Voyage optimisation can reduce emissions and improve CII rating - ClassNK study

The study shows that voyage optimisation enables a vessel to reduce its fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 7.3%.

PHOTO: Oil tanker with a smoke trail. Getty Images

Japanese classification society ClassNK, Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation and maritime software developer and data analytics firm NAPA conducted the study jointly.

The study says that voyage optimisation can also improve a vessel’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating by an average of 5-6%.

The CII regulation mandates shipowners to calculate an Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) for each vessel to grant them a CII rating between A-E, wherein A is the best rated.

For the research, NAPA’s ship performance model and voyage simulation tools were used to analyse data related to voyages, weather, and sea conditions in 2021. It was done for selected bulk carriers owned and operated by Marubeni. The potential decrease in fuel consumption and emissions was measured by optimising values for each voyage by incorporating weather routing based on the conditions back then.

ClassNK advised on simulations and verified the research findings.

“The study based on the actual voyage data has successfully demonstrated the value of the simulation in generating insights. ClassNK will use its outcome to enhance our certification service range which is responding to decarbonization trends and the advancement of digital technology,” ClassNK’s general manager of Digital Transformation Center Yoshimichi Sasaki says.

By Shilpa Sharma

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