Global digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther on Wednesday (11 December) said it has been commissioned to design an ultra-efficient, all-electric light cargo transfer vessel for Singapore’s marinEV, a business of Yinson GreenTech. 

The vessel, Hydromover 2.0, will transport light cargo such as stores, food and maintenance items to vessels anchored in the Singapore Strait, waiting to dock at the Port of Singapore. Hydromover 2.0 builds on the success of the prototype Hydromover 1.0.

Hydromover 2.0 will feature Incat Crowther’s efficient hull form, maximising the vessel’s operational range and making the vessel highly effective for transporting light cargo. This technology ensures smooth navigation in rough seas while optimising energy use. The 24-metre vessel will be designed to carry a payload of 25 tonnes via its large 65m² cargo deck and will be powered by a lithium-ion battery system.

Part of marinEV’s innovative line of zero emission electric vessels, Hydromover 2.0 will contribute to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s decarbonisation target to have all new harbour craft fully electric or operating on lower carbon fuels by 2030.

Jan-Viggo Johansen, Managing Director of marinEV, said: "This collaboration with Incat Crowther marks a significant step forward in sustainable shipping in Singapore. Hydromover 2.0 builds on the success of Hydromover 1.0 which has recently completed successful commercial trials.”

“Hydromover 2.0 is a testament to our commitment to innovation and a crucial step in our mission to drive sustainable practices in maritime transport. We’re looking forward to Hydromover 2.0 joining our fleet in 2025 as we continue to accelerate the industry’s transition to net zero.”

Sam Mackay, Technical Manager at Incat Crowther, said: Low and zero emission vessels are the future of shipping, and Hydromover 2.0 exemplifies the power of combining cutting-edge expertise and technology to deliver outstanding operational performance, safety and efficiency.”

“As Hydromover 2.0 progresses toward sea trials in 2025, Incat Crowther is pleased to be partnering with marinEV to help bring their commitment to transforming maritime transport with innovative, sustainable solutions to life,” said Mr Mackay.

The final stages of designing Hydromover 2.0 are now underway with the selection and evaluation of key equipment in progress. Hydromover 2.0 will be classed by Bureau Veritas with the Battery System notation. Incat Crowther’s project scope also covers design assessment for the battery system functionality and safety features, including fire protection and system certification.

Photo credit: Incat Crowther
Published: 12 December, 2024

Norwegian hydrogen full cell developer TECO 2030 on Tuesday (10 December) has announced its decision to file for bankruptcy. 

In a stock exchange filing, the decision of the board of directors of the company was unanimous and was due to the fact that “there is no longer a realistic opportunity to raise sufficient capital to continue operations”.

“The bankruptcy petition will be filed this evening,” it said. 

The decision came following the bankruptcy filing of its wholly owned subsidiary, TECO 2030 Innovation Center AS, which was announced on 3 December. 

“The Company is currently evaluating the implications of this bankruptcy filing, particularly concerning its overall prospects and outlook in light of the ongoing bankruptcy petition against it. Notably, Innovation Center holds a net claim of approximately NOK 22 million against the Company,” the company explained in an earlier stock exchange filing.  

“Additionally, the Company has provided a guarantee of NOK 10 million to the former landlord of Innovation Center. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the Company will also write off the recorded equity of NOK 30,000 associated with (the) Innovation Center.”

In an open letter to Norway’s Ministry of Trade and Industry on 27 September, the company stated its desire is to establish mass production of hydrogen fuel cells in Norway, but due to unpredictable framework conditions from authorities and a lack of available capital, the company was forced to look abroad.

“Potential investors do not trust that the requirements for emission reductions will be met. For example, zero-emission requirements in the World Heritage fjords were postponed from 2026 to 2032, while biogas (not zero emissions) is being opened up, which in practice means that ships can sail with conventional LNG technology (no technology development),” it said in the letter, which was posted on its website. 

“The state has also long announced zero-emission requirements for ferries from 2023, but no regulations had been forthcoming.”

A day before that, TECO 2030 announced a strategic shift from manufacturing fuel cells in Norway at the time, to positioning itself as a global technology provider.

“This decision reflects TECO 2030’s commitment to growth in dynamic global markets, particularly in the face of regulatory delays in Norway,” it said. 

Despite efforts to secure risk financing in Norway, both from public and private sectors, the interest and capital support for clean-tech projects remain limited. 

“By shifting focus to licensing, TECO 2030 can leverage stronger demand in high-potential international markets, ensuring sustainable growth and reinforcing its leadership in hydrogen fuel cell innovation,” it added.

Photo credit: TECO 2030
Published: 12 December, 2024

Classification society DNV on Saturday (7 December) shared a statutory news article that provides a summary of the 109th session of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 109) including adopted amendments to the IGC Code to enable the use of ammonia cargo as fuel and approved draft interim guidelines for ammonia as a marine fuel.

The following is an excerpt from the news update relating to bunker fuels:

The 109th session of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 109) was held from 2 to 6 December 2024. Amendments to the IGC Code to enable the use of ammonia cargo as fuel were adopted, and interim guidelines for the general use of ammonia as fuel were approved. The IGF Code was amended to improve the safety of ships using natural gas as fuel. MSC 109 further approved draft SOLAS amendments to enhance the safety of pilot transfer arrangements and progress was made on the new safety code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships.

Meeting highlights

• Adopted amendments to the IGC Code to enable the use of ammonia cargo as fuel
• Adopted amendments to the IGF Code for ships using natural gas as fuel
• Approved draft interim guidelines for ammonia as fuel
• Approved draft amendments to SOLAS Regulation V/23 and the related performance standards to improve the safety of pilot transfer arrangements
• Advanced the non-mandatory Code on Maritime Autono- mous Surface Ships (MASS)

Amendments to mandatory instruments 

Ammonia cargo as fuel (IGC Code) MSC 109 adopted amendments to Paragraph 16.9.2 of the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) to enable the use of ammonia as fuel on ammonia carriers.

An MSC circular to encourage the voluntary early implementation of the amendments to Chapter 16 was approved. 

The amendments will enter into force on 1 July 2026.

Safety of ships using natural gas as fuel (IGF Code)

MSC 109 adopted amendments to the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), based on experience with the code since its entry into force in 2017.

The amendments include:

• Clarified application provisions
• Alignment with the IGC Code on suction wells for fuel tanks extending below the lowermost boundary of the tank
• Alignment with the IGC Code on discharge from pressure relief valves to discharge to tanks under certain conditions
• Clarified requirements to fire insulation for deck structures in relation to fuel tanks on open deck
• Clarified requirements for hazardous ducts through non-hazardous spaces and vice versa
• Updated requirements for the hazardous zone radius for fuel tank vent mast outlets, increasing to 6 metres for zone 1 and 4 metres for zone 2

The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2028.

Goal-based new ship construction standards

Goal-based standards (GBS) for the new construction of bulk carriers and oil tankers are, conceptually, the IMO’s rules for class rules. Under the GBS, IMO auditors use guidelines to verify the construction rules for bulk carriers and oil tankers of class societies acting as Recognized Organizations (Resolution MSC.454(100)).

Initial GBS verification of Biro Klasifikasi Indonesia (BKI) BKI has requested GBS verification of their ship construction rules for bulk carries and oil tankers. MSC 109 agreed that the BKI rules comply with the GBS, provided non-conformities and observations are rectified and verified in a new audit.

North Atlantic wave data (IACS Recommendation No. 34, Revision 2) MSC 109 noted that IACS is currently undertaking a review of its Common Structural Rules (CSR) for bulk carriers and oil

tankers to reflect advances in data, materials, technologies and calculation methodologies. The CSR are implemented in the individual class rules of the IACS members, which are subject to compliance with the GBS.

MSC 109 further noted that IACS has now issued a revision of the North Atlantic wave data to ensure more scientific data as a basis for the rule formulas in the CSR. The new scatter diagram in Revision 2 of IACS Recommendation No. 34 shows the probability of occurrence of different sea states and is based on wave data from advanced hindcast wave models combined with ships’ AIS data for all SOLAS vessels in the period from 2013 to 2020.

MSC 109 agreed that an observation from the initial CSR audit in 2015, that the scatter diagram in Revision 1 of IACS Recommendation No. 34 was based on past statistics, was now considered addressed.

MSC 109 further invited IACS to provide more information about the assumptions, modelling and technical background for Revision 2 of IACS Recommendation No. 34, and agreed that the GBS audit of the revision to follow should be carried out in conjunction with the consequential rule changes in the CSR.

New technologies and alternative fuels 

Identification of gaps in current IMO instruments MSC 109 continued its consideration of potential alternative fuels and new technologies to support the reduction of GHG emissions from ships from a safety perspective. The intention is to identify safety obstacles, barriers and gaps in the current IMO instruments that may impede the use of the various alter- native fuels and new technologies.

MSC 109 agreed to add “swappable traction lithium-ion battery containers” to the list of alternative fuels and new technologies. The list already includes fuels and technologies such as ammonia, hydrogen, fuel cell power installations, nuclear power, solar power, wind power, lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitor energy storage technology.

Recommendations to address each of the identified barriers and gaps in the IMO regulatory framework will be considered in a Correspondence Group until MSC 110 (June 2025). Application of the IGF Code

MSC 109 agreed on draft amendments to SOLAS to clarify that the IGF Code applies to ships using gaseous fuels, whether they are low-flashpoint or not. The term “gaseous fuels” was added to the definitions in SOLAS Regulation II-1/2 and to the application provisions of SOLAS Regulations II-1/56 and 57.

The draft amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2027, subject to adoption by MSC 110 (June 2025).

Carriage of cargoes and containers

Ammonia as fuel

MSC 109 approved draft interim guidelines for the safety of ships using ammonia as fuel.

Ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk (IGC Code)

MSC approved draft amendments to the IGC Code to incorporate the large number of Unified Interpretations developed since the latest major review of the code, which entered into force in 2016. The primary objective of the draft amendments is to remove ambiguity and promote the consistent implementation of the IGC Code requirements.

Photo credit: CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
Published: 9 December, 2024