WAVE PROPULSION PILOT FOR FAEROESE FERRY

摘要

A Faroe Islands ferry will soon be using experimental underwater wings to help it generate additional forward propulsion in rough water. The wavefoils on the front of the ship enable the waves to contribute to propelling the ship forward. This reduces fuel consumption. At the same time, the foils can dampen some of the pitching and heaving motion from the waves and provide a more comfortable journey. The design has been developed by Eirik Bockmann, who won the regional finals of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Researchers' Grand Prix with a lecture on wave-propelled ships in 2013. The wavefoils are predicted to save about 4 per cent in fuel costs along the coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes, which snakes its way between sheltered islands. But where there are more waves, savings of up to 15 per cent may be possible under ideal conditions. The rougher the waters, the greater the potential savings, in other words.