• LNG fuelled AIDACOSMA: 183,774 LNG Fuelled Cruise ship for Carnival Maritime Gmbh as part of the Carnival XL project
• MSC SEASHORE: MSC Cruises’ first EVO Cruise ship, which paves the way for a new generation of Seaside class ships
• ECO CATANIA, ECO SAVONA, ECO LIVORNO, ECO BARCELONA Ro-Ro vessels of Grimaldi Green 5th Generation Class for GRIMALDI GROUP S.P.A.
• SILVER DAWN Silversea Luxury Cruise ship
• VULCANO 194m auxiliary ship for the Italian Navy
• LEONARDO DA VINCI Prysmian Cavi e Sistemi Italia SRL Cable laying ship

RINA’s current orderbook stands at 4 million GT.

A fully approved ship design and the first that can operate in a zero-emission mode

A very interesting project this year was the Fincantieri’s experimental ship ZEUS (Zero Emissions Ultimate Ship), a ship using hydrogen fuel cells to feed the electric motors for the propulsion. The hydrogen is stored in 8 metal hydrides bottles; the ship has a hybrid propulsion arrangement, as the fuel cells are complemented by 2 diesel generators.

A doable, scalable and modular solution towards a low air emission shipping

RINA Marine, together with some primary industrial partners, developed a  modular and scalable solution to fully meet IMO 2050 targets, using available and proven technology. The process uses steam methane reforming to produce hydrogen directly onboard the vessel, which can be used to power fuel cells or in a fuel mix with LNG in internal combustion engines. The solution requires no bunkering or storage of hydrogen. The CO2 produced from the process can be liquefied from the cryogenic stream of LNG before it enters the reformer, drained and stored in a separate tank to be used as inert gas or delivered onshore to produce synthetic methane. This exciting solution to decarbonizing shipping triggers a recycling economy, whereby the synthetic methane is supplied as fuel to ships.

Reducing carbon emissions today

RINA tested the use of biofuels as part of a joint industry project with good results. The project, which started in June 2021, tested biofuel blend (B30) derived from renewable feedstock to power a d’Amico Group LR1 product tanker and resulted in positive findings in terms of reduced CO2 emissions, reduced carbon intensity, and stable NOx emissions.

Sustainable RO-RO vessel

An in-depth study with Grimaldi Group into the effects of a Silverstream air lubrication solution to reduce hydrodynamic resistance for the ECO Valencia, a sustainable RO-RO vessel.

Future fuels for oil-chemical tankers

In 2021, RINA established cooperation with Marine Engineering Services (MES) for three innovative Oil-Chemical tanker solutions: a Methanol Chemical Bunker Tanker Vessel, an Oil-Chemical Tanker LNG-DF Ammonia-Ready and an Oil-Chemical Tanker LNG-DF LPG-Ready.

Hydrogen fuel cell energy production

The three-year B-ZERO project in Italy is an innovative yacht fitted with a hydrogen fuel cell energy production system. The yacht design provides a pathway towards decarbonization and uses a broad range of RINA’s expertise in fuel cells, hydrogen storage, methanol, ammonia and electrolysers.

Increasing propulsion efficiency

In a project which ran from July to September 2021, RINA provided third party verification of the real effectiveness of an Air Lubrication System (ALS) installed on board a vessel. RINA assessed the results obtained, comparing the ship’s performance with and without the ALS solution engaged. The study proved the real value of ALS in improving energy efficiency.

Optimising fleet performance

In an ongoing project, which commenced in 2014, RINA continued to implement its OPTIMUM fleet optimisation solution on more than 370 MSC vessels to track and monitor their performance. MSC Shipmanagement Limited uses geofencing capabilities, rule engines and alerting systems to monitor all aspects of the vessels, including complex systems such as scrubbers, in real-time through dedicated dashboards. Advanced analytics are used to understand the impact of retrofitting interventions. OPTIMUM builds the hydrodynamic digital twins of the vessels to enable understanding of performance and monitoring over time. Powerful analytics are used to support onshore decision making and monitor decarbonization related indexes, such as CII.

Enhanced regulatory compliance and insights into ship performance

In an ongoing project that started in 2019, RINA is implementing its ELB solution on more than 30 vessels. With this tool, d’Amico is digitalizing its onboard logbooks and enabling remote verification of entries. The system reduces reporting human errors, provides ECP and MARPOL compliance monitoring, checks data consistency, enables onshore monitoring and control of fleet operations, and ensures good communication between offices and vessels. ELB reduces paperwork but also provides statistics about the production of bilge in relation to steaming days and the trade pattern of the vessel. It further provides information about sludge production in relation to the quality of bunker and the sludging time of purifies to check the regular use of the OWS and incinerator.

First LNG powered ROPAX ferry project with SOLAS compliance

Starting in March 2021 and scheduled to run until March 2023, RINA is supervising and certifying construction of an LNG-powered ROPAX ferry for Sefine in Turkey. This innovative vessel will provide an environmentally friendly profile with fuel and energy saving solutions.

• 1 x Cruise Ship (142k GT) at CSSC - SWS for Carnival Group
• 6 x Ro-Ro (90k GT each) at HMD for Grimaldi
• 2 x (2nd Class) Oil Tanker (86k GT each) at New Times for Dynacom Tankers
• 2 x Ro-Ro Pax (47k GT each) at GSI for Grandi Navi Veloci

Emission-free port operation

RINA is supervising the construction of two 65,000 GT Ro-Ro Pax vessels for Finnlines at the Chine Merchants Jinling shipyard. The 225-meter-long vessels have the capacity for 1,100 passengers and are being fitted with onshore power supply technology to enable emission-free operation while in port.

Flexible power management

A project for plan approval and survey during construction of the Prysmian cable laying ship, Leonardo da Vinci, at VARD shipyards in Romania and Norway, was completed in July 2021. The vessels include battery power installation and 3rd level dynamic position segregation with closed bus tie. This provides maximum flexibility in terms of power management and enables Prysmian to implement fuel saving operational conditions that were previously impossible to achieve.

Inventory and inspection of ATEX equipment

RINA is providing inventory and inspection of the electrical apparatus installed in the hazardous areas of dual fuel ships for Carnival. Activities include review and gap analysis of the inventory made by the client and shipyard and inspection of all equipment and systems to ensure electrical installations are safe on board the gas-fuelled ships. Inspection is required by the IEC Standard 60079, which is recalled into the IGF code.

Support for tender preparation and technical provider selection

RINA’s Marine Consulting division is providing technical support for the tender preparation relating to statutory and class matters for the conversion of vessel to an FSRU in Porto Vesme, Italy. The project addresses the application of International Rules, Flag Administration Rules and Class Rules for the intended unit and includes the relevant scoring criteria for bidder evaluation. RINA is also participating as a consultant as part of the bid evaluation team.

Classification calculation for whole fleet

This project covers the classification, documenting of compliance, ISM ISPS MLC, and EEXI calculation for the whole of Dole’s Refrigerated Cargo fleet, which equates to 261,326 GT globally and provides exclusive maritime transportation for Dole Fresh Fruit Co., and Dole Ocean Cargo Express, its commercial cargo subsidiary.

Largest cruise ship ever built in China

Starting in 2021 and due for completion in 2025, RINA is providing drawing approval and construction supervision services for the largest cruise vessel ever to built in China. The luxury vessel will hold up to 6539 passengers and its complex construction requires both compliance with rules and a very high market standard. RINA is providing engineering, passenger ship experts, senior plan approval engineers and expert surveyors with in-depth experience in passenger ships at the shipyard, located in Shanghai, China. RINA will provide reliable experience, expertise and support to ensure the success of this project.

Luxury ro-pax ships that will become the benchmark for this sector

In a project that runs from 2021 to 2024, RINA is providing drawing approval and supervision services during the construction of a new standard in luxury ro-pax vessels for GNV MSC being constructed at Guangzhou International Shipyard. The vessels will be constructed to a very high standard and RINA is providing engineering, ro-ro passenger experts, senior plan approval engineers and expert surveyors with in-depth experience in passenger ships, deployed at the shipyard. RINA will provide reliable experience, expertise and support to ensure the success of this project.

Strength in the naval sector

RINA continues to show its strength in the naval sector. 2021 saw the completion of the Logisitic Support Ship (LSS), “Nave Vulcano”, the first ship delivered within the Italian Navy “Legge Navale” program. RINA issued class and statutory MARPOL certificates as well certificates for compliance with NAV70 standards for pressure vessels and lifting appliances. The corvette “Al Zubarah” as part of the construction program of the Qatari Navy.

RINA is also involved in the certification of underwater vessels, including two midget submarines under construction at M23 and a submarine rescue system for the Italian Navy, built by DRASS and SAIPEM.  It has further started construction survey activities on two new Multi Mission Frigates (FREM) for the Italian Navy, which are scheduled to replace two frigates delivered to the Egyptian Navy.

Strong growth in yachting fleet

2021 saw strong growth in RINA’s global yachting fleet, from both existing yachts and new builds, some of which were a remarkable size. By the end of the year, RINA’s classed fleet of yachts stands at 1,081 units and totals over 300,000 GT. Some of the largest units to enter the fleet included:

• Graceful: Chater yacht, Blohm & Voss, built 2014, flag Russia (2.685 GT)
• Ragnar: charter yacht, Niestern Sander, built 2012, flag Malta (2.272 GT)
• Polaris: NB Fratelli Rossi, delivered 2021, flag Malta (1.546 GT)

The current order book stands at 325 new projects all over the world:

• Italy (main yacht builder in the world): Azimut Benetti, Ferretti, Sanlorenzo, Palumbo, The Italian Sea Group, Fratelli Rossi, Baglietto, Overmarine, Cantiere delle Marche, Tankoa…
• Turkey: Bilgin Yatcilik, Mengi-Yay Yatcilik, Ege Yat, Numarine
• UAE: Gulf Craft
• UK: Sunseeker
• Finland: Nautor’s Swan
• Netherlands: Van Der Valk
• Spain: Astondoa
• China: Dalian Jinlong, Heysea Yachts, Liaoning Jinlong Megayacht