Shell reports that it has created significant fuel and emissions reductions during operational testing of the Silverstream air lubrication system on the Shell-chartered 170,000 cbm LNG carrier Methane Patricia Camila, with engineers demonstrating a 6.6% net saving.
The technology was tested at various speeds during the vessel’s normal operations, to calculate actual fuel and emissions savings during a typical voyage.
The Silverstream system produces a thin layer of microbubbles along the full flat bottom of the vessel, reducing frictional resistance between the water and the hull. The equipment was successfully retrofitted on the 2010-built LNGC during its October 2020 planned dry docking at the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Shipyard in Singapore.
“It is great to announce that retrofitting the Silverstream System onboard the Methane Patricia Camila has already had a significant positive impact on fuel consumption and emissions, with 6.6% savings verified during initial testing,” said Noah Silberschmidt, Founder and CEO, Silverstream Technologies.
“We’d like to thank our colleagues and partners at Shell for their confidence in our technology, and also for their vision and commitment to pioneer proven clean technologies within shipping.”
“Shipping requires solutions to solve the decarbonisation challenge today. With fuel bills only set to rise in the future, owners need to invest in fuel-agnostic technologies that are proven to save costs and emissions, without impacting the flexibility or profitability of the vessel. We are proud of the role that our technology can play to solve this challenge.”
