NYK Line has announced the results of a demonstration test trialling the use of an onboard system that lowers fuel consumption by controlling frequencies of the ship’s generators.
The Japanese shipping line announced that a test of the Hz Navi System was conducted onboard the NYK-operated bulk carrier White Princess from April 2023 to April this year.
In conjunction with MTI Co., Oshima Shipbuilding, Terasaki Electric, and Daihatsu Diesel, fuel consumption was measured and a safety evaluation was conducted with the Hz Navi mode activated.
NYK says an energy saving effect of approximately 10 percent was confirmed for the ship’s generator.
No abnormalities were observed during the demonstration test, and it was confirmed that the vessel could be safely navigated.
The Hz Navi is a system that allows generator frequencies to be adjusted according to shipboard conditions within the range specified by ship classification rules, thereby reducing the fuel consumption of generators.
The system utilizes a technology jointly patented by NYK and Tsuneishi Shipbuilding called “generator frequency control technology”, which allows the generator frequency to be switched between the regular frequency and a lower energy-saving frequency.
Current generator frequencies are set so that onboard equipment such as pumps and motors, which operate in conjunction with the power supply frequency, can perform adequately even under the worst possible conditions, and operating at the normal frequency during normal navigation consumes extra power.
NYK says there was therefore a need to develop a system that could reduce fuel consumption and quantity by lowering the frequency of generators to best match optimal specifications.
MTI says the five companies involved in the demonstration will deepen their collaboration to commercialize Hz Navi, and work together to achieve a more sustainable energy-saving system.
The results come soon after NYK announced it would time charter the company’s first methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier, scheduled for delivery in autumn 2025, as part of an agreement with Japanese ship operator Kambara Kisen.
