Increasing ship energy efficiency with diesel-electric propulsion system

Today, the goal of reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy is one of the most important issues in the maritime field. Regulations created by IMO in order to prevent environmental and air pollution in the maritime field have increased its effect day by day and made it necessary to move away from conventional systems and turn to alternative systems. Although studies in the area of using fully electric marine vehicles or using fully renewable energy systems are also ongoing, they are not preferred due to the high costs and lack of sustainability. While the use of Diesel Electric (DE) Propulsion System in marine vehicles is one of the alternatives in this field, it may be the most efficient choice with the improvements made on this system. The aim of this study is to examine the increase in ship energy efficiency using diesel-electric propulsion systems rather than the original ferry system.In the study, the historical development of the DE Propulsion System was investigated and other studies on the subject were examined. Detailed navigation data of a ferry using fossil fuels in the Gulf of Izmir were recorded, and a case study was carried out to examine the status of this ship's DE Propulsion System by using data such as engine load and fuel consumption. According to the results obtained, it has been revealed that using the DE Propulsion System can be much more efficient in terms of fuel consumption and emissions. It has been observed that the system provides benefits in terms of reliability and reduction of noise pollution. For future studies, it may be aimed to provide the ferry to be charged from the port and to increase the benefits of the system by using renewable energy.