Fincantieri's largest cruises will consume less fuel

The three largest cruisers in Fincantieri history will receive a Silverstream system that uses microbubbles air to reduce hull resistance and fuel consumption.

For Carnival Corporation, Silverstream technology is not a new solution. The system has already been installed or ordered for 18 ships belonging to different brands of the group, of which 13 are currently in operation. The combined operating time of these installations exceeded 127 thousand hours.

Each of Cruisers Ace class is expected to have a gross capacity of approximately 230 000 GT, more than 3,000 cabins and space for nearly 8,000 passengers with full use of available seats. The agreement to equip all three units with the Silverstream system was announced on 17 August.

Microbubbles air will reduce hull resistance

With ships of this size, limiting the resistance of the hull to water is of direct importance to energy consumption during navigation. In the Silverstream system, compressed air is pressed to the bottom of the hull, where during the movement of the ship it forms a layer of microbubbles reducing the resistance between water and the moistened surface of the hull.

The distribution of the components of the installation shall be selected for a specific design so that the air is distributed as evenly as possible under a flat bottom part. The solution is not used to reduce wave resistance, primarily dependent on hull shape and the speed of the ship, but to limit the friction arising during its movement in water.

According to Silverstream, depending on the type of ship and the way it is operated, the system allows to achieve between 5 and 10% of net fuel savings while reducing related emissions. However, the manufacturer has not yet provided the expected values for Cruisers Ace class.

Carnival Destiny Open a new class of cruisers

The construction of the first ship of Ace class began on 10 July that year at Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, where the first plates were cut. The entity received the name Carnival Destiny and is to be handed over to the shipowner in the summer of 2029. The transfer of two further cruisers is scheduled for 2031 and 2033.

The scheme is particularly important for the Italian shipbuilding group. Fincantieri will first build cruise ships with a gross capacity exceeding 220 thousand GT. They will also be the largest passenger ships built so far in Italy.

Trips they will receive LNG-powered engines and solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. One of them will be the system of lubricating the underwater part of the hull with air.

Silverstream also on other large ships

Using technology microbubbles air is not intended exclusively for cruisers. Similar solutions are also used on LNG, ro-ro ships, automobiles and other large commercial ships, especially where the hull design provides an extensive and relatively flat bottom surface.

Silverstream has been working with Carnival Corporation for about a decade. One of the cruisers that tested the system was Diamond Princess. According to the manufacturer, the installation used there allowed to reduce fuel consumption and related emissions by about 5%. The systems of this company have hit or are also expected to hit Excel-class ships.

For Fincantieri, the Ace program also has a symbolic dimension. First Carnival Destiny, transferred by the shipyard in Monfalcone in 1996, was the first A cruiser. in the world with a gross tonnage exceeding 100,000 GT. Three decades later, the construction of a new vessel bearing this name begins in the same plant, whose gross capacity exceeds 230 thousand GT.