Carnival Corp. has signed an agreement with Silverstream Technologies for the installation of “Air Lubrication Systems” on Carnival’s vessels. This system will be implemented on ships across all Carnival brands and will contribute towards boosting decarbonization and reducing fuel consumption.
The Silverstream air lubrication system creates a cushion of small air bubbles around the ship’s hull and reduces friction between the ship and the surrounding water. The reduction in drag in turn leads to reduced fuel consumption. This system has already been installed on 4 of Carnival’s vessels.
Silverstream and Carnival have been working together for 6 years. Silverstream first installed the air-lubrication technology in 2016 on the AIDA Prima, a vessel owned by Carnival’s German subsidiary, AIDA. Carnival reports that the installation of this system led to a 5% reduction in fuel consumption of its vessel, Diamond Princess.
Currently five of the Carnival vessels are undergoing the installation process. Carnival also intends to get the air-lube system installed on their 10 other vessels over the next 5 years. Silverstream states that the installation of this technology does not cause any disruption to the ship’s operations and does not cause any inconvenience to passengers. Furthermore, the system is suitable for both new builds and retrofits.
Silverstream has recently received a contract from Carnival for the installation of air-lubrication technology on Carnival’s new Sphere Class ships. The first of these ships will be the Sun Princess which is to be delivered in 2024. These ships will be LNG powered and are currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.