Leading clean technology company to apply its technical expertise on University of Vaasa-led Project CHEK to accelerate sustainable shipping

Pioneering clean technology company Silverstream Technologies today announced that it is part of a consortium led by the University of Vaasa which has been granted EU funding under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme to accelerate shipping’s decarbonisation pathway.

Project CHEK – deCarbonising sHipping by Enabling Key technology symbiosis on real vessel concept designs – combines the expertise of a range of market leaders, including Silverstream Technologies, Cargill Ocean Transport, MSC Cruises, Wärtsilä, Lloyd’s Register, Climeon, Deltamarin, BAR Technologies, Hasytec Electronics and World Maritime University, all with the aim of reducing shipping’s emissions through the integrated use of low-carbon energy forms and propulsion systems, combined with energy efficiency technologies.

The consortium will work together to demonstrate the impact of a holistic approach to emission reduction in the design of two concept vessels; a bulk carrier, which will utilise sails to capture wind energy, and a cruise ship powered by hydrogen fuel. Both ship designs will feature Silverstream’s air lubrication technology – the Silverstream^® System – as a central part of a suite of complimentary energy efficiency technologies. The Silverstream^® System has been proven to generate between 5-10% net emissions savings, depending on vessel parameters.

By treating energy efficiency as a fundamental building block of vessel design, and combining it with the application of clean technologies and future fuels, it is estimated that the designs will achieve a 99 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 50 percent reduced energy consumption.

Speaking on the new consortium, Noah Silberschmidt, CEO, Silverstream Technologies, said: “Bold and progressive vessel designs that combine the most effective clean technologies with the cleanest future fuels are an obvious and necessary next step for a sector that needs to tackle decarbonisation today. This project recognises the central role that efficiency technologies will play in that decarbonisation journey. It also reflects the fact that only by uniting the best efficiency ideas and practices in integrated and intelligent designs will we achieve our goals.

“I am pleased that Silverstream can apply our years of experience of delivering and operating clean technologies to this project. We will continue to work closely with all partners in the consortium to ensure we make significant progress and fulfil our shared vision of a more sustainable shipping industry.”

Project CHEK is scheduled to commence in spring 2021. The consortium believes that the holistic approach to emissions reduction pioneered in the two initial vessel designs can also be applied to other vessel types, such as tankers, container ships, general cargo vessels, and ferries.

The project will also prepare for future scenarios and conduct an analysis of factors affecting the development potential for low-carbon shipping, including current and planned infrastructure.