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DK Group, a leading marine innovation company, has today announced its entry into the Danish Green Ship of the Future project.

The project was initially established in April 2008 by industry leaders MAN Diesel, Aalborg Industries, A. P. Møller - Mærsk A/S and Odense Steelshipyard with the primary objective of demonstrating and developing green ships, with significant emissions reductions.

DK Group brings substantial knowledge in the field of hull optimization to the project and also contributes with what the company calls its "ground-breaking Air Cavity System (ACS) technology".

The patented ACS technology injects air into specially designed hulls, which is said to reduce the frictional resistance of the hull surface against the water. A layer of air is generated between the hull and the water, allowing the vessel to effectively ‘glide’ through the water, thus reducing hydrodynamic resistance.

According to DK Group, the ACS technology is able to provide up to a 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption over any other known comparable vessel whilst simultaneously enabling a 15 percent reduction in the vessel's CO2 emission. DK Group estimates that ship owners would recoup the cost of installing the ACS in between two to five years depending on the vessel type.

Commenting on the technology, DK Group said "Following seven years of development and years of tank testing, ACS has demonstrated it can reduce carbon emissions for the shipping industry by up to 15 percent, as well as saving ship owners between US$0.5 million and US$3 million per year in bunker fuel costs."

Rotterdam-based DK Group has just concluded full-scale sea trials on the 2,550 deadweight tonne (dwt), 83-metre MPV, ACS Demonstrator [pictured]. The trials have been conducted in association with FORCE Technology and classification society Germanischer Lloyd. The results are due to be published shortly.

DK Group enters the Green Ship of the Future project in partnership with three other companies: FORCE Technology, Germanischer Lloyd and Lyngsø Marine.

FORCE Technology has worked as hydrodynamic consultant on the comprehensive model testing and sea trials programme, Germanischer Lloyd has endorsed ACS technology with the official Germanischer Lloyd systems certification and Lyngsø Marine has provided advanced monitoring and control systems for the ACS Demonstrator.

Speaking about DK Group's participation in the eco-project, Christian Eyde Møller, DK Group Chief Executive said “Entering the Green Ship of the Future project is an important step for DK Group. We bring substantial knowledge in the field of hull optimization to the project, but we also believe that the ACS technology must be implemented alongside complementary hull optimization technologies as well as other emission reducing and energy optimizing technologies.

The technologies included in Green Ship of the Future project doesn’t only have the potential to significantly reduce emissions from the global shipping industry, but can save ship owners tens of millions of dollars in fuel savings over the course of a vessel’s lifetime. The project is an opportunity for the shipping industry to lead the charge in limiting climate change on a global basis.”

Thomas Eefsen, M.Sc Naval Architect and project manager for FORCE Technology added “Having worked closely with DK Group for years we have witnessed the company’s commitment to marine technology development. The level of commitment is demonstrated by DK Groups ACS Demonstrator project and we are pleased to see DK Group joining The Green Ship of the Future project as we believe the company can make a significant contribution to future vessel development.”