Reducing fuel consumption and minimizing emissions are essential for shipping. To achieve this, all possible avenues must be considered. Conventional propellers are known to have low efficiency. On cargo ships, they waste about 40% of the energy due to rotational losses, vortex formation, noise generation, cavitation, etc. Recovering such losses is one of the most important ways to contribute to efficient, environmentally friendly energy use. Ultra-large container ships (ULCS), on the one hand, have the highest individual carbon footprint, and on the other hand, they take advantage of economies of scale and transport large quantities of goods worldwide.

The overall goal of the project is to minimize fuel consumption, improve maneuverability, and increase navigational safety by introducing three highly efficient innovations to ULCS: twin-propeller configuration, pod drives, and the concept of counter-rotating propellers. The combination of these three principles (Twin-CRP-POD) has a fuel consumption reduction potential of up to 15%.

Research on the above topics is carried out by means of special numerical CFD methods as well as experiments in a modern towing tank. Maneuvering and ship handling related tests will be performed using manned models on a natural lake. The consortium is formed by partners from industry and research with expertise in hydrodynamics, ship and propeller design, ship handling, production, and lifecycle performance.

The CMT will primarily evaluate solutions in terms of technical and technological requirements at launch for new-build and retrofit vessels and provide recommendations for production processes. Life Cycle Performance analysis will ensure that the solution is cost effective for the ship owner and sustainable for the environment.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) in the maritime research program under MarTERA ERA-NET co-funding from Horizon 2020.