Air Lubrication System Installations Slated for Two Princess Ships

Bluestone Group was awarded by Princess Cruises with two orders of its Silverstream Air Lubrication System (ALS).

The units will be installed on the Sky Princess and the Enchanted Princess, the provider said in a press release, and are set to be completed within the first half of 2023.

The orders follow the successful installation of the ALS onboard the Regal Princess.

Silverstream’s ALS is a proven efficiency technology which reduces a ship’s fuel consumption and emissions by lowering the frictional resistance between the hull surface and the water, Bluestone said.

The typical installation on a 300-meter-long cruise ship includes four to six air compressors delivering compressed air to the flat bottom through 12 Air Release Units (ARUs). This creates a uniform carpet of microbubbles which coats the hull.

Depending on the type of vessel, speed and hull geometry, the system provides average net fuel savings of 5 to 10 percent, Bluestone said.

“We are proud to have been selected for additional installations of ALS and to support Princess Cruises in its long-term sustainability and decarbonization goals. Silverstream Technologies is the market leader in hull air lubrication and its system is being adopted by many leading shipowners on various types of vessels, a compelling indication of its effectiveness in reducing fuel consumption and emissions,” said Matteo Di Maio and Giuseppe Costa, president and CEO at Bluestone.

Bluestone’s scope of work will include all activities within the vessels, from the installation of air compressors to stainless steel and steel piping, electrical cabling and connections, ventilation upgrade and modification of steel structures. The shipyards will be responsible for the installation of the ARUs in the hull.

With this combination, owners can minimize the off-hire time to undertake the tasks that must be carried out in drydock within a scheduled docking period, while Bluestone completes the installation on voyage, the provider said.

For this project, Bluestone introduced a new video reporting system to keep the client updated on project progress. A recap video has been uploaded in the customer-reserved area of Bluestone’s website every week, offering the client the chance to see real-time progress onboard.

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