The final results are in and we're delighted to report that the two energy-efficient vessels created using CHEK's Future-Proof Vessel design platform achieved:
Cruise Ship
- ~47.4% relative energy savings
- ~99.8% relative CO2 reductions
Bulk Carrier
- ~52.6% relative energy savings
- ~106.1% relative CO2 reductions
As shown by the integration of Climeon's HeatPower technology across global fleets, the CHEK project also confirmed ORC waste heat recovery to be 'feasible for and provide energy savings both on present and future ships'.
Explore the full results published by CHEK here or read on to get an overview of the findings...
CHEK: Assessing the Impact of Sustainable Technologies in Symbiosis
Launched in 2020, the 'deCarbonising sHipping by Enabling Key technology symbiosis on real vessel concept designs' (CHEK) project sought to determine how a combination of sustainable technology could reduce shipping emissions.
Crucially, CHEK saw the potential of using the latest emissions reduction tech in symbiosis to enhance their impact and accelerate decarbonization of the industry. Furthermore, the development of a 'Future-Proof Vessel' (FVP) Design Platform allowed these technical innovations to be integrated into a ship's design and used real-world data to analyze future environmental performance.
As the software evolved, CHEK incorporated design-based life-cycle analysis into the platform. By integrating this data, the FPV design platform provides an accurate and detailed basis for naval architects and shipbuilders to determine a vessel's real-world LCA. In turn, utilizing the platform will enable designers to optimize a vessel's environmental performance from the outset.
Bringing together 15 consortium partners in the CHEK project, Climeon was joined by esteemed industry leaders, including BAR Technologies, Cargill, Deltamarin, HASYTEC Group, Lloyd's Register, MSC, Silverstream Technologies, University of Vaasa, Wartsila, World Maritime University and Manta Marine Technologies.
To analyze the impact of a combination of sustainable technologies, CHEK developed two bespoke vessel designs:
- Wind energy optimized bulk carrier
- Hydrogen power cruise ship
Real operational data and commercial trade route and ship loading condition information was used to accurately monitor the impact of the integrated technologies and generate real-world results.
Bulk Carrier Operational Routes:
Cruise Ship Operational Routes:
On-Board Sustainable Technologies
The impact of sustainable maritime technologies varies depending on multiple factors, such as the type of vessel, its route and operational profile. With this in mind, the CHEK consortium selected a combination of technologies for each vessel based on their respective profiles.
As shown above, Climeon's HeatPower technology was integrated into CHEK's FPV design platform and used on both the bulk carrier and cruise vessel simulations, highlighting its wide applicability and emissions reduction capabilities across variable vessel types, routes and operational profiles. To find out more about the impact of a ship's operational profile on HeatPower performance, download our White Paper here.
Energy Savings and Emissions Reductions
The goal of the CHEK project was to determine if combining sustainable technologies could maximize their impact and facilitate the decarbonization of the shipping industry. At the outset, CHEK aimed to achieve 40-50% energy savings compared to a hypothetic EEDI Phase 2 compliant vessel.
We are delighted to report that the CHEK project exceeded its original targets and achieved impressive energy savings and emissions reductions on both FPV design:
Bulk Carrier Results:
Cruise Ship Results:
Well-to-Wake Forecast:
As the industry evolves to achieve key environmental targets, CHEK assessed the impact of its technologies in comparison to projected well-to-wake greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It found that utilizing the technologies in synergy can achieve a 38% reduction in GHG emissions compared to the EEDI Phase II adjusted baseline.
Developing the Global Fleet
The maritime industry is changing rapidly and shipping companies are adapting a raft of environmental regulations that will become more stringent in the near future. While low-carbon marine fuels are seen as a potential method of reducing GHG emissions, they won't decarbonize the industry alone.
Indeed, the limited infrastructure to facilitate the use of alternative fuels and the higher costs associated with low-carbon marine fuels mean that their true impact will not be realized for quite some time.
Due to this, shipping companies will need to embrace a range of sustainable technologies to accelerate decarbonization, maximize emissions reductions and offset some of the increased costs associated with alternative fuels. To find out how Climeon's HeatPower technology can maximize the impact and reduce the costs of alternative fuels, download our recent White Paper here.
As the CHEK project has highlighted, when sustainable maritime technologies are aligned with a vessel's operational profile and used in combination with one another, their cumulative impact can deliver enhanced environmental performance and accelerate the development of an advanced, sustainable global fleet.
Furthermore, CHEK has confirmed that low-tech WHR delivers gains in isolation but is also highly effective when used in conjunction with other sustainable tech, thus confirming its role in a futureproof, sustainable maritime industry.
CHEK Project: An EC Success Story
From 17 prototypes and 9 testing activities to Edison Awards, pending patents, recognition as a European Commission Research and Innovation Success Story and our final conference at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, the CHEK Project has been a fantastic opportunity to show how combining sustainable maritime technology can maximize emissions reductions and energy savings.
Since the launch of CHEK in 2021, members of the consortium have participated in nine workshops, four e-lessons and numerous conferences, seminars and exhibitions to share our findings accross the maritime sector.
We would like to thank all involved in the CHEK project, especially our fellow consortium members and partners. Not only has the project shown how sustainable maritime technology can operate in synergy to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions; CHEK has shown that the innovative tech needed to decarbonize the industry is operational, available and ready to be deployed!
To find out more, read CHEK's project round-up here or contact Climeon's Maritime team to discover how our HeatPower technology can generate clean, on-board electricity, lower fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.
