Past winners
2010 Orcelle Grant Winner
Mr. Marcello Segato of Milan-based Seagate Commercial Marine is developing collapsible delta sail technology to harness wind power for large commercial ships. In 2011, a demonstration system is scheduled to be installed on a small vessel, a key milestone towards market-readiness. |
Marcello Segato explains his Seagate collapsible sail system. |
2009: Innovation takes time and money.
Orcelle Grants support fin propulsion research.Peter Waud has been awarded an Orcelle Grant from Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. Summing up his experience so far, he says: "To find new and innovative solutions to problems you need plenty of time, adequate and a whole lot of curiosity!"
Started with watching penguins
Waud recalls an experience when he took his son to a zoo 20 years ago. "As we watched these elegant creatures in the water, I wondered how it was possible for them to propel themselves so effortlessly. Their movements were like a study in efficiency."At this point he decided to study fish and sea life to learn more about how they move.
As he began his research project, he discovered that many marine species had amazingly effective and efficient swimming ability. During the next ten years he developed his theories on propulsion, based on what he had first learned from the humble penguin. Eventually he was able to make a fin-propelled model boat.
"I had spent a decade trying to find a practical, viable and scalable design that could be adapted to real vessels; not just model ships on a pond. The first prototype was admittedly simple," he explains and continues. "By applying what I had learned about propulsion mechanics full scale, I also discovered that it would be possible to reduce fuel consumption considerably. We had a means of propulsion that, like biological propulsion, does no harm to the environment. At the same time, emissions would be significantly lower. The result was an environmentally-sound propulsion system."
The research takes a new turn
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics presented the Orcelle model at the World Expo in Japan in 2005. This event marked a new turn for Mr. Waud's research. He was inspired by WWL's concept vessel designed to operate solely on wind, solar and wave energy. He then contacted the designers at Wilhelmsen Marine Consulting to discuss his ideas. "Three years later, when Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics won the International Thor Heyerdal award for its environmental achievements and started providing Orcelle Grants, I applied for and was fortunate enough to be given a grant to continue develop my project."The grant will make it possible for Peter Waud to secure a proper testing environment for his model in conjunction with a university in Perth, Australia.
"With the financial assistance I received from the fund I will be able to carry out a thorough scientific evaluation of the concept, produce the necessary technical details and prove that my idea is commercially viable," concludes Peter Waud.
2008: The First Grant
WWL’s Orcelle Grants support the development of alternative energy initiatives aimed at making shipping more sustainable. In 2008, the first grant was awarded to a project aimed at making shipping carbon negative.Marine power systems that actually remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere are a futuristic vision. But if two Swedish engineers succeed with their Carbon Negative Transportation System, it will effectively render ocean transportation carbon negative.
This worthy project may contribute to building full-scale commercial systems that could potentially replace fossil fuel-powered systems and eliminate the carbon emissions that result from their use. A classic example of starting small, but thinking big.
With more stringent emission regulations and higher demand for fuel efficiency, inventing new power systems that drastically reduce CO2 emission can be a positive step towards more sustainable shipping.
First awarded in 2007, the Orcelle Grants were established using the award money that Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics received as the 2007 recipient of the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award.