Lloyd’s Register and Bestway Marine Engineering work on new, energy-efficient bulk carrier design Rob Almeida Total Views: 125 January 31, 2011 Over the past year or so, the IMO has come up with a calculation that gives a rough idea of the energy efficiency of a ship.  This number is essentially the measure of the ship’s carbon dioxide output, divided by it’s cargo-carrying capacity.  This Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), will likely be applied to all new conventional ship designs in the future to help promote the development of more efficient marine engines, ship designs, and best practices. This is certainly a step in the right direction, however problem areas still exist with this calculation as it may in some cases negatively impact short-run shipping operations, does not give adequate consideration to ships with special machinery requirements such as dredgers and icebreakers, and because this number is determined much more by the operational speed of a given ship, vice the actual design of the hull form.  This may result in a virtual speed limit at sea prompting supply chains to shift to a more land-based mode. (source: Wartsila presentation 24 Sep 2010 ) In keeping with the industry’s push to move forward with more efficient ship designs, Lloyd’s Register and Shanghai Bestway Marine Engineering have recently announced the completion of a joint project to develop a “trend-setting environmental bulk carrier.” Please see their press release below: ‘Emerald’ design offers a lighter and environmentally friendly ship as project exceeds fuel-saving targets Lloyd’s Register and Shanghai-based Bestway Marine Engineering Design have completed their joint-industry project to develop a trend-setting environmental bulk carrier, with results far exceeding expectations. According to the provisional data from the project, the new design for a 35,000 Dwt bulk carrier will achieve an 18% improvement in environmental efficiency over comparable previous versi