Silverstream Technologies, a pioneer in green technology, has successfully completed trials on the Methane Patricia Camila LNG carrier of its retrofitted air lubrication system. After testing at various speeds, engineers determined the system delivered fuel savings of 6.6%.

While this may not sound much, it can add up to significant fuel savings and emission reductions over a long shipping route. Silverstream’s system works by coating the vessel’s flat bottom with a layer of microbubbles, which acts as a lubricant and reduces friction between the hull and the water. With less resistance, less fuel needs to be consumed to maintain the same speed. The system can also be fitted to existing vessels.

Further to this, it does not necessarily require any additional downtime to fit the system. The Methane Patricia Camila, which was built in 2010, received the new system while it was at Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Shipyard for its scheduled dry dock period in October last year, with the upgrade being delivered within budget and on time.

Silverstream Technologies’ founder and CEO, Noah Silberschmidt, said that the shipping industry needed decarbonisation solutions now, adding:

“With fuel bills only set to rise in the future, owners need to invest in fuel-agnostic technologies that are proven to save costs and emissions, without impacting the flexibility or profitability of the vessel. We are proud of the role that our technology can play to solve this challenge.”

The CEO also thanked the company’s partners and colleagues at Shell for their faith in the technology.