NEWS: The Peace Boat Ecoship is planned to be built by Finnish shipbuilding company Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, and will be the world’s greenest cruise ship. Delivery is expected to be in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The design of the 2,000-passenger Ecoship, 750-cabin, 60,000 GT ship includes 10 large retractable sails made of solar panels. The sails can be used for propulsion and at the same time to generate power. The Ecoship is designed to include a total of 6,000 square metres of solar panels with an output of 750 kW.
As well as harnessing renewable energy sources, the ship will have a hybrid engine, capable of being powered by diesel or liquefied natural gas. This will save up to 20 per cent in fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions by up to 40 per cent, compared to a similar ship with conventional technology.
The Ecoship will also have all the latest advances in waste disposal and architectural design features based on the biophilia concept. Biophilia is a building concept that advocates maximum use of natural elements such as air, light and water, as well as materials and designs based on nature itself.
It is expected to be the most innovative and ecologically-friendly cruise vessel ever built and a game changer for the shipping industry. It will be a flagship for climate change, as well as showcase environmental leadership for clean and sustainable technologies.
With its nature-inspired architectural design by Spanish company Oliver Design, it will be the platform for Peace Boat’s round-the-world cruise carrying 6,000 people per year; host exhibitions on green technology in up to 100 ports per year; and serve as a floating sustainability laboratory contributing to research on the ocean, climate and green marine technology.
Key design aspects including developing a high-performance vessel with the least energy needs, and better than standard air emissions and zero emissions into water. The design will maximize the re-use of wasted energy and reduce hotel load.
The Ecoship vessel will be equipped with 10 retractable wind generators, 10 retractable photovoltaic sails, kinetic floors and a 6,000 square metre solar farm on its top deck. It incorporates a self-sustained garden that uses rainwater, wastewater and seawater for irrigation.
Cabins have been designed to offer high comfort according to its biophilic architectural design wherein occupants are accommodated close to nature.
The Ecoship will operate on a hybrid engine which will be capable of running on bio-fuels. Cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be used as the main fuel for the engine. During low wind conditions, retractable wind generators and photovoltaic sails will help reduce the use of main fuel, utilizing 20 per cent lesser propulsion energy.
The Ecoship ship will emit 40 per cent lesser carbon while also eliminating NOx and SOx emissions, when compared to large ships powered by a standard propulsion system. The heating and air-conditioning will be supplemented by the recycled waste energy, which will be derived from the main engine of the ship, and reduce the electricity load by 50 per cent.
An aerodynamic upper hull of the vessel will help conserve fuel while sailing and an air bubble hull lubrication system will be used to reduce the resistance between the hull and seawater.
Illustrations: Oliver Design
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