Estimation of ship speed loss and associated CO2 emissions in a seaway

A reliable prediction of attainable ship speed at actual seas is essential from economical and environmental aspects. A methodology for estimating the attainable speed in moderate and severe sea is proposed. The irregular sea is handled as a series of regular waves with different amplitudes and frequencies. The added resistance in regular waves is obtained by either a direct pressure integration method or an asymptotic small wavelength formula. The in-and-out-of-water-effect and ventilation of a propeller in severe seas is accounted for by a quasi-steady averaging of experimental data for different propeller submergences. The propulsion results for regular waves are used in simulating results in irregular waves. It is shown that for higher sea states this effect has much more influence on the speed loss than the added resistance in waves. The speed loss is calculated by taking into account the engine and propeller performance in actual seas as well as the mass inertia of the ship. The attainable ship speed is obtained as time series. Correlation of speed loss with sea states allows predictions of propulsive performance in actual seas. The expected CO2 emission for a containorship is estimated for the Northern route of North Atlantic. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.