The European Innovation Project LeanShips – Low Energy And Near Zero Emissions Ships – will demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of energy saving and emission reduction technologies at real scale. LeanShips is one of the first projects funded under the new European Research and Innovation Framework Program HORIZON 2020. The project is coordinated by Damen Shipyards Group and jointly managed by the Netherlands Maritime Technology Foundation (NMT), Germany’s Center for Maritime Technologies (CMT), and Cetena, the Italian Ship Research Centre.
LeanShips officially started on 1 May 2015 with a grant of 17 million Euros. Participation in the project partnership consists of shipowners, shipyards, equipment suppliers and research institutes. In total, 46 partners (81 per cent from industry) from 12 EU member states and one associated country are part of the project.
LeanShips aims to put innovations into practice by showcasing eight demonstration project that will combine technologies to increase efficiency and reduce pollution with end-users’ needs and requirements. Dedicated teams of equipment manufacturers (technology providers), shipyards (technology integrators) and shipowners (technology users) as well as rule makers will make certain that the innovations developed in the project are developed into commercially mature solutions.
The following eight demonstrators are part of the project:
• A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) powered RSD (Reverse Stern Drive) Tug
• An LNG tug
• Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) or Methanol Dual Fuel for Offshore Service Vessel
• Efficient LNG carrier
• Retrofit of short sea cargo ship (SECA) with LNG
• Inland cargo ship with large oscillating propulsor
• Large propeller for general cargo vessel
• Energy efficient PAX /cruise ships
Target markets
Target markets are the small to midsized ships for intra-European waterborne transport, vessels for offshore operations and the leisure and cruise markets. Initial targets for LeanShips are fuel saving of up to 25 per cent, CO2 reduction of at least 25 per cent and reductions in SOx/NOx/PM air pollutants by up to 100 per cent. Through their participation in the project, LeanShips partners intend to encourage more shipowners to invest in green technologies.