On September 27, 2024, the “Shanghai Design 100+” conference and the “Design Innovative City” theme forum were held at the Expo Creative Show. The “World’s first ammonia fuel powered 1400TEU container ship (GREEN SEALION 1400)” developed and designed by Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI) under China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) won the 5th “Shanghai Design 100+” Annual Excellent Design Achievement Award.
“Shanghai Design 100+” has been carried out for five consecutive years, committed to discovering top design for the world, and has become a high-end competition in the field of design that attracts worldwide attention, and is an important platform for the centralized display and promotion of excellent design results.
SDARI has always been committed to the research and development of low-carbon and zero-carbon ship types, and has instilled the innovative design concept of energy saving, emission reduction and green environmental protection into the corporate gene, and has continued to launch a series of ammonia-fueled ship types with market competitiveness.
Such as 50,000 DWT ammonia fuel powered product oil/chemical tankers, 7,000 CEU ammonia fuel powered car carriers, and 85,000 DWT, 180,000 DWT and 210,000 DWT ammonia fuel powered bulk carriers. In particular, the new ship type of “the world’s first ammonia fuel powered 1400TEU container ship (GREEN SEALION 1400)” won the 5th “Shanghai Design 100+” Annual Excellent Design Achievement Award.
It is the world’s first ammonia-fueled container ship, marking another important breakthrough in the field of clean energy for the global shipping industry and a milestone in leading the sustainable and green development of the shipping industry.
Based on the design concept of “green environmental protection, energy saving and carbon reduction”, this 1400TEU container ship mainly serves regional routes such as Europe and Asia. With a length of about 150 meters and a width of about 27 meters, it can carry about 1,400 standard 20-foot containers.
Equipped with ammonia fuel engines, ammonia fuel storage tanks, supply systems and refueling systems, its energy efficiency design index (EEDI) is approximately 45% below the baseline, well below the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Phase 3 emission reduction requirements, and its carbon intensity (CII) rating is A, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by approximately 10,000 tonnes per year.
The ship uses CFD fluid dynamics simulation to optimize the hull line and improve the energy efficiency and adopts the propulsion system of “low speed main engine + shaft generator + adjustable propeller”, so that the ship can achieve the optimal propulsion efficiency under different sea conditions and significantly reduce the energy consumption of the ship.
Also, through the high voltage shore power technology, the container ship can achieve zero emissions in the port. The main and auxiliary engines use SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology to meet the most stringent IMO nox emission control zone requirements.
It is particularly worth mentioning that in the process of development of the ship, SDARI focused on the toxic and corrosive characteristics of ammonia fuel to minimize the impact of ammonia toxicity.
For example, to keep living areas and engine room sheds as far away from toxic areas as possible to minimize potential risks that could affect the safety of those on board; In order to ensure the safety and reliability of ammonia fuel filling, storage and supply system, to avoid leakage, formulate various countermeasures in case of emergency.
At the beginning of this year, the ship type has received an order from the Belgian ship owner CMB, and will be built in China, marking the global shipping industry into the era of ammonia fuel.