The European Union has an ambitious plan to make international maritime shipping more eco-friendly and sustainable. To that end, they have awarded a Dutch group a considerable grant to develop ship hulls made of composite materials. The development is being undertaken as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 research project.
The Maritime Executive reports that the Dutch group is being led by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding. They recently unveiled a full-scale version of a sustainable composite hull section they fabricated in a steel factory. The group has proven, at least in concept, that the tools and technologies for building extremely large ships from composite materials is possible.
Not Your Father’s Yacht
It is clear from pictures of the composite hull that a ship made with the panels would not be a small pleasure craft. Indeed, composite materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass have been used in pleasure craft fabrication for years. But what the Dutch group is working on far surpasses yachts and sailboats.
EU regulations now cover composite hulls for ships up to 25 meters long and capable of carrying 500 tons. The Custom-Made Hull for Offshore Vessel project in the Netherlands is looking at ships of up to 85 meters in length. That is more than three times what current regulations account for.
Though it’s unclear exactly what composite materials were used to make the prototype panels, Salt Lake City’s Rock West Composites says carbon fiber would be an obvious choice. Carbon fiber is magnitudes stronger than steel and considerably lighter as well.
According to The Maritime Executive, the Dutch group has managed to create hull panels that would reduce a typical cargo ship’s weight by 40%. That is no small matter. A 40% weight savings opens the door to a lot of possibilities for more sustainable and eco-friendly shipping.
Smaller Engines, Less Fuel
The first thing that comes to mind with such weight savings is the reality that shipbuilders could get away with smaller engines. This obviously suggests a number of implications. First, smaller engines would inevitably use less fuel if the same speeds were maintained. Less fuel means fewer emissions.
Another obvious implication is greater shipping capacity. If you install smaller engines, you also free up more space to carry more cargo. This effectively reduces the number of ships and voyages you need to carry the same amount of cargo.
Savings could be further achieved by taking advantage of lighter weight to increase ship speed. Cargo ships that move faster can complete more journeys in the same amount of time. That means more cargo shipped during the course of a year.
Finally, smaller engines and less overall weight opens the door to building ships with multiple configurations. A single cargo ship could be set up to handle different kinds of cargo, with only minor adjustments being necessary between voyages.
Less Maintenance Required
The icing on the cake here is that composite materials require less maintenance. They are not subject to the corrosive capabilities of seawater, so they do not require nearly the attention steel-hulled ships need. Nonetheless, composite materials are stronger than steel in nearly every respect. Building with composites gives you a stronger hull that will last just as long – if not longer – with less maintenance required.
It looks like we are well on our way to transforming international shipping by building cargo ships with composite hulls. This is an exciting time to be in the composites industry. We already know how composites have revolutionized commercial and defense aviation. We expect them to revolutionize maritime activities just as much.