Dutch company Blue Wasp Marine’s Pelican performance prediction software for wind-assisted ships has been awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) from classification society RINA.
Pelican is thus believed to be the first software of its kind to have received class recognition. The product of over ten years of PhD research, Pelican is able to simulate the performance of a ship equipped with wind propulsion technologies using specific wind conditions and sea states. Pelican features a built-in force module for both aero- and hydrodynamics. With this, performance predictions can be obtained without recourse to CFD or model testing for supporting the decision-making process during the design phase of the ship.
The software draws on a database of wind propulsion systems comprising Flettner rotors, wingsails, turbosails and kite sails. Combining this with a dataset of over 1,500 simulation results of 60 hull variants, representing a broad range of commercial vessel types, Pelican informs investment and design-related decision-making with regards to installation of wind assisted propulsion. It can be used to generate dedicated vessel models for weather routing and voyage optimisation applications
The software was developed by Blue Wasp Marine, a team of marine engineers with interests in both sailing and green technology. Founded in 2021, Blue Wasp Marine’s mission is to help decarbonise the shipping industry.
Blue Wasp Marine Co-Founder Giovanni Bordogna said: “We are delighted to have received this AiP. This is an important milestone for us. We have been working on the development of Pelican for many years, including during our PhD research and it’s very satisfying to see those efforts paying off in this way. The recognition that Pelican has received from RINA will enable us to better serve our clients and paves the way for increased maritime sustainability.”
Patrizio Di Francesco, RINA Special Projects Manager said, “We are very pleased to validate the Pelican performance prediction software according to the newly published WAPS regulations and the IMO instruments. It has the ability to predict the decrease in fuel consumption and emissions based on the specific operational profile of the ship under investigation and to compare the different WAPS configurations to obtain the optimum one. Innovations such as Pelican are fundamental for enhancing digital solutions in the maritime sector, assisting all stakeholders in the navigation through the unexplored waters of decarbonisation.”
Image: Pelican logo (source: Blue Wasp Marine)
