2018年2月出版的 Maritime Reporter 上刊登了Kira Coley的文章《邮轮能源变迁的环保趋势》，文中介绍了有望应用于邮轮以及其他船舶的能源新技术：替代能源、电力推进、燃料电池、废气清洗。

现如今，世界上约有360艘邮轮在全球海域航行，每年可运送2500万乘客，另外还有93艘正在建造中。随着极地旅游和联合国教科文组织物质文化遗产旅游观光航线的开辟，邮轮船队对海岸海域环境的影响所引发的关注在增加，邮轮船队需要超前于法规条文的强制要求，积极应用最新技术，制定适当的环保策略。

替代能源

以前，邮轮工程师们需要考虑烟囱的空气动力学性能，在设计过程中，避免发动机排气的烟灰颗粒落在甲板上，引起乘客不适，而液化天燃气（LNG）可以从根本上解决这个问题。

LNG被认为是最清洁的化石燃料，它是一种无色无味无毒的液体，由天燃气降低到-162度液化而成，自上世纪60年代问世以来，备受关注。

除了它的环保属性，LNG燃料也将在供给市场上变得越来越普遍，使其成为邮轮一个非常有吸引力的燃料选项。

从2000年第一艘LNG燃料的船舶诞生，到如今总数量已达75艘，而且还有80艘在建船也将以LNG为燃料。

嘉年华邮轮在2017年9月正式宣布了它的新船队计划，将建造7艘采用全LNG燃料的下一代邮轮。

尽管LNG在替代能源方案中吸引了众多目光，但是还有其他燃料方案可供选择，如生物燃料和甲醇，它们也在减少氮氧化物（NOx）和颗粒物排放上面表现卓著。

替代能源技术方案面临的挑战是新燃料的价格、建造或者改装成双燃料船的成本、燃料舱的尺寸空间以及安全操作风险等。

电力推进

电力推进技术的环境收益是很显著的，降低了振动和噪音，减少了氮氧化物、硫氧化物（SOx）和灰分颗粒的排放。这项技术方案特别受到港口、人口密集海岸线区域和环境敏感区域的关注。挪威多处港口已实船应用了LNG和电池组的混合动力船舶，也有部分柴电混合动力船舶。

全电力推进技术方案的最大壁垒是电池组的能量密度问题，这直接影响了船上电池组的尺寸。当前技术仅能满足小型船舶和混合动力船。对于需要跨越大洋的深海观光邮轮，储存足够动力系统运行所需能量的电池组尺寸太大而没有应用价值。但是技术还在发展，可能在接下的10年，电池组将会扮演更重要的角色。

燃料电池

应用燃料电池技术作为一种环境友好型船舶动力的选项，已经吸引了嘉年华邮轮和皇家加勒比邮轮的关注。

燃料电池技术使用电化学反应来替代普通燃料的燃烧过程。它直接将燃料转换成电力和热量，提高了能量转化效率，而它唯一的副产品是水，所以可以认为燃料电池方案是零污染的。

一项由欧洲海安局委任，挪威·德国船级社（DNV GL）针对燃料电池的数十个工业项目的研究，主要衡量了七种不同的燃料电池技术，包括碱性燃料电池（AFC），质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC），高温质子交换膜式燃料电池（HT-PEMFC），直接甲醇燃料电池（DMFC），磷酸燃料电池（PAFC），熔融碳酸盐燃料电池（MCFC）和固体氧化燃料电池（SOFC）。

当燃料电池变得效率更高、成本更低时，这项技术将为邮轮提升居住体验增添不少助力。

废气清洗

当前实际可行的一种方案是废气清洗系统。这项技术由于削减硫氧化物的需求而受到关注，同时，废气清洗也是船舶满足氮氧化物Tier III排放标准的一种可行性方案，该技术可广泛应用于各种尺寸大小的船舶上。

目前最大的挑战是未来海事法规的不确定性。当前建造的船舶需要在未来更严苛的环境保护法规的控制下运营。针对造船企业来说，需要在建造过程中，使船舶可以在未来法规的要求下，进行比较便捷的升级改装。而设备制造商也需要确定设备的需求，从而进行相关的研发。这些挑战不仅针对邮轮行业，也是整个船舶行业需要面对的。

附原文：

Eco Trends in Cruise Energy Transition

BY KIRA COLEY

Around 360 cruise vessels are operating on the world’s waterways today, transporting more than 25 million passengers to new and established locations globally. The recent cruise boom has driven growth, with 93 new vessels now under construction. But the rising popularity of remote and adventurous routes such as the Polar Regions and UNESCO heritage sights have raised concerns about the fl eet’s impact on marine environments and coastlines. Several cruise leaders are working ahead of legislation to incorporate latest technologies and green strategies. Here, we take a brief look at some of the most promising technology available.

With the push to reduce local impacts from increased traffic and vessel emissions, dozens of potential solutions are being developed including alternative fuels. But, new fuels often require expensive changes to on-board systems and machinery. Furthermore, considerations need to be made around local and global availability, production techniques, and safety concerns.

The holy grail for the shipping industry would be an easily accessible fuel, that can be introduced without significant increase in costs or modifications to facilities onboard the cruise vessel. With no such fuel in sight, the industry looks to develop alternative options available today or in the foreseeable future such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and biofuels.

Alternative Fuels

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a clear, odorless, and non-toxic liquid, formed when natural gas cooled to -162C (-260F). It is considered the world’s cleanest-burning fossil fuel today and as such, LNG has received the largest share of attention in forms of investment and development since the trade first began in 1960’s.

“In the past, many engineers have been tasked to design the aerodynamics of the funnel on a cruise vessel so that the particles that leave the stack do not fall onto the deck and unsuspecting passengers. LNG would solve this problem instantly. 

Beyond the fact it is more environmentally friendly, it is also a fuel type that is becoming more available, and it simply has some practical benefits for the cruise industry which makes it very attractive.

Regarding the maritime energy transition, LNG fuel is something we think will be accelerated both in the cruise industry and in general,” said Kjartan Ross, MAN Diesel Turbo and chairman of Green Ship of the Future.

In 2000, the first LNG-powered vessel was launched and today, there are around 75 LNG-powered ships in operation and another 80 under construction. The growth in LNG-powered ships is expected to accelerate further over the next decade due to the recent Tier III NOx emission standards in North America and forthcoming 0.5% sulfur limits in European waters from 2020.

The world’s largest cruise brand, Carnival Corporation, is expanding its LNG capabilities to supply LNG. At a ceremony in Hamburg in September 2017, Carnival officially marked the start of construction for the first seven nextgeneration cruise ships that will be fullypowered by LNG. By the end of 2018, they will be the first cruise company to use LNG on the open sea and in port.

While LNG has stolen the spotlight for alternative fuels, there are many other options that show great potential as a substitute for oil in dual-fuel engines. Biofuels and methanol are of particular interest because they also offer significant reductions in emissions of NOx and particulate matter (PM).

Ross said, “An increasing number of companies are specializing in the production of biofuels from sustainable sources. It’s quite interesting because this is a fuel solution that you can apply to any vessel, but the challenges are within costs as it is significantly more expensive - around 70-80% - compared to standard fuel prices. And of course, this is an important consideration for many ship owners. But as with all innovation and new techniques, at some point suppliers will find a way to deliver the product at reduced costs. The question is which alternative fuel will get there first? It is a race where Fuel availability and pricing will ultimately decision what solution gets adopted widely.”

As well as the price of the fuel itself, the cost of building or retrofitting dual fuel ships, the size of fuel tanks, and concerns about safety, are also factors in need of consideration.

Electric Power

The environmental benefits for embracing electric power are fairly obvious and include reductions in noise and vibration, and decreased emissions such as NOX, SOX, and PM. “This is particularly important in ports, populated coastal areas and environmentally delegate destinations. Norway is an exciting place to follow right now as it offers a glimpse into what the future will bring for cruise and ferry vessels in terms of electric. They already have fully electric ferries in places like the Norwegian Fjords. Various hybrid solutions, such as LNG hybrids with batteries, or maybe partially diesel-electric propulsion could also be a scenario which I can see coming in the near future. You could say that the technology is already here,” said Ross.

The issue with today’s battery technology is the energy density, impacting the size of batteries packs onboard and the cruising range of electric ships. Today’s technology will allow smaller batteryhybrid vessels to switch to zero emission, electric propulsion near coastal towns and in environmentally sensitive regions, and while travelling into ports. 

However, for ocean-going cruise vessels, battery packs are currently too big to have as the main power supply for a large cruise ship travelling long distances. 

Nevertheless, the technology is advancing at pace and perhaps in another 10 years’ time, batteries will play a more prominent role.

Battery powered propulsion systems are already being engineered for smaller ships and engine manufacturers such as MAN Diesel Turbo are preparing hybrid electric solutions for vessels of all sizes. Exploration cruise operator, Hurtigruten, will also be launching two next generation explorer ships within the next two years, set to be the world’s first battery hybrid powered vessels. Rune Thomas Ege, Hurtigruten’s VP Global Communications, fi rmly believes that the future of the cruise industry is electric, saying, “We have seen the Tesla Revolution on shore, and I think that the Tesla Revolution is coming to the Seas. When it does, we are confident that we will be in front when that happens.”

Fuel Cells

The use of fuel cells as an eco-friendly ship propulsion has also received a lot of attention from organizations such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean. The technology represents another dramatic step forward for the maritime industry in green innovation.

Fuel cells produce energy using an electrochemical reaction, rather than combustion. The process converts fuel directly to electricity and heat, increasing operational efficiency. Water is the only waste product, so they cause less pollution and eliminate emissions.

According to a study by DNV GL commission by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) the industry is dozens of projects, evaluating seven different fuel cell technologies. These projects include the alkaline fuel cell (AFC), the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), high temperature PEMFC (HT-PEMFC), direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) and the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC).

Ross said, “Fuel cells are a really exciting technology. The challenge from my perspective is finding ways to scale up the size of fuel cell plants on cruise ships to act as propulsion energy solutions for larger vessels. But it is quite interesting because if you consider battery hybrid cruise vessels, such a solution could also be there for fuel cells running on methane for example. There have been experiments with some fuel cells, testing different kinds of fuel cell technologies - some working better than others. Another big challenge is in improving the technologies efficiency, but it is a technology that will be very interesting to follow.”

As fuel cells becomes cheaper and more efficient, this solution will become more viable in a significant way to power the cruise ship’s hotel functions.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) has announced that fuel cell technology will play a role on its Icon-class ships being built by Meyer Turku for delivery in 2022 and 2024. In 2017, ABB piloted the cruise industry’s first-ever fuel cell system on a RCL Oasis-class ship, testing its ability to provide energy efficiently ahead of the line installing the technology on upcoming Icon-class vessels. The Icon ships are expected to run primarily on LNG but will also have distillate fuel which they can run on when calling on ports lacking LNG infrastructure.

Carnival are also investing in fuel cell research and development. The cruise line believes that fuel cells will have a place and role to play in the cruise industries green transition, the question asked by SVP Maritime Affairs Tom Strong is “where does the technology sit in the grand scheme?”

Exhaust Cleaning

One of the technologies that are already available today is exhaust gas cleaning systems. There has been a strong focus on reducing sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions from maritime vessels for some time now due to the harmful impacts on the environment and human health. This is where exhaust gas cleaning system benefit the industry and is also one of the techniques that vessels are using to stay Tier III compliant, especially as it has no limitations to the size of vessel that can benefit from it. 

This is also another solution where organizations such as Wartsila and Carnival are investing heavily because of its ability to remove major pollutants from exhaust gases at sea, during maneuvering, and in port. With plans to invest as much as $400 million, Carnival are in the process of designing, building and installing exhaust gas cleaning technology on more than 70 vessels. 

Ross explains, “The challenge right now is that no one really knows when and what the legislation will be in the future. Vessels built now will have to operate in stricter environmental legislation and control, so it will be in shipbuilder’s best interest to build a vessel in such a way that it can be easily be upgraded to comply with future legislation. As an industry, manufacturers would also very much like to know what the demand for our equipment will be so that we will know what we should move our research and development efforts. This is a major challenge, not only for the cruise industry but also for the entire shipping world.”

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