Our Way 1
Q&A Since Oceanbird is such an odd bird in the ma
ritime world, there is great interest in the project. Here are some of the many questions about Oceanbird: 1 Could you please explain the technology behind the wing sails? The technology is actually quite similar to airplane wings, although airplane wings are asymmetric in profile since they should only provide lift upwards. Oceanbird’s wings are symmetric to be able to produce lift, regardless of wind coming from port tack or starboard tack. The wings can also rotate 360° to optimize the angle depending on wind direction relative to the ship. 2 3 12 OUR WAY What difference does this project make to the environment? The ambition is to show that this concept will decrease CO2 emissions significantly. This project could also be extended to create a complete emission-free vessel, since the engine also can run on alternatives to fossil fuels. It´s really important to show that the shipping industry can provide such an emission-free concept. It’s sought after in many instances such as cargo owners, keen on getting an alternative for their long-distance shipping. What's the draft of this vessel? Even though it’s a sailing vessel the draft doesn’t have to be very deep. This is because stability is reached thanks to water ballast onboard in combination with trimming of the wingsails, and is not dependent on a keel. The moulded draft, or distance to the bottom of the vessel, will be around nine metres. 4 5 6 What kind of control system is used in Oceanbird? One interesting aspect of this vessel compared to others is that typically a motorship has a rudder and it can control its speed. In Oceanbird, we have five wing sails, controllable fins under water and the rudders. We have the engine. In effect, we try to control the same amount of degrees of freedom as other ships, but we have a surplus of activators. 7 How much will Oceanbird heel? Is it possible for Oceanbird to capsize? The ship will sail upright, using water ballast for active heel compensation. If the vessel is sailed fully powered, without heeling compensation, it will only heel 5°. Why a car carrier? We need to start somewhere. Oceanbird is a concept for sailing vessels and we start where we have the most knowledge: the car carrier business. The primary cargo is cars, but basically any kind of RoRo cargo – trucks, buses, excavators, high and heavy, etc. Anything you can put wheels on or store on a trailer can be on board. But we are going to expand the Oceanbird concepts to other segments too. 8 Can Oceanbird dock in any port or do the ports need to be rebuilt? Oceanbird may look really different but there will be no need to change the regulations of the ports or the infrastructure. When we lower the sails in order to navigate a port, the difference compared to a conventional ship won’t be that big. We are already engaged in dialogue with the ports to prepare them for what’s coming. How can you claim “90% lower emissions”? Within the project we have developed a sophisticated toolbox for performance predictions where we simulate entire voyages based on historic weather forecasts – so-called hind casts. With this toolbox, we can run 100 voyage simulations overnight to get statistically representative performance figures. We now use this tool to study how design modifications affect the overall performance in order to further improve the design. The toolbox also helps us to build confidence that we will reach our target of 90% lower emissions.