Lifting Body Ships - "Bow Lifting Body (BLB)"

Navatek has conducted extensive research into the benefits of installing lifting bodies on the bow of larger vessels (>1,000 tons), On these ships, a bow lifting body (BLB) can reduce drag through the introduction of dynamic lift. Dynamic motion stabilization can also be incorporated into the lifting body itself, improving seakeeping and reducing speed loss in higher sea states. CFD studies and scale-model tests predicted this combination of trim control and reduced immersion would deliver significantly improved efficiency (represented by total ship lift-to-drag ratio) across the speed range. This translates into fuel savings of 33-50% compared to similar ships without a bow lifting body. These benefits were subsequently confirmed at sea in the form of a quarter-scale technology demonstration craft called the BLB-70, a 21.3 meter (70-foot), stabilized monohull with a bow-lifting body. Navatek has completed conceptual studies on both a 160-foot and a 300-foot BLB ship.