Hull Design

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EcoNavis Solutions has joined forces with ShipDyn Ltd. to optimise and commercialise an innovative hull form Y-Hull® that combines the stability and deck space of a catamaran with the efficiency and single-shaft simplicity of a monohull.

The Y-Hull®’s distinctive geometry features twin forward demi-hulls before merging into a single monohull aft. From the bow, the vessel looks like a regular catamaran, with twin demi-hulls reducing resistance and wake impact. But midway along the parallel mid-body, the demi-hulls merge into a single monohull, allowing the vessel to operate with one engine and one propeller while retaining the broader beam, stability and deck area typically associated with a twin-hull.

The partners say the patented Y-Hull® form delivers not only improved stability, lower wake impact and enhanced passenger comfort, but also a substantial reduction in fuel consumption.

From safety concern to commercial innovation

After witnessing a Bangladeshi passenger vessel capsize in the wake of a large commercial ship, ShipDyn founder, and EcoNavis COO Amitavo Wye designed and built a 13 m steel Y-Hull® prototype craft with the aim of improving stability and reducing river bank and coastal erosion.

“The idea came from a real-life safety concern,” said Wye. “But what we have found is that the Y-Hull® delivers much more: fuel savings, more environmental benefits and more comfortable seakeeping. This makes it relevant for operators facing today’s performance and sustainability challenges.”

The passenger ferry Wye built is now operational, ferrying passengers across a Bangladeshi waterway. The ferry owner has also reported a 25% reduction in fuel consumption compared with a monohull vessel of the same dimensions.

Next steps

Dr Batuhan Aktas, Founder and CEO of EcoNavis Solutions, said: “When I first saw the Y-Hull®, I recognised its potential for applications like crew transfer vessels, which are critical to offshore wind but consume significant amounts of fuel. By optimising the design, we can create vessels that are more efficient, more comfortable, and more in line with a ship operator’s sustainability and net-zero goals.”

EcoNavis and ShipDyn are now taking the design further by refining the hull form through computational fluid dynamics, simulation and towing tank tests. The intention is to validate performance, optimise hull geometry and produce technical and commercialisation plans.

In addition to the renewable energy segment, the partners see opportunities for the novel hull in the leisure marine, passenger and commercial shipping sectors, especially in environmentally sensitive or confined waterways where reduced wake can mitigate against shoreline erosion. Larger merchant ships such as tankers and bulk carriers could see substantial fuel and emissions reductions at scale, with project analysis suggesting around 4,500 tonnes of CO₂ saved annually for a 240 m tanker.