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Eco Marine Power Co. Ltd. (EMP) has unveiled a concept ship design incorporating its Aquarius Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) System. The concept design, called the Aquarius Eco Ship, forms part of Eco Marine Power's strategy aimed at moving shipping towards a more sustainable future.

The Aquarius Eco Ship is the result of a comprehensive study project which has focussed on optimizing the design of a large ocean going ship such as a bulk carrier or oil tanker to harness the power of the wind & sun by using the Aquarius MRE System.

The Aquarius MRE System incorporates fuel-saving and emission reduction technology that uses a variety of elements including solar panels, energy storage modules, a computer control system and an advanced rigid sail design.

This green ship concept has been designed to be highly flexible and configurable so that it can be installed on variety of ship sizes and types. Applications for the system include bulk carriers, oil tankers, survey ships, passenger ferries & even unmanned surface vessels.

In addition to the Aquarius MRE System, a future Aquarius Eco Ship would also be fitted with other fuel saving measures such as an advanced electrical propulsion system, an optimised hull design and waste heat recovery technologies.

According to Eco Marine Power, this combination of technologies could lead to fuel savings of 40 percent or more and also dramatically reduce the emission of noxious gases such as Sulphur Oxides (SOx) & Nitrogen Oxides (NOx). In addition, the use of renewable energy would reduce the vessel's carbon footprint.

An Aquarius Eco Ship could include enough solar panels for a 1MWp solar system or larger and enough energy storage modules so that the ship would not need to use auxiliary diesel generators whilst in port. These energy storage modules could be charged via the solar panels or by the ships main generators.

Importantly, the Aquarius Eco Ship and Aquarius MRE System have been designed to take into account the reality of operating rigid sails on ocean-going ships and include a range of specially developed safety features.

Eco Marine Power says it is now seeking to work with a shipyard or shipping company in order to further develop the Aquarius Eco Ship concept. It is anticipated that this work will lead to the development of several new design concepts and possibly additional patent applications.

The company will also begin test activities related to the Aquarius MRE System this year and says it is seeking to cooperate with additional development partners and strategic investors in order to produce a commercial version of the system.