GTT, CMA CGM and DNV GL signed a cooperation agreement with new project participants ABB, the Caterpillar company Solar Turbines, and OMT for phase two of the PERFECt project.
The Piston Engine Room Free Efficient Containership project investigates the possibility of using a combined gas and steam turbine system (COGAS) to power an ultra large container vessel (ULCS).
The first phase of the project performed by GTT, CMA Ships, a unit of CGM, and DNV GL showed “promising results with regard to the commercial competitiveness of the design compared to an LNG-fuelled ship with a conventional propulsion system,” DNV GL said in its statement.
The aim of the second phase of the project is to detail the technical concept and the commercial feasibility.
“The results of the first phase prove not only that the project is technically and economically viable, but also that the proven technologies can be deployed to make the PERFECt project a reality”, says Philippe Berterottière , chairman and CEO of GTT.
Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen , CEO of DNV GL – Maritime added that as LNG bunkering stations continue to grow in numbers and global coverage, projects that push the efficiency envelope on LNG-powered vessels could result in significant market advantages for first movers.
PERFECt phase two will build on the results of the original study which was launched in 2015. Some of the focus areas for phase two are process technology optimization of the COGAS system including the steam turbine, use of the available cooling capacity of the LNG, and further optimization of the ship design to attain greater efficiency and increased cargo capacity, the statement reads.
In phase one of the project, GTT, CMA CGM (and its subsidiary CMA Ships) and DNV GL released a technical and feasibility study for a COGAS-powered LNG-fuelled electrically driven mega box ship.
Based on the results of that study, the PERFECt vessel design was found to offer potentially increased cargo capacity, greater layout flexibility and reduced maintenance costs than comparable conventionally powered HFO and LNG designs, according to the project participants.