Project Summary
Maritime transportation is vital to global trade and economic growth, but UK domestic shipping contributes 5-7% of UK emissions and 3% of global emissions. The majority of these emissions come from bulk carriers, oil tankers, container ships, chemical tankers, and general cargo ships. Finding cost-effective solutions for decarbonising marine propulsion on existing assets is crucial. EGB Engineering’aims to develop modelling capabilities to investigate multiple technologies concurrently. The project will explore economically advantageous solutions for reducing emissions from large ships, enabling sustainable and responsible maritime transportation.
Project Achievements
• Developed comprehensive models capable of providing insights into the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from various combinations of hull designs, propulsion systems, and fuel choices. • Determined the most economically advantageous low-carbon technologies. • Understood gaps to accelerate development paths. • Influence policy and direction for investments. • Determined technologies to support decarbonisation of maritime.
Conclusions
Hydrogen demonstrates the most fuel-efficient performance, with the lowest fuel consumption relative to diesel Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Hydrogen has the highest costs associated with any refit and operation, with ammonia-based configurations being the most cost effective. The project has been successful in proving the concept and providing data that will support the next stage of development. Learning came from Interdisciplinary collaboration, utilising skills in engineering, design, modelling, simulation, data science, understanding of maritime technology and emissions.
Next Steps
DeMAPPT is at advanced stages of development, and the next crucial steps involve transitioning from simulations to live test environm ents. Our immediate priority is carrying out rigorous field trials and operational testing in order to move further along the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) path towards commercialisation. The concept has shown success in simulations of ship designs; its real-world viability will be established through these live tests, and we are currently in the process of applying for further funding to progress this. This phase will allow us to confirm the technology’s performance and reliability under practical condition. During the project, we established valuable collaborations with key industry stakeholders and research institutions. TRIG benefits include access to business and investment readiness programmes, marketing tools, network channels and useful contacts with other organisations including DfT, and upskilling apprentices.
