Kongsberg Maritime to upgrade propulsion systems of Moby’s vessels

Norwegian technology firm Kongsberg Maritime has been selected by Italian shipping company Moby to upgrade the propulsion systems of five of its roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels.

PHOTO: Moby’s RoRo vessel Moby Aki. Kongsberg Maritime

Three of the vessels, Moby Vinci, Sharden, and Moby Aki, will receive a propulsion system that combines the rudder and propeller into one propulsion unit. Meanwhile, the other two ships, Moby Wonder and Moby Tommy, will be upgraded with controllable pitch propellers. In controllable pitch propellers, the propeller blades can rotate around their axis.

The upgrades will offer “significant fuel savings without power losses,” and together will reduce “CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tonnes per year,” Kongsberg Maritime claims.

“By carrying out a programme of relatively simple upgrades to the propulsion systems, we can reduce our CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tonnes per year,” Moby’s chief executive Achille Onorato reiterates.

Several shipping companies are adopting similar technologies to enhance fuel efficiency and improve their Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) ratings.

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. According to the classification society DNV, the CII is based directly on fuel consumption, which is influenced by various factors, such as the ship's operational practices, technical efficiency, and the type of fuel used.

Moby operates a fleet of RoRo vessels between the Italian mainland, Sicily, and Sardinia.

By Tuhin Roy

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