LeanShips green project kicks off with Netherlands meeting

Damen Shipyards Group is hosting a meeting this week to kick off the European Innovation Project LeanShips, a green ship initiative, at its headquarters in Gorinchem, the Netherlands.

LeanShips, which is funded by a grant of more than $19 million from the European Research and Innovation Program HORIZON 2020, aims to demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of energy savings and emission reduction at real scale. The project will be coordinated by Damen and jointly managed by the Netherlands Maritime Technology Foundation, Germany’s Center of Maritime Technologies and Cetena, the Italian Ship Research Center.

LeanShips will practice innovations through eight demonstrator showcases that combine technologies for efficient and less-polluting vessels that still meet end-users’ requirements. Dedicated teams of equipment manufacturers from the partnership and rule makers will assure that the innovations achieve their full market potential.

The project targets small- to mid-size ships for intra-European waterborne transport, vessels for offshore operations and the leisure and cruise markets. It is estimated that LeanShips will achieve fuel savings of up to 25 percent, carbon dioxide reduction of at least 25 percent and a decrease of up to 100 percent in particulate matter and sulfur and nitrogen oxides. By participating in the project, the LeanShips partners hope to encourage more ship owners to invest in green technologies.