Grahaeme Henderson, vice president for shipping & maritime at Shell International Trading and Shipping Co, told the London International Shipping Week conference that this has saved 300,000t of fuel and reduced CO2 emissions by 1mt – the equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from a quarter of a million cars.
He said Shell is now extending this program.
Henderson said Shell believes that optimisation of ship's operations in real time can add a further 10% saving.
He said the company is looking at new technology such air lubrication, which involves putting a blanket of bubbles under the ship's hull, magnetic mooring and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Henderson said: "Shipping needs to have the climate change debate at the forefront of its thinking and be proactive in reducing its own greenhouse gas footprint."
He said there is a need to work together across the industry to make things happen quickly.
"My vision is a world – a world where in 10 years shipping will have halved the number of its safety related incidents, will have identified and embraced new technologies of delivering significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and shipping will be seen as an efficient high technology industry with strong private, public and industry group partnerships in place working together with governments towards a common objective.
"It will also be the place to work," he added, attracting innovative and creative people that will help meet the challenges of the future."
