Irish Ferries to study passive air lube system

These openings direct system water through branch lines to venturis and injectors that then passively delivers an optimal air/water mix (rather than simply air) for highly efficient hull lubrication.

The first phase of the project will focus on putting together the front-end design, engineering and integration feasibility work as well as obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals for the RoPax ferry W.B. Yeats.

The W.B. Yeats is the latest newbuild in the Irish Ferries fleet and can accommodate 1,885 passengers and crew, with 435 cabins and with capacity for 150 freight vehicles, or up to 1,220 cars. 

By eliminating the requirement to continually run compressors during operation, Armada Technologies expects the solution to be highly competitive compared with other systems.

The PALS system uses a small number of low energy pumps and blowers to deliver greater system control and drag reduction optimisation that the company claims is better aligned to the vessel’s prevailing speed, draft and weather conditions.

Andrew Sheen, Managing Director of Irish Ferries commented, ‘Our company strategy has long been to deliver “a safe, reliable, timely, good value and high-quality experience for all our customers in a way that minimises our impact on the environment”. This continuous focus on environmental improvements was what initially brought us into discussions with Armada. In the end, we believe that PALS could offer us the ability to make a real difference environmentally as well as the potential of offering a significant reduction in fuel consumption for our fleet of ships’.