These are very big ships making very long trips.
From Bloomberg via gCaptain:
Tiny bubbles are the latest hope for bringing down fuel costs and emissions along the more than 13,000-nautical mile journey from Brazilian iron ore mines to steel mills in China.
Vale SA, the world’s second-largest shipper of iron ore, is testing a technique in which compressors send air to devices under vessels, forming a carpet of bubbles that reduces friction between the hull and the water. The first ore carrier equipped with the air lubrication system is scheduled to arrive in Brazilian waters in August, en route from China.
Also Read: NYK Finds Air Bubbles Significantly Reduce Ship Resistance [REPORT]
The Rio de Janeiro-based company, whose mines are much further from Asian mills than those in Australia, is looking to bring down costs and close a trading discount with its main rivals, Rio Tinto Group and BHP Group. At the same time, it’s stepping up environmental, social and governance efforts after recent tailings dam disasters and as the world tries to cut global-warming gases. Vale’s maritime ore transport churns out 18 million tons of carbon emissions a year.
Designed by UK-based Silverstream Technologies, the air lubrication system is expected to reduce fuel use by at least 5-8%, with a potential reduction in emissions of 4.4%, or 860,000 tons of CO2 per vessel, said Rodrigo Bermelho, technical manager of shipping at Vale....
....MUCH MORE
The press release (linked above) from Vale:
Vale receives the world's first ore carrier that produces air bubbles in the hull to reduce emissions
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Ten compressors placed on the deck inject air on twenty devices installed on the bottom hull to create the bubble carpet
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The technology, known
as air lubrication, was installed in the Sea Victoria, a Guaibamax with a
capacity of 325 thousand [metric tons]
.....MUCH MORE
If interested 2018's "Shipping: The Monster Iron Ore Carriers And Why The Baltic Dry Index Ain't What It Used To Be" has a discussion of the even larger ValeMax class, 400,000 metric tons
