H2OAlliance Freight Transport and Logistics Working Group
This working group is an independent New-Tech Business Forum serving Freight Transport and Logistics industry worldwide. We invite you to join us.
Benefits
We manage projects for the shipbuilding and process industry. We serve major shipyards, offshore energy companies and steel construction for process industry worldwide.
We design, build and maintain ultra light river and inland water vessels. Our core focus is on shifting as much freight as economically viable under current market conditions from road to short sea shipping, rail and inland waterways. We design new vessels and services that significantly enhance existing ones.
Our core business is to help replace truck traffic with waterway traffic to carry out all over 50 km’s cargo transports of bulk cargoes, containers as well as liquids where applicable either by water or by rail in conformity with the sustainable development. We help decrease fuel costs per ton-kilometer; increase traffic economy; decrease environmental emissions; and decrease total construction costs. Our vessels are lighter so that the cargo capacity can be increased without effecting the draught.
We are a catalyst for change the way non-road freight transport is currently conducted. We overcome structural market barriers in freight transport through a highly innovative concept which represents a real break-through. We shift freight from long road distances to a combination of short sea shipping and other modes of transport.
Our solutions are innovative in terms of logistics, equipment, products and services. We integrate transport into production logistics to reduce freight transport demand by road, with a direct impact on emissions.
Our innovative solutions shall not adversely affect production output or workforce. We enhance knowledge and boost transfer of new-technology in the freight logistics sector and foster advanced methods of co-operation in the freight market. Our collaboration actively encourage the sharing of knowledge and know-how within the sector.
Working Groups
Climate Change
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Vessel Mooring Systems
Similar systems are being used in dredgers etc. and working barges. The system is accurate and suitable for shallow water where the bottom is appropriate. The system is not usual in cargo vessels that normally are moored to quayside and in special cases on anchors. When moored on anchor vessels move as far as allowed by the anchor line and such a mooring system could not keep this vessel on spot the way that is necessary for the loading system. Due to this fact the bottom mooring system of the vessel is an innovative application and, in conditions with small wave and other such load, probably a functional solution.
Lock system
In locks our vessel is moored on the walls of the lock chamber in order to prevent its horizontal movements during water flow, which could cause damages. For this purpose the vessel is provided with remote controlled friction prevention equipment that locks the vessel in place but allows the vertical movement of the vessel by changing water level. The usage of the system decreases vessel personnel’s time spent in the space between vessel side and chamber wall. This semi-automatic system represents new innovative thinking aiming at quicker action and better personal safety.
Pneumatic Loading and Unloading System
The system as such does not represent a new innovation but its application in the proposed transportation system, in which materials such as wood chips and peat are loaded from shore without loading equipment and constructions, is a new innovative action.
LNG fuel system
Decreasing vessel engines’ emissions into atmosphere by using natural gas as fuel has been studied for years and also practical tests have been made. The solution increases emissions but special arrangements are required on the vessel. Also the fuel supply system is just being developed. This is not a new innovation as such but the application on a Finnish cargo vessel is. A drawback is that an LNG solution requires more space than conventional diesel machinery eating up efficient cargo space.
Maximization of the Usage of Light Weight Components and 30-50% Economy in Weight
One of the goals of the design of a cargo vessel is the minimization of the vessel’s own weight. Especially the own weight of fast vessels traveling in open water causes noticeable rise of operation costs and in fast vessels the construction materials resemble those used in aeroplanes. Superstructures of the ice-going vessel, such as cargo hold hatches, cost-efficient light weight materials are used especially in inland waters. The hull of the vessel in question was designed to be made of steel due to ice loads, which leads to the conclusion that it is unrealistic that 30-50 % of the vessel’s own weight could be saved. The construction of the superstructure of the cargo hold from special materials would decrease the vessel’s weight by approx. 5 %.
Transportation System in Conformance with the Sustainable Development
In accordance with EU’s common view cargo transportation should be transferred from road to water especially because environmental emissions of water transport per ton-kilometer are smaller than road transport’s. The LNG system sketched for this vessel concept also decreases the amount of emissions. The LNG solution requires a new regional infrastructure (gas supply) and will make the use of LNG possible also in other vessels.
Innovative Step
In the ”Innovative Step” a barge transportation has been taken as a reference. Lappeenranta University of Technology has in the research report EN B-177 of September, 2008, compared the barge transportation concept of wood-based energy sources with truck transportation in the Lake Saimaa water system. The conclusion was that with a transportation distance exceeding 100 km transportation by water is cheaper. The water transportation equipment studies was a conventional tug/ barge and push tug/ barge combination. An actual study of a self-sustained vessel concept was not carried out. Instead it is stated in the report that: ”It is not justified to use expensive special vessels for the transportation of cheap wood-based energy sources and the equipment should be as economical as possible”. In the report in question it is also stated that: ”No preconditions for winter traffic with the equipment studied were found due to the fact that ice breaking leads to less speed and more costs for the bigger vessel (push tug)”. This Statement isn’t aimed at going into the macroeconomic details of the different concepts but it can be stated that the concept in hand will make it possible to provide all-year traffic as the vessel is capable to move self-sufficiently in all expected ice conditions of the Lake Päijänne water system. Also the fact that the loading equipment is being transported aboard makes it possible not to have any actual harbor and loading equipment infrastructure.
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