Based on research for the America's Cup, the Hull Vane has now become a viable option to reduce resistance and thus fuel consumption and emissions. The Maritime Innovation Award jury has recognised its value by rewarding it with their annual award.

In 1991, Dutch hydrodynamic engineer Piet van Oossanen found that horizontal winglets on a rudder developed propelling force. It took until the years after 2000 for the development of the Hull Vane to take off after Van Oossanen Naval Architects's Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software was used. CFD provided more insight into the workings of the Hull Vane and it made it possible to come to an optimal design in terms of cost.

Fast Ships

The Hull Vane is most suitable to relatively fast ships: naval and coast guard vessels, ferries and roro ships, super yachts and specific kinds of offshore vessels. While a superyacht with a Hull Vane was still under construction at Heesen Yachts, Shipyard De Hoop retrofitted a Hull Vane onto a newly built Fast Supply Intervention Vessel, the Karina (nominated for the KNVTS Ship of the Year Award).

In July 2014, the Karina went on its sea trials with and without the Hull Vane in comparable circumstances. The results were a ten per cent resistance reduction at 12 knots and fifteen per cent at 21 knots. The 42 m superyacht Alive built by Heesen Yachts did even better: it saved twenty per cent fuel at speeds between 12 and 16.5 knots.

The Dutch Navy has also expressed interest in the Hull Vane for its Holland Class patrol vessels, which reportedly could save the navy 12.5 per cent of fuel annually.

Huisman's Hybrid Boom Crane

There were two more innovations nominated for the Maritime Innovation Award, one of which was Huisman's Hybrid Boom Crane. This type of crane combines the advantages of knuckle-boom cranes with those of regular offshore cranes. The Hybrid Boom Crane reduces both investment costs and operational costs of subsea construction vessels.

This crane design maintains the advantage of the knuckle boom functionality, which is essential for offshore construction activities, without the disadvantages of conventional knuckle boom cranes, such as the heavy boom that affects the crane load curves and impacts ship stability. The design also provides unparalleled advantages in workability. The crane is designed to execute projects in deep and ultra-deep waters and is able to handle large and heavy loads in hostile environmental conditions.

VAF Instruments

The third nominee was VAF Instruments with its TT Sense Shaft Power Thrust Meter. Using the TT-Sense for measuring shaft speed, torque and power results in broad insights in propeller efficiency, vessel pitch optimisation and hull resistance.

The TT-Sense uses the latest techniques to contribute to ship power management. The actual thrust measurement is obtained through an extremely accurate optical sensor technology. As a result of this non-contact sensor technology, the TT-Sense thrust and torque measuring system is maintenance free.