Carnival sees hydrodynamic efficiency as key to fuel savings

Lars Ljoen, chief maritime officer, Carnival Corporation. “We’re not just tinkering here – we’re looking at every available area.”

Putting an emphais on hydrodynamic efficiency, the world’s largest cruise company, Carnival Corporation & plc [NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK], says that it is advancing greater fuel efficiency for propulsion through innovative hull designs and new hardware and technology, along with underwater drone inspection and cleaning trials.

This is achieved, says Carnival, through complementary strategies focused on maximizing hydrodynamic performance and enhancing ongoing hull maintenance, which reduces a ship’s underwater drag. Together, these efforts reduce fuel use for each ship and across the company’s global fleet, which also lowers its overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“We’re not just tinkering here – we’re looking at every available area for improvement for how our cruise ships operate,” says Lars Ljoen, chief maritime officer at Carnival Corporation. “By combining state-of-the-art hull designs, advanced propulsion technology and years of experience, we’re continuously enhancing our ships’ performance.”

The following elements cumulatively improve hydrodynamic efficiency across the fleet, reducing the propulsive power and fuel needed to drive ships through water:

INCREASING HYDRODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY

Hull Designs: When selecting the optimal hull design, computer-assisted analysis enables ship and propeller designers to run hundreds of thousands of simulations, identifying the best design options for different sailing conditions.

Trim Optimization: Software is used onboard to optimize the trim of a vessel by transferring ballast water internally to ensure that the ship operates continuously in the best configuration for propulsive efficiency.

Podded Propellers: Over 40 ships in the company’s fleet are fitted with high-efficiency, 360-degree steerable podded propulsion units that are up to ~7% more efficient than conventional propellers. This number will continue to grow as new ships with this technology are added to the fleet.

Air Lubrication Systems (ALS): Over 10% of the company’s fleet is already equipped with this leading-edge technology, which uses air bubbles to reduce the ship’s resistance as it moves through the water, reducing propulsive fuel consumption by 5% or more. Over the next three years, 10 more ships are planned for ALS conversion.

Hull Inspections with Drones: Drones are being trialed to monitor the condition of hull coatings, allowing the company to optimize the timing of hull cleaning and manage marine growth and debris for retaining peak hydrodynamic efficiency.

Robot Hull Cleaning: The company is conducting trials with several service providers that offer the next generation of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) “robot” hull cleaners. The ROVs can map the hull and accelerate the cleaning process, offering continuous improvement opportunities for cleaning speed, efficiency and quality to approach the goal of full hull cleaning during a single port visit and efficiently cleaning without damaging protective hull coatings.

Next-Gen Hull Paint: Innovative new hull coatings with advanced biofouling prevention are continually being tested across the company’s global operations to evaluate durability, efficiency, longevity and ease of application. At any one time, about 15% of the Carnival Corporation fleet is trialing promising new coatings.

NET ZERO GHG BY 2050

The application of increasingly effective hull coatings, and proactive maintenance and performance strategies are high on the list of Carnival Corporation’s fuel savings and decarbonization strategies as the company pursues its aspiration of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

“This has been a journey of small steps and years of continued collaboration to push the boundaries of innovation and drive solutions for greater efficiencies,” says Ljoen. “It is safe to say that collectively these initiatives have contributed to significant improvements in fuel and energy efficiency over time. In essence, we are continuously reducing our environmental footprint at the same time we deliver the best vacation experience for our guests.”