Photo: Damen
Maritime transportation and commercial aviation are both notoriously harder to decarbonize than other sectors. One of the fastest ways to get there is by upgrading existing vessels and aircraft with green features instead of designing and building new models from scratch.
The Damen CF 3850 is one of the most reputable and trusted vessels in the cargo industry worldwide. Known for always being a step ahead in terms of innovations, the giant shipbuilder Damen is determined to take this model to the next level by equipping it for lower-emission operations. And it's already happening.
Gerdes Green, one of Damen's clients, recently received significant funding from the German government that will help it add the first two climate-effective ships to its fleet. These are two units of the new CH 3850 Hybrid, an improved version of the classic Combi Freighter (CF) with a focus on clean operations.
Damen developed this hybrid version together with Gerdes Green and Cargill, a charter operator that has participated in other green maritime projects as well. The new ship doesn't boast just one innovative technology but several ones, making it one of the most complex hybrid cargo ships.
Damen calls the CF 3850 an "iconic" vessel and has recently improved its design with the help of the latest technologies, including computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The current model now claims to have a much lower resistance to the water, which contributes to the overall efficiency. The hybrid version will use multiple options for green sailing.
The main one is a battery-driven electric propulsion system. The freighter will be able to switch to fully electric operations during short periods of time. This would be particularly useful when cruising through populated areas and closer to ports, which are some of the main areas targeted for lower emission levels in the future.
When cruising in standard mode, the hybrid ship will run on B100 biodiesel instead of conventional fuel, which will also contribute to lower levels of CO2 emissions.
Thirdly, the hybrid vessel will also be fitted with a modern sailing system. This wing-shaped structure developed by Econowind is based on "foldable ventofoils," and it's designed to help freighters with additional propulsion force. This way, their reliance on conventional engines and fuels is further reduced.
Last but not least, the new CF 3850 will also be able to connect to on-shore electric systems, which will allow it to drop emissions completely when docked in ports.
In addition to these green features aimed at lowering emission levels, the freighter will also feature state-of-the-art technology on board. Damen has developed a remote monitoring platform that provides real-time feedback on the performance of all systems on board.
The first Hybrid CF 3850 that will be part of Gerdes Green's fleet is already under construction.
Gerdes Green, one of Damen's clients, recently received significant funding from the German government that will help it add the first two climate-effective ships to its fleet. These are two units of the new CH 3850 Hybrid, an improved version of the classic Combi Freighter (CF) with a focus on clean operations.
Damen developed this hybrid version together with Gerdes Green and Cargill, a charter operator that has participated in other green maritime projects as well. The new ship doesn't boast just one innovative technology but several ones, making it one of the most complex hybrid cargo ships.
Damen calls the CF 3850 an "iconic" vessel and has recently improved its design with the help of the latest technologies, including computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The current model now claims to have a much lower resistance to the water, which contributes to the overall efficiency. The hybrid version will use multiple options for green sailing.
The main one is a battery-driven electric propulsion system. The freighter will be able to switch to fully electric operations during short periods of time. This would be particularly useful when cruising through populated areas and closer to ports, which are some of the main areas targeted for lower emission levels in the future.
When cruising in standard mode, the hybrid ship will run on B100 biodiesel instead of conventional fuel, which will also contribute to lower levels of CO2 emissions.
Thirdly, the hybrid vessel will also be fitted with a modern sailing system. This wing-shaped structure developed by Econowind is based on "foldable ventofoils," and it's designed to help freighters with additional propulsion force. This way, their reliance on conventional engines and fuels is further reduced.
Last but not least, the new CF 3850 will also be able to connect to on-shore electric systems, which will allow it to drop emissions completely when docked in ports.
In addition to these green features aimed at lowering emission levels, the freighter will also feature state-of-the-art technology on board. Damen has developed a remote monitoring platform that provides real-time feedback on the performance of all systems on board.
The first Hybrid CF 3850 that will be part of Gerdes Green's fleet is already under construction.
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