Elomatic to install tunnel thrusters on DFDS vessel

Finnish engineering firm Elomatic has been selected by Danish shipping company DFDS to equip one of its roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels with new technology that improves fuel efficiency.

PHOTO: A model of a tunnel thruster. Elomatic

Under the deal, DFDS’ RoRo vessel, MS Crown Seaways, will be installed with Elomatic’s tunnel thrusters that can reduce resistance and, in turn, fuel consumption. Tunnel thrusters are thrusters that are placed inside a tunnel in the bow or stem of a vessel to provide low-speed lateral manoeuvrability when docking and provide high thrust while the vessel is at a standstill.

The tunnel thruster will make “an immediate impact on the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) of vessels with fuel savings up to 4%, depending on the vessel design and speed,” Elomatic claims.

CII is a measure of how efficiently a ship transports goods or passengers. It is expressed in grams of CO2 emitted per mt of cargo and nautical mile. The ship is then rated every year from A to E (A being the highest). The rating criteria will become stricter by 2030.

“Our Elogrid solution significantly reduces water resistance and fuel consumption from ships,” Elomatic’s marine & offshore energy sales director Guido Schulte says.

The retrofit will be carried out in Fayard Shipyard in Denmark during the vessel’s annual drydocking in January 2024.

MS Crown Seaways operates on the Copenhagen-Oslo route.

By Tuhin Roy

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