Zero-Emission Autonomous Boxship Design Wins Lloyd's Register Approval

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday November 29, 2022

Classification society Lloyd's Register has given its initial approval to a design for a small zero-emission and autonomous container ship.

The firm has granted approval in principle to ZULU Associates and Anglo Belgian Shipping Company for the design, it said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.

The design is for a 100m short-sea 200 TEU container ship with a 650 kW electrical propulsion motor which could be powered either by a hydrogen-, ammonia- or methanol-fuelled engine, a fuel cell running on any of these fuels or a battery. The ship would be capable of running autonomously in the English Channel and North Sea.

"The ZULU Mass design developed by ZULU Associates is a crucial milestone for autonomous shipping in both Europe and across the globe," Mike Holliday, UK and Ireland area manager at Lloyd's Register, said in the statement.

"LR is delighted to have granted Approval in Principle for this design, which has the potential to use a number of alternative propulsion technologies and helps to underline our credentials as an organisation dedicated to driving forward digitalisation and decarbonisation in the maritime industry."