Silverstream signs MoU with Hyundai Marine Solution as demand continues

The Motorship talked with Silverstream’s vice president of business development Daniel Mann during Posidonia to learn more about this efficiency driving technology and the history of the company.

Silverstream’s patented Silverstream® System utilises a natural phenomenon called Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, more commonly an astronomical process occurring when the surface of a star or planet cools but is applicable to shipping as well.

“The Silverstream® System fundamentally changes the interaction between water and a vessel. It shears air from air release units (ARUs) in the hull to create a uniform carpet of microbubbles that coats the full flat bottom of a vessel. As a result, frictional resistance is decreased – dramatically reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions,” explains Mann.

This process reduces friction meaning less propulsion needed to move the ship and with that less emissions.

Silverstream is not the only provider of air lubrication systems and some have seen charges of increased vibrations and subsequently additional maintenance costs due to their use.

Mann says that because their system harnesses fluid shearing – two fluids of differing density move past each other – to create a uniform microbubble carpet key to the process, there isn’t an increase in noise and vibrations that other systems might encounter. 

“We just need enough pressure from the compressors to produce the air to overcome hydrostatic pressure, to get the air to the bottom of the ship at the right pressure,” says Mann adding the compressors might require some maintenance over time but with oil free screw compressors this should be negligible.

From idea to implementation

Silversteam had a proof of concept for some time but its first pilot installation was completed in 2014 with its first retrofit system delivered for Carnival in 2017, now a repeat customer which has since made 17 more orders.

It’s not just the cruise sector that has embraced Silverstream’s technology, MSC containers has clocked up an impressive 84 orders, Maersk 16 with increasing interest also coming from the LNG carrier market.

Mann explains the draw to the technology from virtually every part of the shipping ecosystem. “If you’ve got a fleet of ships and you want to be competitive in the market, you’ll get better rates, and you’ll get better utilisation, and charter agreements will be more favourable if you’ve got more efficient ships,” Mann says.

 While the system is not one size fits all, Silverstream’s technology is scalable with larger systems for larger ships. It can also be tailored according to the speed and draft of the ship, ranging from slower deep draft tankers to faster carriers with shallower drafts.

With Hyundai joining the growing list of partners, Silverstream reasserts its place at the top of ALS providers underlined with the opening of a new global operations centre in Southampton. With regulation causing shipowners to focus on their fleets’ emissions, the company is also in a prime position in the lucrative retrofit market.