The UK Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) has presented the RINA-QinetiQ Maritime Innovation Award to GustoMSC for the company’s work on reducing environmental emissions through moonpool design.
The award recognizes innovations that offer the potential to make significant improvements in the design, construction, and operation of marine vessels and structures.
Modern drillships usually feature moonpools through which the drill string and drilling riser pass to reach the seabed.
Dimitris Chalkias , senior engineer of vessels at GustoMSC, said: “We do not treat a moonpool as an inconvenient hole in the hull of the ship, but instead try to take advantage of the shape to increase the performance of the vessel.
“In recent years we invested in the research of moonpool performance and design. Our efforts can be showcased with three moonpool technologies – the Callirrhoe, Galene, and Euryale moonpool.”
“The RINA judging panel was impressed by the Callirrhoe solution put forward by GustoMSC, which gives savings of 37% in resistance compared to other types of mitigation designs. The panel considered that this solution would translate into significant fuel savings and reduced environmental emissions when in transit,” the company added.
In sailing conditions, large moonpools cause high resistance, slower speeds, and green water on deck due to sloshing water in the moonpool, compromising safety. Most common moonpool mitigation devices try to block the water flow from entering the moonpool.
The patented Callirrhoe moonpool is comprised of a special hydrodynamic shape which allows and directs the water flow through the moonpool in a controlled way, eliminating sloshing.
The name for the moonpool comes from a water nymph in Greek mythology, which means “beautiful flow.”