Elomatic, NYK Group Join Forces to Create Emission-free Cargo Ship

European engineering and consulting company Elomatic has partnered with Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Group and NYK’s technology arm MTI to create the concept design for a futuristic emission-free pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), – the “NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050”.

According to Elomatic, compared to current vessels, the NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050 will reduce CO2 emissions by 100%. The energy-efficient vessel will also reduce energy derived from bunker fuels by approx. 70%.

The concept design was unveiled by NYK Group in mid-November. Elomatic was responsible for the concept creation and visualisation. The development of NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050 is part of NYK Group’s “Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green” medium term management plan.

The NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050 is a follow-up from a project done in 2009 by the same parties, which culminated in the award-winning design of a container vessel for 2030, the NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2030. Japan, Finland and its Scandinavian neighbours have long-standing innovation traditions in the maritime sector and NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050 is another step in maintaining this leadership position. All partners involved in the project have a vision of a carbon-free world.  

The resistance of the vessel was reduced by 35% by remodelling the hull to decrease water friction, by reducing the weight of the hull, and by minimising air resistance. The improvements where validated with CFD calculations. Further improvements were made by introducing fuel cells for electric propulsion, relying on other highly efficient propulsion devices, and the generation of renewable energy on board the vessel.

The energy demand of the vessel was cut by approx. 70% by eliminating energy and operational waste. The minimised energy demand enables truly emission-free operation.