Stolt Nielsen aims for 5-7% fuel savings with graphene coating

London-based tanker operator Stolt Nielsen hopes to lower fuel consumption on one of its chemical tankers by coating its hull with graphene.

PHOTO: Stolt Nielsen-operated chemical tanker, Stolt Lotus. Stolt Nielsen

Graphene hull coating on its vessel, Stolt Lotus, is expected to lower fuel consumption by 5-7% by reducing drag and removing marine growth from the vessel, Stolt Nielsen claims.

The coating material is developed by Canadian coatings company Graphite Innovations & Technology (GIT).

Earlier this year, Stolt Tankers also applied graphene coating to the propellors of more than 40 of its ships to improve their fuel efficiency.

Depending on the ship’s type and class, graphene propeller coating offers fuel savings of 3-4% on average, which could lead to carbon dioxide emission reduction of 380-400 mt, energy and conservation manager at Stolt Tankers, Jose Gonzalez Celis told ENGINE.

Shipowners and operators use graphene coating as an energy efficiency measure to improve their fleet's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating.

The International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) CII regulation is a measure of how efficiently a ship transports goods or passengers. It is expressed in grams of CO2 emitted per mt of cargo and nautical mile. The ship is then rated every year from A to E (A being the highest). The rating criteria will become stricter by 2030.

In a recent note, industry non-profit Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) also advised shipowners to ramp up energy efficiency measures on board vessels to reduce near-term green transition costs.

By Konica Bhatt

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