared to a conventional twin-
shaft solution, efficiency improvements of 8-15% can be
achieved.
Both concepts benefit from the reduced resistance when
the twin shaft lines are replaced by a centre skeg propeller and
pulling thruster(s). As the appendages in a ferry powered by twin
shafts can represent up to 20% of the vessel’s resistance, big savings
can be made by avoiding open shaft lines.
The CRP concept further improves propulsion efficiency by
recovering rotative losses and by operating in the more beneficial
wake field behind the centre skeg. The drawback associated with
CRP is that there is only a single steering device.
In the Wing Thruster concept, this shortcoming is remedied
by employing two pulling thrusters, one located on each side of
the central shaft. This also offers an improvement in propulsion
efficiency which originates from lower propeller loadings and a
beneficial wake for the centre propeller, leading to high levels of hull
efficiency. The propellers on the pulling thrusters experience clean
wake fields and the blades operate close to their design condition
throughout each revolution, giving good propeller efficiency.
The next step along this path is to combine the CRP and Wing
Thruster concepts in the same vessel.
Challenging operational schedules. Ideally, these new advanced
propulsion solutions should be implemented using combined diesel-
electric and diesel-mechanical (CODED) machinery. Employing an
electric power plant allows high efficiencies at low vessel speeds and
while manoeuvring. A mechanical booster - the centre propeller -
with low transmission losses is engaged at transit speeds.
This arrangement is especially suitable for ferries whose typical
routes involve shallow waters and associated speed restrictions. Such
conditions result in an operating profile which include a wide variety
of operational modes, making optimization much more challenging.
Flexible machinery that is efficient at many different power output
levels is therefore a preferable solution.
As ferries make frequent port calls, reducing the turn-around
time in port allows for clear reductions in speed at sea. Good
manoeuvring performance and efficient methods of cargo handling
are therefore of great importance. Freight handling equipment on
ferries should be optimized for the cargo mix on the intended route,
and this will have a big impact on whether a drive-through loading
or pure stern ramp configuration is selected. In both cases, wide
ramps and unobstructed straight lanes provide a good basis for quick
operation. g
in-depth
The Efficient
Cruise Ferry
This cruise ferry concept developed by Wärtsilä
has been designed to give both the highest level of
efficiency and lowest emissions while also providing
passengers with top-class experiences. Relatively
large with a GT of 58,000 tons, its length at the
waterline has been extended to give a slender hull
with low resistance.
LNG fuel benefits
Propulsion is provided by the Wing Thruster
concept, resulting in low power demand. Behind
the centre propeller is an EnergoPac rudder for
further improvements. Machinery is of the CODED
type with electric drive of the two pulling thrusters
and mechanical drive of the centre-line propeller.
Six Wärtsilä 50DF engines running mainly on LNG
provide the power.
Not only does this arrangement result in
significantly lower emissions, it also allows for some
reductions in energy demand onboard. The low
temperature of LNG can be used for cooling the
air-conditioning systems, reducing the need to run
compressors. There is no requirement for HFO tank
or trace heating. LNG is well suited to ferries that ply
the same routes with regular service schedules as
bunkering logistics are easier to organize.
Exploiting the wind
Power demand is further reduced by utilizing wind
energy to provide some extra thrust. The four
Flettner rotors (three integrated into the funnel and
one part of the forward mast) can generate more
lift than conventional sails and are able to work at
quite small angles of attack, an important factor for
a ferry operating at relatively high speeds. It is worth
noting that the use of wind power is most beneficial
in areas where the ship operates at reduced speeds.
Efficiency is further enhanced by using variable-
speed pumps and fans and by applying waste heat
recovery (WHR) systems to generate additional
electrical power. Compared to a conventional ferry
designed for the same mission, estimates indicate
that this Wärtsilä ferry concept offers energy
savings totalling more than 30%.
Twentyfour7. 2.09 43
 in-depth

“A ferry’s
The need for speed also payload controlled pumps are an attractive option for many
influences the decision on auxiliary systems. This is particularly true for ferries
whether a vessel should have
a lower RoRo hold. Although
functions can operating in climates that are significantly cooler than
the maximum temperatures used when dimensioning
this feature increases a ferry’s the vessel’s systems.
payload capacity, operations be divided into Since ferries operate on widely varying routes with
in port will be slower. In different cargo mixes and have to meet a range of
many cases, investment
in port infrastructure can
passenger passenger expectations, they are tailored to meet specific
operator demands. A good ship designer should tailor
be more beneficial. Cargo the whole ship concept to achieve the best possible
operations carried out using facilities and efficiency as it carries out its defined mission.
two-level link spans can
be completed much more
rapidly than when single-
RoRo spaces.”
level ramps are employed.
High-power tunnel thrusters offer good manoeuvring
characteristics, reducing port time. In many cases they are also Definitions
installed in the vessel’s stern to provide additional side thrust. If a
Froude number. The Froude number is a dimensionless
CRP or Wing Thruster concept is applied, it will not only improve
number indicating the relationship between a vessel’s length
propulsion efficiency but also enhance manoeuvring and give shorter
and its speed.
turnaround times.
Block coefficient Cb. The ratio of the underwater volume
Reducing the hotel load. A ferry’s payload functions can be divided
[ in-depth ]

of a ship to the volume of a rectangular block with the same

into two distinct categories: passenger facilities and RoRo spaces.
The split between passenger and cargo functions affects the way a
vessel is designed and optimized. As large passenger areas give rise to
high hotel loads, all means of reducing power consumption by using
energy-efficient lighting, smart HVAC systems and well designed
galley operations can result in large energy savings.
The large variations in demand for propulsion
power during a voyage also mean that frequency-
length, breadth and draft as the ship’s hull. Full forms such as
oil tankers have a high Cb, while fine shapes such as sailboats
have a low Cb.
Ducktail. An appendage attached to the transom of a vessel
to lengthen its aft section, making the effective waterline
longer.
Trim wedge. A wedge-shaped form added to a ship’s stern
below the waterline which can reduce the vessel’s flow
resistance. Also know as a stern wedge.

Interceptor. A metal plate fixed to the stern of a ship in a

vertical orientation covering the main breadth of the transom.
The lower edge of the plate protrudes below the transom,
creating a virtual trim wedge. Interceptors can be cheaper to
retrofit than trim wedges.

Appendage. In the context of ship design, items that are

attached to, or protrude through, the external surface of a
vessel’s hull (rudders, shaft lines, shaft line supports, bossings,
fin stabilisers, bilge keels, bow thruster tunnels, etc.).

Skeg. A deep, vertical fin-like projection of the bottom of a

vessel near the stern, installed to provide course stability,
support the vessel in dry dock and, in single-screw vessels,
house the propeller shaft.

Angle of attack. The angle between a vessel’s sail and the

direction of the wind.

44 Twentyfour7. 2.09