Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has issued approval in principle (AiP) to Bluefins for its innovative propulsion assistance system, designed to harness the motion of ocean waves to generate supplementary thrust for oceangoing vessels and support reduced fuel consumption.
The Bluefins system uses a hydrofoil connected to the stern of the vessel through a system of mechanical arms. As the vessel pitches in waves, this motion is used by WaveDrive to generate horizontal thrust, providing additional propulsion assistance without requiring an additional external source of energy.
Inspired by the movement of a whale’s tail, WaveDrive is said to represent a novel approach to recovering energy from vessel motion and using it to improve propulsion efficiency. As part of the AiP assessment, BV carried out a preliminary technical review of the system architecture. The review covered technical documentation relating to the mechanical design, hydraulic system, electrical architecture and associated risk assessment. It also identified technical aspects to be further addressed during detailed engineering and vessel integration, supporting Bluefins in establishing a pathway towards deployment on commercial vessels.
Christophe Chauviere, BV Marine & Offshore SVP Technical and Operations Excellence, said: “Improving the energy efficiency of existing and future vessels will require the industry to explore a broad range of technologies and new approaches to propulsion. Bluefins is developing an original concept that seeks to make use of energy already present in a vessel’s operating environment. Through this approval in principle, Bureau Veritas is supporting the project with an early assessment of its technical and safety considerations and helping establish the basis for its next stages of development.”
Olivier Giusti, CTO and co-founder, Bluefins, added: “The approval in principle is an important milestone for WaveDrive. After several years of engineering, modelling and full-scale testing at sea, it provides an important foundation as we move into detailed engineering and vessel integration. Working closely with Bureau Veritas helps us address the technical and safety requirements of integrating a new propulsion system on large commercial vessels, as we prepare our first deployments.”
Image: BV presents AiP certificate to Bluefins (source: Bureau Veritas)
