Most of the press attention to new cruise ships focuses on bigger ships, fancier facilities and amazing new rides, but that’s not the only place cruise lines are making changes.
Carnival, one of the largest operators recently spoke about some of the new technology coming along, including innovative hull designs, robot inspections and hull cleaning and cleaner engine operation.
“We’re not just tinkering here – we’re looking at every available area for improvement for how our cruise ships operate,” said Lars Ljoen, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. “By combining state-of-the-art hull designs, advanced propulsion technology and years of experience, we’re continuously enhancing our ships’ performance.”
Some of the areas the company is working on include
- Hull Designs: When selecting the optimal hull design, computer-assisted analysis enables ship and propeller designers to run hundreds of thousands of simulations, identifying the best design options for different sailing conditions.
- Trim Optimization: Software is used onboard to optimize the trim of a vessel by transferring ballast water internally to ensure that the ship operates continuously in the best configuration for propulsive efficiency.
- Podded Propellers: Over 40 ships in the company’s fleet are fitted with high-efficiency, 360-degree steerable podded propulsion units that are up to ~7% more efficient than conventional propellers. This number will continue to grow as new ships with this technology are added to the fleet.
- Air Lubrication Systems (ALS): Over 10% of the company’s fleet is already equipped with this leading-edge technology, which uses air bubbles to reduce the ship’s resistance as it moves through the water, reducing propulsive fuel consumption by 5% or more. Over the next three years, 10 more ships are planned for ALS conversion.
- Hull Inspections with Drones: Drones are being trialed to monitor the condition of hull coatings, allowing the company to optimize the timing of hull cleaning and manage marine growth and debris for retaining peak hydrodynamic efficiency.
- Robot Hull Cleaning: The company is conducting trials with several service providers that offer the next generation of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) “robot” hull cleaners. The ROVs can map the hull and accelerate the cleaning process, offering continuous improvement opportunities for cleaning speed, efficiency and quality to approach the goal of full hull cleaning during a single port visit and efficiently cleaning without damaging protective hull coatings.
- Next-Gen Hull Paint: Innovative new hull coatings with advanced biofouling prevention are continually being tested across the company’s global operations to evaluate durability, efficiency, longevity and ease of application. At any one time, about 15% of the Carnival Corporation fleet is trialing promising new coatings.
