Sener Completes the Design of a New Sustainable Biofuel Tanker Capable of Capturing CO2 from Other Vessels

June 02, 2023

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(Sener) The aim of this new type of vessel is not only to provide a solution for supplying biofuels, but also to help decarbonize the naval industry by mitigating and reducing the emissions from its fleets. The design is set up for different propulsion alternatives (conventional, diesel-electric or hybrid), different sulfate cleaning systems (open, closed or mixed) and features an innovative CO₂ capture system.

The Sener technology and engineering group successfully completed the conceptual design of a new model of sustainable tanker to supply biofuels during bunkering operations. The company, with a track record of more than six decades in the naval sector, completed the conceptual design of a multi-product supply vessel that can carry heavy fuel oil (HFO), very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), biofuels and marine gas oils (MGO), and that can also store the captured CO₂ from nearby vessels.

The new vessel has been designed to operate in compliance with the energy efficiency and emission reduction requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The design also includes different technical-economic configurations to help shipowners select the best alternative based on their priorities and needs, such as costs, ease of installation on board, or safety.

The design is intended to allow shipowners to choose different propulsion alternatives (conventional, diesel-electric or hybrid), as well as different types of sulfate cleaning systems (open, closed or mixed) and CO2 capture systems.

Carbon collectors, technology to decarbonize the naval industry

The naval sector must achieve more energy efficient vessels and reduce its emissions to comply with the new requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU) in terms of controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

Sener’s new tanker ship design features a complete emission reduction and management system made up of a CO₂ capture and storage system, a selective catalytic reduction, or SCR, system (process to convert nitrogen oxides into diatomic nitrogen and water, with help from a catalyst) and a sulfate cleaning system. It is also set up to store the CO₂ captured by other vessels in the vicinity, promoting the capture of this compound in the area of operations, and thus help reduce emissions locally.

The application of carbon collectors to this model was made possible thanks to the knowledge acquired by Sener after several decades in the naval sector, providing various engineering services (conceptual, basic and detailed), feasibility studies, and consulting in areas such as digitization, the use of alternative fuels and biofuels, emissions cleaning technologies, the circular economy and others.

Sener is working to develop innovative technologies that can contribute to the decarbonization of the sector. For example, the company has conducted specific feasibility studies with its customers to analyze the generation of hydrogen on board their fleets through a multi-product reformer that could work with ethanol, methanol or ammonia.

Roberto Fernández Pascual, Director of the Naval Business Unit at Sener, notes that “decarbonizing the naval sector is a very important objective for the economy as a whole, beyond the impact on the maritime industry. At Sener, we believe that research and development on innovative technologies that will help us achieve this efficiently is essential if we are to satisfy the IMO and EU demands in this regard. Fleet analysis is a tool to optimize technical and economic resources to help shipowners and shippers in this transition.” READ MORE