How to Make Fuel
Savings on a SMARTShip
Background:
The TFOC (Total Fuel Oil Consumption) application in SMARTShip helps stakeholders in making informed decisions for optimizing fuel consumption and thereby also reducing environmental impact over the full length of a voyage.
This is done by providing speed advice every three hours, generated through detailed analysis of real time weather forecasts employing a patented algorithm that also considers a vessel’s hull form, charter party conditions and intended ETA.
TFOC: A case study and perspective
A gas carrier fitted with SMARTShip used the TFOC module over 12 voyages in the first 10 months of 2021 and recorded 357.5 MT in fuel savings or ~9.1% lesser consumption based on performance until Dec. 2020. This equates to about USD 178,000 in operating cost savings and or a whopping ~1,113 MT reduction in CO₂ emissions.
Following SMARTShip commissioning, the ship staff and shore operators used video tutorials as well as taking part in familiarization sessions conducted by AOT. This assisted them to correctly enter the voyage parameters, identify performance benchmarks and understand the data captured within the system.
There was close involvement and interaction with the charterers through the owner’s commercial department in order to obtain necessary concurrence for the vessel to follow advice generated by TFOC. The voyage was constantly monitored by shore operators and any changes in voyage updated periodically in the system in discussion with the commercial team and the vessel staff.
At the end of each voyage the total fuel consumption was analyzed against the performance benchmark as well as actual weather to estimate the projected actual savings, with agreement from the vessel operators.
Around 50,000 merchant ships carry 11 billion MT of cargo every year around the world which is 80% of world trade. There is huge potential for reducing CO₂ emissions by fuel consumption optimization, which is also in line with the extensive new regulations adopted by IMO.
Ship owners and other stakeholders in the maritime industry are intensifying their efforts to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping. The IMO, as the international regulatory body, set a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy in 2018. One of the goals is to achieve a reduction in carbon intensity of 40% by 2030 compared to the 2008 level. The target is to reduce GHG emissions by improving the energy efficiency of vessels as well as introducing new technologies and low or zero-carbon fuels.
In June 2021, the IMO adopted extensive new CO₂ regulations applicable to existing ships. The Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) addressing the technical efficiency of ships, the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating scheme addressing the operational efficiency, and the enhanced Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) addressing the management system.
From 2023, the CII requirements will take effect for all cargo, RoPax and cruise vessels above 5,000 GT and trading internationally.
The CII measures how efficiently a ship transports goods or passengers and is given in grams of CO₂ emitted per cargo-carrying capacity and nautical mile. The ship is then given an annual rating ranging from A to E, whereby the rating thresholds will become increasingly stringent towards 2030.
While the EEXI is a one-time certification targeting design parameters, the CII addresses the actual emissions in operation.