Two Alewijnse Projects Nominated for the KNVTS Ship of the Year Award 2011
The committee for the KNVTS Ship of the Year Award has announced the nomination of three vessels for the much coveted prize. These are the Amulet, Oleg Strashnov and Nemo H2. Two of these, the Nemo H2 and the Amulet, are projects in which Alewijnse Marine Systems has played a major role. The winner will be announced at the sixth edition of the Maritime Awards Gala to be held on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at the Studio 21 hotel in Hilversum, The Netherlands.
The commercial pleasure craft Nemo H2 is the first fuel cell powered, emissions-free vessel to be built in the Netherlands. The craft was constructed for Shipping Company Lovers Amsterdam and developed by the Fuel Cell Boat Construction consortium; consisting of Scheepswerven G en H Bodewes, Alewijnse Marine Systems and Marine Service Noord. Nemo H2 is 21.95 metres long and carries up to 86 passengers.
The electricity used to drive the craft and its systems is supplied by a fuel cell stack powered by hydrogen gas, and any excess heat generated is used to warm the interior. Alewijnse designed a system that uses a combination of fuel cells and batteries that makes it possible to store unused energy during periods of low load and then use that stored energy during periods of high load. The hydrogen is stored at 350 Bar pressure in plastic cylinders. As the application of this ground breaking technology is not governed by any existing legislation the entire development and construction process took place in close cooperation with Germanischer Lloyd, the classification society that awarded the craft her final certification. Nemo H2 has become a major tourist attraction on the canals of Amsterdam, and is an advertisement for the Dutch maritime industry’s capacity for innovation and technological leadership.
Owners Frans and Igor Jansen, and Ton van der Molen, were responsible for ordering the highly fuelefficient and eco-friendly motor tank vessel Amulet for operations in and around Rotterdam. Amulet is a C-type tanker 135m in length and 14.15m wide with a load capacity of 6,752 tons, and was designed for the transportation and bunkering of oil and mineral oils. This unique ship incorporates a range of the latest innovations in fuel efficiency and emission-minimisation including a propulsion system that combines the advantages of an advanced diesel-electric system with steerable rudder propellers (Ldrives) and specially designed stern thrusters. The height of the propellers can be adjusted so that when the ship is empty they can be lowered below the waterline, removing the need for ballast. The electrical system is powered by four generators, each delivering 850 kW to two drives connected to the rudder propellers, a bow thruster and around twenty cargo pumps. The drives are regulated by a power management system that ensures that the optimal number of generators is running to meet the total power demand. The result is that compared with conventional systems the Amulet consumes a lot less energy.
The directors and staff at Alewijnse look forward to the awards’ ceremony next month and are optimistic that one of their vessels will be the winner on the night.