All language subtitles for Engineering.Evolved.S01E04.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-BurCyg_track3_[eng]

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Since the
invention of the wheel,

humans have pushed
the boundaries

and possibilities to
go faster, higher,

and deeper than ever before.

The engineering evolution of
cars, ships, planes, trains,

submersibles and rockets has
been a monumental journey

of inspiration, innovation,
sometimes failure, and success.

So how did we get
to where we are now

and where are we going next?

[upbeat music]

Transporting massive
loads of crucial cargo

around the globe every day,

ships are essential
to our way of life.

- The world is increasingly
a global market

and shipping has become
critical to that.

- [Narrator] From Food, to
cars, to your smartphone,

chances are it traveled across
the sea on board a ship.

- Ships are an integral
part of our global economy,

moving trillions of dollars
of goods and resources.

- [Narrator] But
engineering massive vessels

to withstand the rough open seas

without sinking is no easy task.

- When you break it down,

buoyancy is just the
balance of forces

between the water
and the gravity

that's trying to
pull that ship down.

- [Narrator] And with strict
new environmental regulations

coming into effect in
the next few decades,

the race is on to
design, innovate,

and build the future
generations of ships.

Due to set sail in
just a few years

is a true masterpiece
of modern engineering.

Combining stunning design
with cutting edge technology,

the Swedish Oceanbird

is one of the most high tech
ship designs of our time.

With four towering 80
meter high rigid sails

that look more like
sleek aircraft wings,

this concept could
fuel the future

of wind powered cargo ships.

- There's a lot
of different ways

to use wind power
to move objects.

We think of old galleons
with their big square sails

or modern racing
sailboats with spinnakers

that allow you to
absorb even more wind.

- [Narrator] The Oceanbird
sails can extend telescopically

to almost 80 meters
and rotate 360 degrees

to harness the power
of the cross winds.

They can also retract to allow
passage into smaller harbors.

The project aims to
build a sailing vessel

that can transport 7,000
cars across the Atlantic

with 90% fewer emissions

than a conventional ship
running on heavy crude oil.

Tests on a scale model are
already being carried out,

and similar concepts

are perfecting mechanical
sail technology

in a different way.

- More and more
when we're thinking

about very large cargo ships,

we're thinking
about rotor sales,

and rotor sales are a
little bit different.

They don't really look
like a conventional sail.

- [Narrator]
London-based company

Anemoi Marine is focused
on sail technology,

originally known
as Flettner rotors.

These modern mechanical sails
consist of tall cylinders

that harness the renewable
power of the wind

to propel ships.

This additional thrust

significantly reduces
fuel consumption

and reduces pollutant
emissions into the atmosphere.

These innovations honor
a propulsion method

used by the very first
seafaring pioneers, wind.

- On the an Anemoi ship,

you don't see sails
flapping in the wind,

but you see these
huge rotating columns

and what's happening
is very similar

to how a plane generates lift.

So you've got air that is
being forced around one side

of the column faster
than on the other side,

and that's exactly
how planes use lift.

But in this case,

what they're doing is
rather than directing

that force upward,

they're using it to
direct the force forward

propelling the ship.

- [Narrator] The
transporting of goods by boat

can be traced back to
the time of the pharaohs.

- When we look back at the
the history of cargo vessels,

I mean we go back to thousands
of years ago in Egypt

where vessels were really
simple road or sail driven boats

that move small amounts of
goods up and down rivers,

- [Narrator] The first
known record of boats

dates back to ancient
Egypt around 4,000 BCE.

At this time, boats relied
on either wind power,

human powered mechanisms
like rowing with oars,

or a combination of
both for propulsion.

To harness the wind's force,

Egyptian sailors attached
woven reeds to their ships.

They were able to utilize
wind power effectively

on the Nile,

but when it came
to transitioning
into the open seas,

they recognized the need
for additional power

which led to the use
of longer rowboats.

Over time, as people gained
a better understanding

of wind patterns and improved
their technical knowledge,

boat designs became more
sophisticated and efficient.

The move to the pure
sailing ship came with small

but steadily increasing
technical innovations

to allow ships to sail
with the wind behind them.

But increasingly,
the early pioneers

realized with some modifications

that they could power the ship

from whichever direction
the wind was coming from.

Sails were designed
to pivot on the mast,

enabling them to capture the
wind from different angles.

- So we started designing
sails that were shaped

and designed to allow
them to act as air foils

actually to work kind
of like airplane wings,

which allow us to move
upwind and tack upwind

so we can get back to
where we started from.

- [Narrator] Sails changed
from a large square canvas

suspended from a single yard

to complex arrangements intended

to pivot on the mast depending
on the direction of the wind.

For centuries, the
seven seas were full

of these glorious sailing ships,

transporting both goods and
passengers from port to port.

Much more than the picturesque
relics of the past,

those sailing ships
are making a comeback.

Now, wind assisted propulsion

is experiencing its renaissance

as the global push towards
green energy is on the rise

and companies are
turning to wind power

to transport cargo,
but with a twist.

- So rotor sales are
very different than
conventional sales.

Conventional sail often made
of cloth hung from rigging,

rotor sales are large
cylinders that rotate.

- [Narrator] But this
seemingly new innovation

can be traced back over 100
years to a German aviation

and marine engineer known
for his pioneering work

in rotor ship technology
and aerodynamics.

- Anton Federer in the early
1900s identified this effect

and shortly thereafter,

the first rotor
sales were developed.

- In 1925, Freighter constructed
his first rotor ship,

the Buckau,

which demonstrated the
feasibility of his invention.

The Buckau was a
converted cargo ship

that employed two large
rotating cylinders

to harness the wind's
force for propulsion.

Its twin rotor system
measured 15 meters in height

and three meters in diameter,

drawing 37 kilowatts of power
to rotate the rotor sails.

The Buckau's maiden
voyage was in 1925

and later she sailed
to the Americas.

While the rotor ship showed
promise in certain conditions,

unfortunately, it
couldn't compete

with faster engine
powered ships.

- They never really
became commercialized

because at that point in time,

diesel fuel was
relatively inexpensive.

Combustion engines were
relatively inexpensive.

Now with the need to become
more energy efficient

to reduce carbon emissions,

we're starting to look
at rotor sails again

because they're simple,
they're effective,

and they can reduce
those CO2 emissions.

- [Narrator] Currently more
than 20 commercial cargo ships

are already using
wind assist technology

retrofitting onto
existing vessels.

And this green energy
solution is helping propel

the shipping industry forward.

The sale technology
we're seeing today

is like a modern twist
on the Flettner rotor,

which in turn draws
its principles

from what's known as
the Magnus effect.

The Magnus effect was first
studied by the German physicist,

Gustav Magnus when he
observed that a spinning body

would deflect off
of a straight path.

When an object spins,

it creates a difference in
air pressure on its two sides.

The side moving in the
same direction as the spin

has a lower pressure while
the side moving opposite

to the spin has higher pressure.

For example, in sports
like soccer or baseball,

when a player kicks or
throws a spinning ball,

the Magnus effect causes the
ball to curve in the air.

This effect is also used

in various engineering
applications,

such as the design of some
types of aircraft wings

or helicopter rotors.

But while wind power has
proven its effectiveness,

it is not the only
solution needed.

In 2018, the International
Maritime Organization,

a regulatory arm of
the United Nations,

set a goal of
cutting international

shipping carbon emissions
by at least 50% by 2050

compared to 2008 levels.

So engineers and designers
are looking at the potential

of more greener fuels.

Today, marine
shipping contributes

about 1 billion metric
tons of carbon emissions

into the atmosphere each year.

With commercial aviation
contributing another billion

and cars tipping the scale at
over 3 billion metric tons.

This massive challenge

that the global shipping
industry must tackle

in the coming decades
can't be understated,

and we're seeing it
present itself in areas

where innovators are choosing
to focus their efforts.

Today, the biggest
names in shipping

are exploring different
sources of fuel

to power their vessels.

One potential solution
lies in nuclear power,

a fuel that the military
has relied on for decades.

The USS Gerald R. Ford first
deployed on October 4th, 2022

is the US Navy's latest
and greatest class

of aircraft carrier, fueled
entirely by nuclear energy.

- The nuclear power system
on the USS Gerald R. Ford

is actually strong
enough to power

the entire military aircraft
carrier for 25 years.

- [Narrator] This is
also the US Navy's

first new aircraft carrier
design in over 40 years,

boasting tons of first
class technology.

This formidable ship features

an electromagnetic
aircraft launch system

replacing the traditional
steam catapult

and paving the
way for innovation

in manned and unmanned aircraft.

- Large ships that
use nuclear power

are actually harnessing nuclear
reactions to heat up steam

to really high temperatures,

and they use that steam
to power the ship.

- [Narrator] To
power the reactors,

atoms in the nuclear
reactor split,

which releases energy as heat.

This heat is used to
create high pressure steam

turning propulsion turbines
that turn the propeller.

As the steam cools and
condenses back into water,

water is directed back
through the system

and the process starts again.

- Any technology
has issues of safety

that have to be addressed
and that's certainly true

of nuclear technology

and it doesn't matter
what the size is,

so you have to engineer
the technology to make sure

that it is safe as
it could possibly be.

- [Narrator] The reason
nuclear propulsion is used only

in very specific types of ships

is that the technology is
currently expensive to install

and maintain.

But its advantages include
a vast increase in range

and a huge reduction
in refueling needs,

making it more practical for
remote harsh environments

and very specific jobs.

Nuclear energy also powers
some of the toughest ships

in the ocean,
including icebreakers,

traversing arctic waterways.

Nuclear powered icebreakers
are much more powerful

than their diesel
powered counterparts.

- Icebreakers are really
interesting vessels

'cause they do things that
other vessels don't do.

Basically to break the ice,

the propulsion system
pushes the icebreaker

up onto the surface
of the sheet of ice

and then uses the
weight of the icebreaker

to break down through the ice.

- The reactor can provide
power up to 60 megawatts,

which is enough to get
through two and a half

to three meter thick ice
at speeds up to 10 knots

or 19 kilometers per hour.

The icebreakers only need to
be refueled once every five

to seven years.

The world's first nuclear
powered icebreaker

was commissioned
in the late 1950s

leading to a series of larger
and more powerful vessels.

In July, 1971,
construction began

on the world's largest
nuclear icebreaker

of its time, the Arctica.

The Arctica was used for
escorting merchant ships

and expeditions to the most
extreme corners of the world

reaching the North Pole in 1977.

This success set the stage
for five more to follow.

Equipped with
helicopters, zodiac boats

and radio and satellite
communications,

these ships battled some

of the harshest
conditions on earth.

- So it takes an immense
amount of power and energy

to push this ship
weighing thousands of tons

up onto the surface of the ice
so that it can break the ice.

So we need a very
powerful power plant.

- [Narrator] Though nuclear
technology has been used

for powering naval
ships and submarines

for at least seven decades,

there are some
glaring disadvantages.

Nuclear power and shipping
still faces issues of price,

regulations and the question
of nuclear waste disposal.

In practical use, there
are highly complex systems

that require specialized
personnel to operate
and maintain.

Cost considerations
are paramount in the
shipping industry

and as we transition to the
next generation of ships,

the significant reduction
in the need for personnel

will result in
substantial cost savings.

Some of the most
advanced ships of today

are operating without
any crew on board at all.

- The Yara Birkeland
is being built

as the world's first electric,
fully autonomous ship.

The Yara Birkeland is able
to dock itself autonomously.

It has arms that it can use
to moor and unmoor itself,

and it's got a series of arms
that it can use for loading

and unloading goods from
the dock onto its ship

or from the ship
back onto a dock.

- [Narrator] Equipped with
cameras inside and out,

the AI systems onboard
detect, identify,

and react to its surroundings.

Thanks to its automatic
mooring system,

birthing and
unbirthing will be done

without any human intervention.

In 2022, another autonomous
commercial container ship

successfully executed a
near 804 kilometer voyage

in the congested
waters of Tokyo Bay.

The 750 gross ton vessel

traversed without
human intervention
for 99% of the trip.

This incredible
milestone was achieved

using artificial intelligence,

smoothly navigating the
potential collision hazards

around these busy waters with
the autonomous technology.

- The potential benefit
of using autonomous ships

could be far better than
even using autonomous cars.

If we think about the amount
of ships on the water,

there's about 55,000
merchant ships per day,

but the amount of
space between the ships

is far less likely to
result in a collision

than if all the vehicles on
earth were autonomously driven.

So you have a bit more
of a safety factor

if we were to have autonomous
ships versus autonomous cars.

That means that we can again
have incremental gains.

If we have an autonomous ship,

having it be able
to drive itself

means you can have
kind of a reduced crew.

There's still the need
to have people on board,

but you can definitely have a
reduced crew, reduced hours,

that the ship is being monitored

when it is say, out
in the open ocean.

There's a higher probability
that we can instrument

the ships so that it
can see and communicate

to other ships nearby,

and there would be a far
greater amount of time

and distance between ships
to prevent collisions.

- [Narrator] Reducing human
error with autonomous systems

can help improve safety,
resolve congestion issues,

and reduce carbon emissions
through increased efficiency.

Human error is a historically
common contributor

to marine accidents,

some of which have resulted
in costly disruptions

to global shipping.

Nearly as long as the Empire
State Building is tall,

the Ever Given is one of
the largest container ships

ever built.

In 2021, this behemoth famously
got stuck in the Suez Canal

for a full six days, grinding
worldwide shipping to a halt

and freezing nearly $10
billion in trade per day.

- The Ever Given was
transiting the Suez Canal

when on a day with high
winds it ran aground.

And basically between the
pilots not paying attention

and not carefully
controlling the ship,

the ship got pushed off course

and got too close to
the edge of the canal.

Once it got close to
the edge of the canal,

it got pushed further
ashore and ran aground.

And when a ship runs a ground,

because of all the
momentum that's in the ship

it gets pushed up.

And when it gets pushed
up and out of the water

and rises up, we all of a
sudden have this huge mass

of the ship, potentially
thousands of tons of weight

resting on the bottom.

- [Narrator] Mere months
after the Ever Given fiasco,

an ambitious project began
to expand the Suez Canal

to increase its
capacity by six ships.

- The Suez Canal actually
is a very old canal.

It was actually dug
thousands of years ago

to allow small ships to
move between the Red Sea

and Indian Ocean and
the Mediterranean.

This is the historic trade
route of goods from Asia

into Europe.

- [Narrator] This effectively
reduced their journey

by several months,

by bypassing a route around
the Cape of Good Hope

located at the
southern tip of Africa.

Written evidence shows
that the Suez Canal

was excavated prior
to 2000 BCE, and

remains one of the world's
busiest shipping routes today.

The engineering and
construction of canals

all over the world has
had a significant impact

on shipping roots
throughout history.

Shipping canals provide
navigational shortcuts

by connecting large
bodies of water

crucial to the shipping
industry today.

The Panama Canal stretches
80 kilometers long

across the Isthmus of
Panama and Central America,

allowing vessels to
travel between the Pacific

and Atlantic Oceans

and avoid the long voyage
around South America.

- At the time the Panama
Canal was created,

it was estimated that a ship

could take from
five to six months

to go around the whole
of South America.

- [Narrator] These shorter
distances save time

and operating costs for vessels.

As a result of the
quicker transits,

ships can be used for
additional sailings per year,

meaning more frequent
shipping schedules

with the capacity of more goods

being traded on a global scale.

Today, over 100,000
ships make trips

around the world every day.

Our way of life
depends on shipping

and the incredible evolution
this industry has gone through.

- As society has evolved,
time has really changed.

It used to be a hundred
years ago, not that long ago,

that it took a month to get
from Europe to North America.

Then we got steamships
and it took two weeks.

- [Narrator] The
advent of steam engines

was really the the
beginning of globalization.

Goods can travel from
country to country,

reaching markets they could
never have accessed before.

- With the development
of the steam engine,

we were able to
institute a more reliable

form of propulsion on ships.

This meant more reliable power.

We could control where we
were going more accurately

and we could carry
heavier loads.

- [Narrator] The first
commercial success
was the Claremont,

the paddle wheel steamship
developed by Robert Fulton,

an inventor and
engineer in the US.

In 1907, the Claremont began
transporting passengers

on the Hudson River between
New York City and Albany.

Engines drove the two
side paddle wheels,

each of which were four and
a half meters in diameter.

- Ships that were
powered by steam

would actually turn
a big paddle wheel

which provided the
propulsion for the vessel.

That was excellent in
that it provided a strong,

reliable source of power,

but the next challenge
they had to overcome

was how to steer this vessel

when it had just one
big directional rotor.

- [Narrator] Early steamships
relied mostly on coal

to heat water in a large
boiler to create steam.

- In this engine, we
use coal to create heat.

Heat boils water.

Water produces high
pressure steam.

The steam is allowed
to flow into a cylinder

with a piston in it.

The steam expands
pushing on the cylinder,

the cylinder's
attached to a shaft.

That shaft is connected
eccentrically to a wheel,

causing the wheel to turn

as the shaft moves in
and out with the piston.

- [Narrator] This
required massive boilers

in the center of the hall

and a huge amount of coal

rendering the ships
unsuitable to transport cargo.

- Steam engines
are kind of limited

in their maximum power output.

As you try to make them
more and more powerful,

they get heavier and heavier.

You need to carry more
and more water with you.

You need to carry more
and more coal with you.

They just don't work for
going really, really fast.

- [Narrator] In the
era of paddle wheels,

ships were slow, cumbersome,
and at the mercy of the tides,

but a new invention
would be a game changer

to literally propel ships
faster with more control.

The screw propeller.

- The next big innovation in
ship propulsion was propellers.

So rather than a big rotor
that just pushed you straight,

a propeller could
actually be varied

in its propulsion direction

to allow you to
adapt to changing
conditions in the water.

- Screw propellers were
much more maneuverable

and less vulnerable to damage,

allowing ships to dock
at ports and harbors

that were previously
inaccessible.

With improvements in
marine steam engines

and the evolution
from the paddle wheel

to the screw propeller,

ocean navigation by steamships

became gradually more possible,

and in 1819, the first steam
ship crossed the Atlantic.

This ignited the
global shipping trade,

transforming it into a
multi-billion dollar industry

with ports all over the world.

- The steam engine was essential

to the industrial revolution,

was foundational
in railway travel,

was experimental in the
automobile industry,

and played a unique role
in merchant shipping.

By adding a steam engine

and having reliable
energy on board,

it grew the travel and
trade routes available

across the ocean,

and therefore had an enormous
role in increasing continental

and sort of global trade
by way of the water.

- [Narrator] Today, one
of the most important

global shipping hubs is
the Port of Rotterdam,

hosting around 30,000
seagoing vessels

and 120,000 inland
vessels each year.

Rotterdam boasts the world's
most advanced container

terminal where a
slew of robots load

and unload cargo at
a breakneck pace.

In 2021, they achieved the
highest container throughput

in its history, handling
a whopping 15.3 million

standard boxes in a year.

Hightech GPS systems allow
each individual container

to be tracked with precision

as it's being loaded
on board the ship.

And thanks to
state-of-the-art technology,

Rotterdam is on track to
become the smartest port

in the world with access
to real-time information

about weather and
water conditions.

To kick off this industry
leading initiative,

sensors spanning 42 kilometers
were installed in 2019

between the city of
Rotterdam and the North Sea.

These sensors will gather
from multiple data streams

crucial for managing
safety and traffic.

With this data, the port
can predict the best time

for a ship to arrive or depart,

ensuring the maximum amount
of cargo is loaded onboard.

- The transportation of
goods on ships is so vital

to the global supply chain

that even a one day holdup
along a ship's journey

can have a weeks
long ramifications

for various supply chains
all around the world.

- [Narrator] To make
sure that global sailing

is as smooth as possible today,

all large vessels are equipped

with an automated
identification system or AIS.

This technology allows
seamless communication

between other vessels
and their ports of call

to maximize smooth sailing.

AIS or automatic identification
system is a technology

that relies on a blend of
GPS-VHF radio communication

and an AIS transponder.

The transponder essentially
acts as a broadcaster,

transmitting vital
information about a ship.

This data includes details
such as a ship's speed,

direction, its name,
and where it hails from,

as well as its size and draft.

The transmission happens
over VHF radio frequencies.

AIS has revolutionized the
transportation industry,

improving cargo security,
business operations,

and customer service.

- Prior to having
this technology,

we had to physically
be line of sight

gauging where we're going

and seeing if we can see
ships off in the distance

that we needed to avoid.

- [Narrator] The development

of onboard vessel
tracking systems

is a direct result of a
devastating maritime event

in the late 1980s.

- One of the largest
maritime disasters ever

was the Exxon Valdez.

The Exxon Valdez was
a large oil vessel

that was bringing oil

from Alaska down to North
American West coast.

While being piloted
through narrow channels,

human error caused
it to run aground.

When it ran aground, it
released a huge amount of oil,

crude oil into a
relatively pristine

West Coast marine environment,

and this was really a massive
environmental disaster.

There were thousands and
thousands of animals killed,

beaches all along the west
coast of North America

were adversely affected
by this heavy oil.

These are the kind of
consequences we have

when marine disasters occur.

- [Narrator] 41 million
liters of crude oil

gushed into the water

from the crippled
vessel slashed hull.

At the time, this was the
largest oil spill disaster

in US history.

In response to this
devastating catastrophe,

the United States Congress
passed the Oil Pollution Act

calling for the Coast Guard

to develop a vessel
tracking system

for tankers entering Alaska.

- In the maritime environment,

there's always a risk
of things going wrong.

There's icebergs, there's
unexpected conditions,

there's rogue waves
and huge storms.

So there's always the potential

for something that you
can't anticipate happening.

So we spend a lot
of time as engineers

trying to engineer ships

to deal with extremely
adverse conditions.

- [Narrator] The new system
had to be autonomous,

automatically communicating
and indicating

a ship's location to
other ships and to shore

without the risk of human error.

The Coast Guard
decided on a system

that used VHF radio waves.

By the mid '90s, the
international community

adopted a single system that
could be used worldwide,

which is the AIS
system in use today.

- Marine disasters have
become rare and rare.

There's still huge events

and they have huge impacts
on the world economy

and shipping, but they
are getting rare and rarer

because of technology.

- [Narrator] Advances
in technology have
also paved the way

for a green revolution,

rethinking the fuels used
in shipping operations.

For decades, heavy
fuel oil or HFO

has been the king
of marine fuels,

inexpensive and
widely available.

HFO propelled a long
period of robust growth

in international shipping.

Heavy fuel oil remains
a dominant energy source

for many working ships
on the water today.

- Diesel engines use heavy
fuel oil and heavy fuel oil

is kind of the lowest
quality oil we have.

It has a lot of contaminants
in it, specifically sulfur.

So when we burn heavy fuel oil,

we produce SOX and
that reacts with water

to form sulfuric acids.

So it's really a big
problem for acid rain.

It's also very high-end carbon,

so it has a very
large carbon footprint

and it's just generally dirty.

It really is smog and
pollution producing.

- [Narrator] Commercial fishing,

offshore oil and gas vessels,
dredgers and container ships

are all heavily
dependent on HFO.

Beyond gritty working ships,

heavy fuel oil also powers
plenty of passenger ships.

Many cruise ships today are
utter leviathans weighing

in at over 200,000 gross
tonnage with 16 decks

and capacity for over 5,000
passengers and 2000 crew.

When it's time to refuel,
barges must come alongside these

beasts for bunkering, loading,

and distributing fuel
among the ship's tanks.

- The transition from coal
fuels to heavy fuel oils allowed

for ships to be developed

to be even bigger and
even more powerful.

These were huge ships
that represented kind

of the new way forward
for marine transport.

- [Narrator] As we move
forward into a greener era.

Vessels powered by heavy
fuel oil are now being banned

from sailing through the ocean's
most sensitive ecosystems.

In 2020, the United Nations
International Maritime

Organization approved a ban
on heavy fuel oils in Arctic

waters taking effect
in July of 2024.

The ban aims to reduce the risk
of HFO spills as the number

of ships sailing in the
arctic continues to increase.

With the evolution of
the marine industry,

alternatives are emerging
that can be easily adapted

to power heavy fuel oil engines.

- When you get to a
heavy fuel engines,

for example, diesel
engines, right?

I can go to my friend in BC
and put in a $3,000 converter

in the back and that person
goes to every restaurant

and takes all the oil that
they finished using the fry oil

that they're throwing
out in garbage.

He collects all that,
puts it in the converter,

and that's his fuel
for the diesel engine.

You can do that because
diesel engine lends itself

to that because it
doesn't have a spark plug,

it doesn't need,
it's not finicky,

it's a compression engine.

- Instead of using heavy fuel
oils, there are situations

where these ships can use a
a biofuel, which is any sort

of fuel derived from
a biomass-like plants,

algae and things like that.

- [Narrator] Biofuels are
also known as drop-in fuels,

meaning they can be used in
existing ship infrastructure.

- The biggest
advantage to biofuels

is that they are immediately
usable without having to change

any engine components and that
they are much cleaner burning

than traditional
heavy fuel oils.

- Heavy fuel oils are very
polluting where biofuels,

hopefully we can make
them in an environmentally

sustainable way.

So a lot of biofuels that
we think about traditionally

are made from regular
commercial crops

like corn or soy
or other materials.

- [Narrator] Biofuels represent
one of the most advanced

and readily available
alternatives

among zero emission
fuel options.

The most commonly produced
liquid biofuel is ethanol,

also known as ethyl alcohol.

Ethanol is created through
the fermentation process

of starch or sugar.

In the United States,
corn or grain serves

as the primary source for
ethanol biofuel production.

This ethanol is typically
blended with gasoline

resulting in a fuel
called gasohol,

which contains 10% ethanol.

The second most common
liquid biofuel is biodiesel,

which is primarily made from
oily plants such as soybean

or oil palm, and to a lesser
extent from other oily sources

such as waste, cooking fat
from restaurant deep frying.

Biodiesel, which has found
greater acceptance in Europe,

is commonly used in diesel
engines and often blended

with petroleum diesel
fuel at varying ratios.

While biodiesel is currently
compatible with ship engines,

bioethanol on the other
hand is not yet suitable

for these engines, but may
become so in the future.

- This has a tremendous
impact in this industry

because it's not just large
companies operating vessels,

it can be sole proprietorship.

Making it as easy as possible
to switch to a cleaner fuel

means that it's more
likely to be adopted.

- Innovators will need to
continue developing these fuels

before they can be
fully implemented

into the shipping industry.

As with any brand new
fuel source of its time.

Back in the 1870s, heavy
fuel oils were beginning

to replace coal as a
more efficient energy

source for powering ships.

Oil has a higher energy
density than coal,

so more energy can be obtained
from the same capacity,

which allows for a
reduction in the size

of the fuel tank on board,

resulting in an
expansion of cargo space.

It also meant a significant
reduction in the number

of crew members required as it
negated the need to load coal

and throw coal into the boiler.

In the early 19 hundreds
and even more efficient way

to power ships began
to surge in popularity.

The internal combustion
engine. The development

of internal combustion
led to the introduction

of marine diesel, which
ships began to use

as their main source
of propulsion.

They had significantly higher
fuel efficiency compared

to the steam engine
or steam turbine.

This higher fuel efficiency
in part allowed for bigger

and better ships to be built,

revolutionizing the
shipping industry.

But during this
transitional time,

not everyone embraced
this new technology.

Coal remained the fuel of
choice for the white star line.

A shipping company boasting
some of the biggest

passenger ships in the world.

- The Titanic and
its sister ships.

Were part of a moment in
history in ship building

when we're seeing large
transatlantic vessels

in this particular case
being used for passenger

as well as the
movement of freight.

And so while the Titanic
was one of the biggest,

it's also part of a moment
in time when this type

of construction, this
type of knowledge

and this role for ships
is really at its height.

- [Narrator] The Titanic
had three primary engines,

two of them reciprocating
four cylinder engines,

and together they generated
a total of 30,000 horsepower.

There was also a steam turbine
that provided an additional

16,000 horsepower.

The Titanic was capable
of reaching high speeds

for its time,
allowing it to cruise

at around 22 to 24 knots.

The Titanic was part of
a trio of ocean liners

known as the Olympic class,

which included the
Olympic and the Britannic.

These ships were designed
to be the largest

and most luxurious passenger
vessels of their time.

One notable safety
feature of these ships

was their double bottom,
meaning it had two layers

of hull at its bottom for
added strength and protection

against damage from
underwater obstacles.

It also had watertight
bulkhead compartments.

These compartments were equipped
with electric watertight

doors that could be operated
individually or all at once.

- These trips were supposed
to be deemed as unsinkable,

and they got this name
because of their hull design.

The hulls were designed so that
they had, they were made up

of 15 individual watertight
compartments that in the case

of impact, if one were
breached, you could segment off

and narrow down where the water
was leaking into the hull.

In the instance of the Titanic,

there was a fatal flaw in
the design in that the reach

of the doors that segmented
the compartments only reached

the water level
that they were in.

So it was the obvious bypass

of the water going over
the watertight containers.

The the containers themselves
were indeed watertight,

but they were still open to
the water outside of the hull.

- On April 14th, 1912,

Titanic struck a North
Atlantic iceberg 20 minutes

before midnight slicing
open the hull and flooding

the watertight
compartments all located

on the lower
section of the ship.

The unsinkable ship could
reportedly stay afloat

if four of the
compartments were breached.

But as the flooding burst
through the fifth compartment,

Titanic began her descent
to a watery grave.

In today's cruise ship designs,

watertight compartments
extend up to the upper deck.

Engineering of modern day
cruise ships have also evolved

dramatically in other ways.

- This accident represented one

of the greatest
maritime tragedies

that we had ever
experienced, and as terrible

as it is at discovering
such a fatal flaw

in what was supposed to
be an unsinkable system

ultimately led to further
development and reinforcement

of such systems to keep
people safe in the future.

This led to the development
of a welded hull.

So when you're welding
something together,

you're essentially making
two pieces of metal,

one at the point
where they join.

So it's a much more uniform
joint method than riveting.

- [Narrator] Riveting is a
very labor intensive method

of shipbuilding that involves
piecing together metal plates.

This required two
workers on either side,

one to push the rivet through
the plate and the other two

hammer it into place,
expanding the head

to fill a hole and
waterproof the connection.

The Titanic's design used over
3 million rivets for its hull

and its upper deck structure,

which was not only
massively labor intensive,

it was a much less reliable
method than welding.

Welding replaced riveting

as the dominant method in
World War II to speed up

and improve ship production,

creating near seamless
joints that were watertight.

As technology progressed,
different types

of welding methods began
emerging over time,

making the hull
construction process safer

and more secure than ever.

Today, ship builders are finding
even more innovative ways

to push traditional ship design
well beyond previous limits.

The technology of
today is breaking
barriers in the shipping

industry Using
augmented reality,

ship builders now
have the ability

to create the ultimate ships
using digital software.

Maritimers can use
the same technology

to inspect their vessels without
having to consult a manual

- Augmented reality.

So when you can see
the real objects

in a kind of
simulated environment,

and you can get parameters,

you can get the values
through the sensors

and you can see them
all on one screen

so you don't have access
to the real object,

but you can see the
values collecting

or the parameters collecting
from the sensors installed

on the real object.

- This is a revolutionary
way to do maintenance

that saves time, money, and
is better for the environment.

- So augmented reality
is helping our inspectors

to evaluate the current
situation with more confidence

and also they're
connected to the internet

so they can get
information very fast,

and it's a kind of assisted
maintenance assisted inspection

that is providing this
capability for our teams.

- [Narrator]
Revolutionary changes

are also coming to ship design.

The world's largest and most
high tech destroyer features

an inverted bow,
the USS Zumwalt.

Entering active service in
2016, this class of navy ships

are designed with a
unique angular shape

and special coatings,
making them harder

to identify on
enemy radar systems.

This cutting edge stealth
technology allows the ships

to operate closer to shore

and carry out high
stakes missions

with the reduced
risk of detection.

This distinctive
appearance is enhanced

by the hull which slopes
inward above the waterline.

Known as a tumble home hull
this feature allows the ship

to slice clean through waves,

optimizing speed
and maneuverability.

Its modern integrated
bridge eliminates the need

for traditional masks

and antennas
contributing further

to the ship's sleek
and streamlined look.

These cutting edge designs
could be the future

of ship building.

- You can imagine the amount
of energy it takes to keep

an oil tanker moving
through the sea.

These are massive vessels with
huge amounts of displacement,

so even a small percentage
decrease in the friction

could have a significant
impact on the amount of energy

that's needed to take a cargo

from one side of the
world to the other.

- [Narrator] Instead
of climbing over waves,

these bows pierce
right through them.

This reduces the water spray

as the bow enters
the water more softly

creating less backflow
from the ship's bow.

This means a reduction
in fuel consumption

and a smoother ride
throughout rough seas.

The inverted bow is now being
seen in commercial vessels

such as the Bourbon Orca
used in the offshore oil

and gas industry.

This remarkable and innovative
design greatly enhances

the ship's ability
to handle rough seas.

Also, a reduction in
noise and vibration,

which has become an increasing
concern with the rise

in shipping traffic
over the years,

ships produce underwater noise

through their propulsion
systems and machinery.

A significant portion around
85% of this noise is linked

to a phenomenon
known as cavitation.

This happens when a ship's
propeller spins too fast

or handles too much
load disrupting

the smooth flow of water.

This prevents the propeller
from generating the necessary

thrust and leads
to the formation of
bubbles in the water,

which not only reduces the
propeller's efficiency,

but also creates vibrations

and a distinct white noise
underwater, contributing

to the overall pollution
caused by shipping activities.

- While it's not apparent
with these ships,

when looking at them
and watching them
above the water level

below the water level, there's
a lot of sound pollution.

If you've ever been swimming

and had a boat pass nearby,

you can hear the boat much
better under the water

than you can above, and that's
because sound transmission

of water is much more efficient.

- [Narrator] Acoustic
pollution can cover vast areas

under water, preventing
marine animals from hearing

their predators or prey
connecting with their mates

and young and finding
their feeding grounds.

This noise has also
deafened fish, interfered

with their habitat selection,

and contributed to a decline
in species biodiversity.

But engineers are now
coming up with systems

to help solve this problem
whether intentionally or not.

In 2017, Danish
Shipping Company,

Maersk spent more than
$100 million to save fuel

by retrofitting vessel hulls

and installing more
efficient propellers on 11

of its container craft.

Five of these ships subsequently
underwent acoustical

testing and were far less
noisy by six to eight decibels.

That translates to a 75%
reduction in acoustic energy.

- One of the
solutions for dealing

with acoustic pollution from
these ships was actually

to redesign the propeller.

It was ultimately started to try

and make the ship
more efficient,

but it had the terrific
byproduct of making them quieter

and resulting in less acoustic

pollution for the
surrounding area.

- [Narrator] A commonly
used approach for decreasing

underwater noise as well
as fuel costs is to reduce

the speed of the vessel
through engine power

limitation or EPL.

But operating slower, moving
vessels isn't the most

attractive option for
large shipping companies.

- When you look at the results
from either slowing down

your speed or designing your
propeller to be more efficient,

most companies would
obviously prefer

to make themselves
more efficient.

Reducing speed had
a great effect,

but it obviously cost them
time on their bottom line

for how long it took
them to arrive to port.

- [Narrator] Maritime industry
engineers are constantly

working to improve
vessel efficiency,

and while it's documented
that ships have caused damage

to marine life, the reverse
is also known to happen.

Vessels cruise through thousands
of nautical miles sailing

through countless
marine ecosystems,

giving marine organisms
time to build up.

This is known as biofouling.

- The organisms in the
marine environment try

to populate the ship hull.

So invariably, we
build up a community

of organisms on the
bottom of the ship.

- Biofouling in particular,
the accumulation

of crustaceans like barnacles
can increase the ship's

resistance in water by 20 to 60%

and can lead to an increase
in 40% in fuel consumption.

- Basically, they
change the hull shape

and make it more
difficult to ship to move.

This increases the
amount of fuel required

and actually increases the noise
level produced by the ship.

- To date, biofouling requires
ships hulls to be scrubbed

and power washed
on a regular basis.

However, new solutions
are on the way

to prevent biofouling
occurring in the first place.

One such innovative
approach draws inspiration

from a product traditionally
used to prevent diaper rash

in infants.

Desitin ointments iron
oxide solution has shown

promise in curbing biofouling
in creating a slippery

or non-stick
surface on the hull.

Tests conducted in coastal
waters have shown significant

reduction in marine growth
when it's applied as technology

to combat biofouling
advances, so does the search

for cleaner sources of fuel.

Japanese shipping and
logistics company, NYK lines

and IHI power systems are
developing the world's first

tugboat that runs on ammonia.

Ammonia is seen by some as a
future source of clean energy

for the maritime industry.

It's versatile and
abundant and you can store

and transport it.

Made from hydrogen and nitrogen
there is no carbon atom

in the ammonia molecule, unlike
traditional fossil fuels.

It emits zero CO2
during combustion.

But the production process at
the moment is far from clean

over 100 years old and
powered by fossil fuels,

the process creates a whopping
451 million metric tons

of CO2 emissions
worldwide each year.

While the process
needs to be cleaned up

and brought into this century,

ammonia has
significant potential.

While challenges including
the costs remain, it is hoped

that the price of renewable
electricity will continue

to fall, making green
ammonia a viable

clean fuel for the future.

As the clock ticks towards 2050,

the need for decarbonization
innovations is key

and some of the most
off-The-wall inventions

could prove the
future of shipping

could once again be wind power.

French tech firm Aires
Sea Wing is a high-tech

take on the humble kite.

Led by former Airbus engineers,

air Seas has developed a
1000 meter squared parafoil

that is designed to
harness wind power

to assist in propelling
even the heaviest loads

through the water.

This system combines
kite like technology

with an automated
flight control system.

- There's no doubt that
with this technology,

we'll see greener travel in
the sea in the coming years.

- [Narrator] This
system demonstrates

that old age wind power
concepts can merge

with modern technologies
to create exciting, new,

sustainable and
efficient solutions

for the maritime industry.

Harnessing wind energy assists
with propulsion allowing

for maximum fuel efficiency.

This helps to decrease
greenhouse gas
emissions generated

by traditional engine based
propulsion systems on ships,

and by utilizing wind
power vessels can ease up

on the reliance of fossil
fuels, which can greatly reduce

operational costs as well as
their environmental impact.

This system is designed
to be fully automated,

requiring minimal intervention
from the ship's crew.

This can help reduce
the crew's workload

and ensure a consistent
and optimized performance.

Furthermore, the system can
be retrofitted onto existing

vessels without requiring
extensive modification,

since its adaptability
for different sizes

and types of ships, allows

for widespread use across
the shipping industry.

- When I look to the future
of shipping, I see more

and more autonomy and
more and more safety.

The marine environment is
still really dangerous.

We've learned a lot
in the prior century.

We have great weather
prediction now,

so we're not driving
ships into hurricanes.

We have better navigation
because of GPS,

but we can take that
to the next step.

We can have AI systems
basically figure out

what the most economical
shipping routes are

to avoid the
anticipated weather.

We can have AI systems
that are much more capable

of navigating narrow channel
ways like these Suez Canal,

so we don't have the same
risks of running a ground.

I think the next stage of
shipping is really moving

to automation, and I think
that's the next step,

is we're gonna have
these autonomous vessels

that really reduce
the likelihood of
maritime accidents.

- [Narrator] The industry
is undergoing a period

of significant change,
and there's no doubt

that with all of these
amazing new technologies

in our arsenal, it could
revolutionize the way

we move our ships and goods
around the world safely,

faster and greener.
[upbeat music]