Eco-warrior fights for ‘green’ propulsion

The 58m LOA Rainbow Warrior III will be the successor of the present Greenpeace flagship ‘Rainbow Warrior II’. As an international environmental organisation that works to bring about a sustainable balance between humankind and the environment, by means of research, consultation and actions, Greenpeace wants its new flagship to be the ultimate example of sustainability.

The ship therefore has a ’green’ design, is constructed from environmentally friendly materials, is equipped with ‘green’ technology and is characterised by the recycling of energy and water. The design is based on an extensive sustainability study. Preliminary tests were carried out at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and in a wind tunnel operated by Wolfson Unit Southampton UK.

Rainbow Warrior III will be fully equipped with sails but Imtech Marine Group will be handling the engineering and a number of ‘green’ technical solutions, including the energy-efficient electrical propulsion, which results in considerable energy savings and substantially lower carbon emissions compared to a conventional propulsion system. This technology will only be used when there is not enough wind to sail. The emitted residual heat will be used to heat the water system.

The intelligent integration of all electrical and electronic systems on board allows for additional energy savings. An important role has been assigned to the sustainable platform automation and the intelligent energy distribution system, which will be installed by Imtech. In addition, Imtech will provide the ship, which has been fitted with a helicopter platform, a conference room for 50 people and a ‘campaign office’, with the most up to date navigation and communications technology.

In the US, Imtech Marine Group is involved in the engineering of an ecological tour boat that sails on a combination of solar energy and sustainable electric propulsion. Together with Feadship (designer and builder of luxury yachts) and engine manufacturer MTU, Imtech is working on a study of the options to realise ‘green’ luxury (mega) yachts. This study is supported by SenterNovem (an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs specialising in sustainability and innovation) and the Dutch research institutes TNO and MARIN.

Imtech is also responsible for the engineering and implementation of the electric propulsion on board the futuristic solar cell vessel ‘Solar Planet’.This ship features thousands of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity, which is used to drive a quiet and clean electric engine that handles propulsion. Solar Planet is scheduled make the first voyage around the world powered by solar energy this year.