Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) burning hydrocarbons (oil / chemicals), have been in use for over a century, mainly to generate electrical power, operate machines, automobiles, aircraft, and to power and propel ships.

Depending on the type of fuel burnt, the exhaust contains CO, CO2, SOx, NOx, Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), and Particulate Matter (PM). These are proven to cause acid rain, smog, respiratory and skin disorders, damage the ozone layer, global warming and climate change.

In an effort to reduce pollution, and combat rampant environmental damage that is causing climate change, Regulators established Emission Control Areas (ECA), limited Sulfur content of fuels used on board ships, and stringent emission targets for NOx, CO2 and GHG, to be achieved by 2030 / 2050. 

Industries scrambled to find means for compliance.

One of the options being pursued is to continue using the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) for propelling ships, and develop 'alternative' liquids, chemicals, and gases to replace the fossil fuels burnt on ships.

Many of these 'alternate fuels' are themselves GHGs, toxic (poisonous), carcinogenic (cancer causing), corrosive, or explosive. The 'alternative fuels' generate CO, CO2, GHGs, and other harmful by-products, at different stages, from well-to-wake, i.e. during their use, production, transportation, storage, transfer, or when they leak into the air, soil, or the sea, ultimately to find their way into the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.

These chemicals, gases, and liquids pose a hazard to the health and lives of the seafarers and port workers, while they handle, transport, store, and use these 'alternate fuels'; and also create a fatal exposure hazard for the innocent civilians who live near these 'alternative fuel' production, storage, or effluent sites, and their drainages into groundwater, rivers and seas.

So, currently; these 'alternate fuels', that still harm the ozone layer, are fatal to human, avian, and marine life, and have no advantages over the existing fossil fuels; continue to be funded, researched, developed, tested, and marketed, as 'worthy' and 'green' options, to achieve compliance with IMO's 2030 and 2050 targets.

IMO's own report shows that year-on-year, from 2008 till 2021, the CO2 and GHG emissions from shipping, instead of reducing, have in fact, increased. 

The doubling of tonnage from 2005 to 2020 may partially explain the increase  in emissions from ships.

ZeroEngine has successfully completed the stages of initial R&D, Innovation Patent, and Proof of Concept.

The next step is to create the ZeroEngine Pilot Project, to propel any size of existing ship that the investor(s) desire, without using the ship's Main Engine.

The RoI from the Addressable Market alone will make investors laugh all the way to the bank.

Note: ZeroEngine units can be fixed permanently to existing ships for regular use; or can be stored, for deployment in an emergency by ship's staff to sail the ship to a safe harbour, when the main engine, shaft, stern tube bearing, or the propeller, suffer damage.

ZeroEngine thrust aggregators achieve propulsion of any floating unit; i.e. ship, yacht, rig, barge, or boat; by combining the forces generated by two natural sources, air and water, without changing their composition, or harming them in the process.

Without divulging confidential information; the ZeroEngine units require full immersion in water, have no moving parts, are not hydrojets or moving fins, nor are the units mounted on the deck, like a Sail, Kite, or Flettner Rotor, and definitely do not require the wind to be blowing at a specific speed and in a particular direction, to be effective. ZeroEngine does not produce any PM, CO2, or GHG, and does not harm the air, water, soil or the ozone layer.

The CONSIDERABLE MONETARY SAVINGS visualised for the Ships' Owners, the Commercial Charterers, and the Technical Operators of existing ships, are:

> Save substantial capital from supply of fuel for the Main Engine, purchase of Carbon Credits, payments for Global ETS, Fuel EU Maritime, etc.

> Eliminate CO2 and GHG monitoring, reporting, validation requirements for DCS, MRV, etc.

> Generate revenue by selling the Surplus Carbon Credits and Carbon offsets in MBMs.

> Save on costs for M/E Cylinder Lubricating Oil.

> Save on M/E Jacket Cooling Water Treatment Chemicals. 

> Energy saving as no consumption of electrical power to run the IFO and Lube Oil purifiers, oil heaters, pumps for lubrication and cooling of Main Engine.

> Save on supply of spares and consumables for Planned Maintenance of IC Main Engine.

> For future new-builds without IC Main Engine and the listed ancillary equipment to operate it: 

>> Savings in CAPEX.

>> Freeing up of space, to carry more cargo or passengers. Higher earnings for same size of vessel.

Arvind Ahuja (B.Sc., F.I.Mar.E., I.Eng. MBA) is a Published Author, Researcher, Innovator, Entrepreneur, Marine Chief Engineer Class 1 with DCE, Ship Manager, Registered Marine Expert for ADR, Surveyor, Investigator, a Member of DNV's Technical Committee.

His R&D focuses on eliminating the sources that generate IMO's identified pollutants from ships, in an effort to protect the environment from further damage, while also benefiting the embattled ship owners.

He holds the patents for:

1) ZeroEngine: Technology to propel existing ships and new-builds without using the ICE Main Engine.

2) ZeroBallast: Technology to eliminate the use of water as ballast, on new-builds and existing ships.