Solstad Offshore claims to have achieved a 29% fuel saving by one of its platform support vessels (PSVs) during a transit from Australia.
The savings were reportedly achieved by the 6,164-dwt Normand Leader (built 2013) which had just come off charter from Australian gas producer Woodside.
“Over the last weeks, we have worked with our partner VPS Decarbonisation to use data analytics to save as much fuel and emissions as possible during a vessel’s long transit,” said Solstad Offshore.
“The crew onboard Normand Leader was able to save an incredible 29% of emissions and fuel consumption compared to a normal transit and only minor vessel speed alternations.”
The Oslo-listed shipowner said the key to success was “excellent seamanship plus data analytics”.
“Historical data was used to determine optimal transit speed, and the crew used several measures to reduce fuel consumption, including optimisation of trim and draft, autopilot settings, stopping unnecessary auxiliary equipment, and reducing the number of engines adequately to the sea conditions,” Solstad Offshore said.
Prior to commencing the transit, the vessel’s hull was optimised to make sure vessel drag was reduced to a minimum.
“Projects like this will help us to be better and more efficient. It is a win-win situation for Solstad, the environment and our clients,” said Solstad Offshore’s sustainability advisor Svein Erik Isaksen.
Solstad Offshore said it has come “a long way” in exploring the digital capabilities for fuel consumption.
The shipowner said it has been using the VPS Maress digital management system for data-driven decarbonisation to harvest fuel and emissions data for the past six years.
“With an up-to-date and real-time overview of the performance of each vessel – and the total fleet – Maress is a unique tool for fleet energy management and for building awareness around the company´s decarbonisation efforts,” Solstad Offshore said.
Maress is said to combine available data from the vessels with other relevant data sets to provide insight on how to reduce fuel and emissions, according to VPS.
“It was time we make additional use of the data and step up the efficiency challenge because we believe through dedication and proper insight a vessel’s fuel savings can be surprisingly high during a long transit,” Solstad Offshore added.
The Normand Leader is a dual-fuel PSV and was mobilised in late 2019 from the North Sea to Australia, where it ran on LNG fuel during the charter period.
The vessel worked on Australia’s North West Shelf, supporting the 'Green Corridor Initiative', a joint industry research project in which Woodside is a participant.
