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At the Nor-Shipping trade fair in Oslo, project partners ABB, OMT, GTT, Caterpillar's Solar Turbines, CMA CGM, its subsidiary CMA Ships, and DNV GL, presented the results of phase II of the Piston Engine Room Free Efficient Containership (PERFECt) joint industry project (JIP), which looked to validate the phase I results and develop the concept to a 'ready to order' stage.

The PERFECt JIP examined the potential of developing an electric-driven 20,000-TEU ultra large container vessel (ULCV) with an LNG-fuelled combined cycle gas and steam turbine (COGES) electric power plant.

The goals for the project were to to utilize LNG as a primary fuel for an ultra-low emissions profile, in a design with at least the same carrying capacity and efficiency as existing ULCVs.

"The PERFECt project has brought a new set of expert capabilities together and delivered promising results," said Gerd Wursig, Business Director for LNG-fuelled ships at DNV GL - Maritime. "The impulse behind this project was the interest in seeing how a modern ultra large container ship design could benefit from clean fuel and highly efficient COGES technology. We have achieved our objectives and now have a validated design concept with enough technical detail to develop a business case."

Propelling the ship with electrical motors enabled the power generation and propulsion systems to be placed in separate sections of the ship. And with the COGES system providing power for both propulsion and auxiliary systems, an engine room was not needed any more. So, the power plant, together with the integrated LNG tanks, could be moved below the deck house - freeing up considerable space for more container slots.

Also, a tailored hull shape and new propeller design were added to improve the overall efficiency of the vessel. The novel hull form with vertical bow was tailor-made to the operational profile of the vessel, and with a high efficiency propeller in combination with a contra-rotating pod, the total propulsive efficiency is said to have increased by approximately 5 percent.

"The COGAS electric propulsion system provides larger flexibility for arrangement of containers in combination with a high overall propulsive efficiency of the vessel," said Thomas Eefsen, Chief Commercial Officer, OMT.

"The PERFECt ship is fitted with our custom-made propulsion solutions which combines outstanding propulsion efficiency and excellent manoeuvrability, enabling safe and environmentally friendly vessel operation," said Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports.

"The PERFECt project impressively demonstrates how the innovative coupling of established technologies can generate new options for marine propulsion," said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Pels Leusden, Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin.

"GTT is pleased of this partnership with major technical and industrial players to develop the PERFECt project. The results show technical and economic feasibility of the project. Existing technologies can be adopted to make PERFECt II a reality," remarked Julien Bec, GTT, Vice-President of LNG as Fuel directorate.

Barbara Stanley, Vice President, Power Generation and Strategic Development, Solar Turbines Inc., said: "Solar is proud to deliver technical solutions to our customers that are cost-effective and environmentally sensitive. Our SoLoNOx Dry Low Emissions (DLE) Gas Turbines, which operate on LNG, will not only exceed any current marine emission restrictions, but provide a wide margin against anticipated future restrictions. The resulting optimized power generation system is both reliable and highly efficient while being increasingly environmentally friendly."