Meyer Group looks to the future with “Reverse”
As the maritime industry focuses on the goal of decarbonizing the sector by 2050, the Meyer Group has tried to look further ahead: its advanced research team has tried to imagine what the ship of the future will look like in 2100.
Of course, we are talking about more than 75 years in the future, so the game cannot be completely realistic. But by studying market trends and ongoing technological developments, Meyer has tried to come up with a futuristic concept that can serve as a benchmark for the industry: “Reverse” is the name of the project.
Reverse Project Meyer
But Meyer can already boast some absolute firsts in the progressive search for the environmentally friendly ship of the future. This year, the Papenburg shipyard will deliver a new cruise ship for Silversea Cruises, the Silver Nova, which will set new standards in technology and design.
Two innovative cruise ships are also under construction in Turku: The Group’s Finnish shipyard will deliver the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, to Royal Caribbean International by the end of the year. The ship will set new industry standards for onboard entertainment. In addition, assembly of the hull sections for Mein Schiff 7 has started at the same shipyard. TUI Cruises‘ newest ship will be one of the first to be ready for the use of green methanol, which will make its operation virtually carbon-neutral.
Mein schiff 7
Icon OTS Overlook Lounge
Using low-emission LNG, a fuel cell system and batteries, the Silver Nova will be equipped with the best available technologies to reduce emissions. With a number of unique technological innovations and state-of-the-art design features, the fuel cell system is expected to provide a portion of the ship’s energy needs, at least when the ship is in port. After years of research and development by the Meyer Group and fuel cell manufacturer Freudenberg, it is expected that every single component of this system will successfully pass the rigorous tests to withstand extreme temperatures and certification tests by classification societies for safe use onboard ships.
This progress is very positive as it brings the project one step closer to its goal of a more innovative and sustainable future for shipboard power generation and distribution. The goal of this multi-year research project is to develop an unprecedentedly large marine fuel cell system to power “Nova” class vessels. When completed, the fuel cell system is expected to power the entire hotel load of a ship: remember that it is currently impossible to use this system even for ship propulsion, which requires much more energy availability.
Silver Nova – The Dusk Bar
Between now and the end of the century, the maritime industry will take further steps to find innovative solutions to make the industry ecofriendly. Innovations we can only imagine, and it is with this in mind that we must see the “Reverse” project, looking ahead to 2100. Externally, it features an enclosed glass facade, urban gardening areas and drone landing platforms, the central public areas are the focal point inside the ship.
“For example, we have only planned small restaurant areas that are more of a social gathering place because we anticipate that many of the nutrients will be consumed in concentrated form as pills”, explains Tim Krug, Meyer’s Head of Concept Development Group. Of course, this seems like a provocation given the importance of food and beverage on a cruise ship today. The biggest innovation, however, concerns the ship’s power generation: by harnessing wave energy through horizontal wings on the hull, solar cells and wind power, this ship should be able to operate completely without the use of fossil fuels.
Reverse Meyer
We conclude with a curiosity regarding the model that is itself a technological boast. This valuable artifact shown for the first time at Seatrade was made largely from sustainable materials. Ninety percent of the materials used are recycled or can be dismantled without leaving any residue. In addition, the model already has a working fuel cell powered by methanol to provide energy for the lighting of the same. Meyer Group’s exhibition team also uses this system to recharge smartphones and tablets.
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