WHY MODERNIZE THE PROPULSION SYSTEM?
Regarding the quality of construction, Polarfront is definitely an exceptional ship. She has been maintained with substantial resources throughout all her career long. The hull surveys reveal that the structure is in excellent condition, which invites us to think about the future of this ship rather than her scrapping !
Scrapping her and building a new one would be extremely polluting due to the almost 1000 tons of steel.
At Latitude Blanche, we decided to use nowadays technologies to refit the propulsion & the power production highly reduce the ship impact on her environment, and to improve safety of navigation as well as comfort on board.
TECHNICAL SOLUTION
Thanks to our six years experience operating Polarfont, we have designed the most suitable propulsion & power management systems, using the most modern and efficient technologies enabling us to meet the requirements of her operations and to reach the bests standards of environnmental protection.
From the propeller to the control on the bridge, all systems have been renewed by :
- Electric propulsion with 2 motors
- High efficiency fixed pitch propeller with 5 blades
- 3 main generators with exhaust catalytic reduction systems (to prevent pollution by NOx) + a small one for periods at anchor / in ports
- Electric shore connection for cold ironing when ports make it possible
- High efficiency boiler in combination with heat recovery system from the engines
PROJECT BENEFITS
For the environment
For navigation and operational safety
For wildlife
For passenger comfort
The energy saving for propulsion is more than 30% at transit speed, due to the new propeller efficiency and the removal of the nozzle. The gain is even more significant at low speeds, when manoeuvring, drifting, observing wildlife, …
WHAT POWER TO MOVE OUR SHIP?
The power plant has been designed to run only one generator at our cruise speed of 8,5 knots, providing 290 kW only to cover the needs of propulsion and life on board for 30 people.
290 kW is equivalent to the power of :
FUEL CONSUMPTION AND EMISSION REDUCTION
The efficiency of engines produced today is globally much better than those of engines that were produced when the ship was built.
On top of that, using 3 main generators splits the ship power. Depending on the required speed, we use the proper number of engines, in order to have them always running in their best operating range.
RECOVERING HEAT FROM ENGINES
Heat exchangers have been be fitted to recover heat from the cooling water. This energy is recycled to heat the ship accommodations and the sanitary water. This provides a 30% reduction in the consumption of the boiler.
BALANCE OF SAVINGS
The reduction in energy needs, the efficiency gains linked to the new engines and the heat recovery from engines give a saving in fuel consumption of 35 %.
The table below shows the fuel savings and the CO2 emissions that the retrofit has prevented.
Pollution is not limited to CO2 emissions. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) cause health problems. The engines we have installed are equipped with Selective Catalytic Reduction systems (AdBlue injection) to eliminate these polluting emissions.
The chosen electric propulsion is extremely quiet and vibration-free. The 5-blade fixed propeller, inspired by submarine designs, is particularly silent. All engines and components have also be mounted on “silent blocks.”
Marine mammals are very sensitive to noise and vibrations generated by ships. Since Latitude Blanche aims to explore polar regions with minimal impact, reducing noise has become a top priority.
Quieter cabins
Less vibration
Before, our cabins were divided into 4 categories.
Now, there are 3 categories:
