The South Korean shipyard K Shipbuilding (KSB) and Alfa Laval, the manufacturer of the OceanGlide air lubrication system, have signed a letter of intent.
The memorandum of understanding aims to introduce the OceanGlide air lubrication system to potential KSB tanker newbuilding projects.
With this agreement, KSB wants to utilise the advantages of OceanGlide to achieve its goal of improving the energy efficiency and performance of ships. To this end, OceanGlide air lubrication technology is intended to reduce frictional resistance while underway. At the same time, propulsion performance is to be improved by up to 12%. According to Alfa Laval, this results in lower fuel consumption, reduced CO2 emissions and improved compliance with EEDI, EEXI and CII.
“We are proud to work with KBS as our business partner in Korea. This agreement is a sign of the market’s growing trust in Alfa Laval as a reliable partner. It also underlines the recognition of our innovative and efficient solutions,” says Rajiv Sarin, Head of Air Lubrication, Alfa Laval.
“OceanGlide is an innovative solution that helps improve the efficiency of ship operations and we expect it to fit well with our goals of designing and building competitive ships,” adds Tae-Hyun Koh, CTO, K Shipbuilding.