With bunker costs passing $600/tonne, classification society DNV has unveiled a new guide which it claims will help operators make 5–10% savings on fuel.
Guidance for Fuel Saving Measures independently assesses potential fuel saving measures and includes a calculator for Return on Investment analysis so operators can assess the financial implications of investing in fuel saving devices.
DNV’s latest Bulk Carrier Update details some of the devices surveyed in the guide, which takes in products designed to improve engine, hull and rudder performance.
Michael Aasland, director for bulk carriers, told DCI on the sidelines of Sea Asia 2011 in Singapore in April that while the guide was primarily aimed at newbuildings which he said could gain savings in fuel costs of up to 10% by introducing new measures, it was also applicable to vessels already operational which could be back-fitted with devices to improve fuel efficiency. “Fuel is a big part of operating costs,” he said. “The fuel cost constitutes three times the rest of operating costs... and the price of fuel is high and the rates are low.”
The guide is intended to bring some order to the ‘jungle’ of energy saving devices marketed at owners, according to Aasland.
Part of a joint project with Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI), he said the guide would “help owners select the measures which give them the most benefit in terms of reducing emissions and cost cutting in an extremely competitive bulk market.”
He said a number of owners had asked for help with the project and taken part in trials.
The Guide attempts to provide answers for specific product to questions such as how does a device work, will a chosen yard be able to install it, how much should the device cost, and what reduction in fuel consumption will it enable.
“Not all ship owners have time and resources to answer these questions,” said Aasland.
Key to its effectiveness is a calculator which allows proper cost-benefit analyst taking in future fuel price scenarios, investment and maintenance costs and cuts in fuel use.“It delivers the financial numbers so owners can make a decision and work out the payback period,” he added.
“We’re not recommending a particular product, we’re looking at how to validate them using proper methodology.”
Michael King