The dawning of the age of high-efficiency vessels

Abstract

Transport depends on crude oil as a source of fuel for trucks, trains and ships and bitumen for roads. Europe has shown that even with a strong commitment to emission reduction, transport Green House Gas emissions will continue to rise relative to other sectors. As Australia’s freight task increases and as fuel supply risks increase, the need for change is also increasing. Investment will be required in transport fleet expansion and replacement, meaning that now is an opportune time to review our transport paradigm. Sea transport is no different to road, rail and air in its ability to leverage improvements in engine efficiency, materials, logistics management, control systems, renewable fuels, hybrid, solar and energy storage technologies. However, sea transport has two unique advantages over other transport modes: a low cost of infrastructure and the capability of harnessing wind by direct conversion of kinetic energy. The development of high-efficiency vessels and market drivers are close to a tipping point for rapid evolution. A possible step in this evolution is the development and application of high-efficiency vessel technologies to improve the sustainability of remote communities and the tourism industry. This would have strong synergies with the Australian high-speed shipbuilding industry’s world market leadership.

Keywords:

• High-efficiency vessels
• marine propulsion
• sail
• crude oil dependence
• transport
• sustainability

Disclosure statement

Symington (2009) holds a patent for a hybrid vessel concept. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.