Alfa Laval announced previous April the completion of its acquisition of Marine Performance Systems B.V., a Rotterdam-based maritime technology company that has developed the first fluidic air lubrication system on the market. Mr Dimitris Poulos (Marine Division Manager Adriatic Region – Managing Director Alfa Laval) describes in the following interview the benefits of this acquisition and emphasizes on the next steps of the company towards decarbonization.
Tell us about the new acquisition of Alfa Laval in the application of Air Lubrication and what are the expectations of this development?
Alfa Laval announced previous April the completion of its acquisition of Marine Performance Systems B.V., a Rotterdam-based maritime technology company that has developed the first fluidic air lubrication system on the market. Having acquired a minority stake of this company in the year 2021, Alfa Laval has taken last April the final step to fully integrate the company under its own brand. The acquisition will accelerate the advancement and introduction of the patented fluidic air lubrication system FluidicAL into the market to support vessels to sail sustainably. This move will enable Alfa Laval to bring this environ- mentfriendly technology to market contributing significantly towards improving ship efficiency, reducing fuel consumption, and minimizing emissions from ships. This product will be of the many that Alfa Laval would propose on the marine sustainability portfolio of the future.
What is the basic concept of this system and what is its unique feature?
A ship’s friction when sailing is the most significant driver of its fuel consumption representing up to 60 per cent of a vessel’s operating expenditures. The advanced fluidic air lubrication system from AL combines fluidics and air lubrication technologies to offer significant reductions in the ship’s friction when sailing. The system is unique in
its use of fluidics to generate micro air bubbles with a high degree of control, maintaining an air layer that covers the full flat bottom area of the vessel for maximum effectiveness. The reduction of frictional resistance working on the ship’s hull results in reduced fuel consumption. By adding air lubrication system into our portfolio, we are thrilled to further expand our offering of energy-efficient and sustainable solutions to our customers.
How this system supports Alfa Laval strategy towards decarbonization?
With its ability to provide shipowners with numerous benefits in one solution, the fluidic air lubrication technology is expected to have a significant impact on shipping decarbonization. By reducing the friction, air lubrication not only supports emission abatement but provides substantial fuel cost savings and improvement in overall ship efficiency, at a vessel’s normal service speed and a payback period below 3 years. In today’s maritime industry, solutions that lower the operational costs and minimize emissions are more critical than ever. The air lubrication system OceanGlide is designed keeping in mind the needs and challenges of the shipping industry. It offers shipowners access to an easy- to-install solution that provides a perfect balance of operational and financial flexibility, while significantly reducing environmental emissions. The patented FluidicAL system requires no structural modifications or vessel recertification, which makes it ideal for retrofitting as well as for newbuilds. Also, one of the key advantages of Alfa Laval OceanGlide
is the ability to regulate power consumption through oscillation bands. OceanGlide uses fluidic technology to create streamlined sections on the vessel’s flat bottom, each with its own fluidic band that generates bubbles. Steering of each band allows a more controlled and stream- lined flow of air bubbles for ensuring optimal efficiency, maximum coverage, and reduced compressor power. The unique configuration of bands into sections for a regulated flow of air bubbles is a distinguish- ing feature of the OceanGlide system. This set-up allows for precise control and optimization of power consumption, and we look forward
to documenting its energy-saving effect on our chemical tankers. The OceanGlide fluidic air lubrication system’s high efficiency in producing bubbles not only ensures an effective air layer with fewer compressors but also provides the added advantage of conveniently positioning them anywhere on board. The system requires no structural modifications or vessel recertification, which makes it ideal for retrofitting as well as for new builds. Having a minimal footprint and maximum flexibility, the system can be configured and optimized to the specific vessel’s de- sign and operational profile ensuring integration with existing onboard technology seamlessly. Air lubrication technology is recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as an “Innovative Energy Efficiency Technology” to lower carbon emissions. The technology supports compliance with Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and the reduction of carbon intensity to meet IMO’s carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) requirements. Besides this, the innovative fluidic air lubrication technology minimizes CO2 emissions thereby helping in limiting CO2 tax.
Have you any references of installations so far?
Alfa Laval has signed an agreement with Odfjell, a leading chemical tanker company, to install OceanGlide on one of their tankers, later this year. Also Alfa Laval has been selected for installation of its Ocean- Glide fluidic air lubrication system on a 54k DWT LPG tanker owned by Kumiai Navigation, a Southeast Asian LPG tanker and bulk carrier company. With this order, Alfa Laval has added LPG tankers to vessel types that can benefit from OceanGlide fluidic air lubrication system.
* Marine Division Manager Adriatic Region – Managing Director Alfa Laval Greece