Silverstream Technologies' Air Lubrication System Exceeds 160 Vessel Installations Worldwide
Key Takeaways
- •Silverstream Technologies now has 164 vessels operating with its air lubrication system installed across the global fleet.
- •The Silverstream System generates microbubbles beneath a ship's hull to reduce frictional drag, achieving net fuel and emissions savings of up to 10 percent depending on vessel type and operating conditions.
- •The technology has been deployed across diverse vessel categories including cruise ships, container ships, LNG carriers, Ro-Ro and RoPax vessels, and pure car and truck carriers.
- •The system can be applied to both newbuild vessels and retrofitted to existing ships during scheduled dry-docking periods.
- •Adoption of air lubrication and similar energy-saving technologies is being driven by increasingly stringent maritime regulations, including the IMO's revised greenhouse gas reduction strategy and the EU Emissions Trading System covering shipping from January 2024.
Silverstream Technologies has surpassed 160 installations of its fuel-saving air lubrication system, with 164 vessels now equipped with the technology in operation across the global fleet.
The company confirmed the milestone in an emailed update, noting that recent deliveries of the Grande Oriente for Grimaldi Group and the Arctic Tern for Wallenius Wilhelmsen pushed the installed base to 164 vessels.
The Silverstream System works by generating a layer of microbubbles beneath a ship's hull, reducing frictional drag between the vessel and the water. This reduction in drag lowers bunker fuel consumption and, correspondingly, cuts emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Silverstream has reported that the system can deliver net fuel and emissions savings of up to 10 percent, depending on vessel type and operating conditions.
Since its first commercial deployment, the system has been installed across a diverse range of vessel types, including cruise ships, container ships, LNG carriers, Ro-Ro and RoPax vessels, and pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs).
Air lubrication is one of several energy-saving technologies being adopted by the maritime industry as shipowners seek to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, including the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) greenhouse gas reduction strategy, which was revised in July 2023 to target net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050, with indicative checkpoints calling for reductions of at least 20 percent by 2030 and at least 70 percent by 2040 compared to 2008 levels. The regulatory landscape also now includes the IMO's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), both in effect since 2023, as well as the inclusion of maritime emissions in the EU Emissions Trading System from January 2024.
"Shipowners increasingly look for solutions that can provide a hedge against rising fuel costs by reducing fuel consumption and emissions immediately," said Noah Silberschmidt, CEO and founder of Silverstream Technologies.
"The growth of our installed fleet shows that air lubrication is a trusted and proven part of future-proofing strategies," Silberschmidt added.
The company's technology has been ordered or installed by several major shipping companies, and it can be fitted both on newbuild vessels and retrofitted to existing ships during scheduled dry-docking.