Air lubrication adoption accelerates

To date, 164 vessels have been equipped with the Silverstream System following deliveries of Grimaldi Group’s Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) Grande Oriente in June and Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s PCTC Arctic Tern in July. 

“Shipowners increasingly look for solutions that can provide a hedge against rising fuel costs by reducing fuel consumption and emissions immediately,” said Noah Silberschmidt, founder and CEO of Silverstream.

”The growth of our installed fleet shows that air lubrication is a trusted and proven part of future-proofing strategies.”

Increased uptake

Silverstream said that the milestone reflects increased uptake of air lubrication as shipowners seek proven technologies to reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions and improve operational performance across commercial fleets.

Since its first commercial deployment, the Silverstream System has been installed on a broad range of vessel types, including cruise ships, container vessels, LNG carriers, Ro-Ro and RoPax vessels, as well as PCTCs.

The Silverstream System reduces frictional resistance between the water and the hull surface, verifiably reducing net fuel consumption and associated emissions. 

These latest installations continue Silverstream’s long-term collaboration with Grimaldi Group, which has deployed the technology across multiple newbuilding programmes as part of its strategy to develop a more efficient and sustainable fleet.