Fuel Optimization Service

Economic Speed without delay” sounds like an oxymoron on the first sight. But Blue Water Optimum Speed Services (BOSS) proves it wrong. BOSS optimizes fuel consumption through planning and monitoring of optimum speed schedule without compromising on the arrival time as per charter party terms and conditions.

Blue Water, a pioneer in the research & development of the Cargo Heating Management System, has been offering eco-tech integrated solutions and advisory services to global maritime industry since year 2008. BOSS is the latest addition in its line-up of optimization solutions, which uses state of the art dynamic programming techniques for providing a complete solution to commercial & operations desk for managing the voyage in a most optimum manner.There has been a major shift in shipping industry’s operating context recently. New challenges are emerging with fluctuations in freight rates, bunker costs and sustainability concerns throughout maritime industry. The key to these challenges lies in technological advances that offer the potential for radical improvements in efficiency through enhanced collaboration and cost.

“Ship handling is an art of controlling factors beyond control, by controlling factors which are under control”.

BOSS is inspired by this famous saying. It manages main engine RPM intelligently to exploit factors beyond control i.e. weather and market. BOSS uses enhanced data mining techniques and marine hydrodynamics functions to derive intelligence from completed voyage data and vessel test results. Advance algorithms are then applied for simulating the voyage in forecast/historical weather, taking into consideration all such factors that can affect voyage earnings, such as ETA at charter party speed, ETB, Freight, Demurrage, Bunker rates and even the Inventory cost.

The salient features of this service are:-

• On-line access to the system by ship-owner, charterer, cargo owner, terminal and other stakeholders as per client requirement.
• Continuous monitoring, observation and recommendation by BOSS voyage analysts.
• Add-on service like Interactive Negotiation Tool, Speed - Fuel Consumption Calculator, Speed-RPM-FOC Curves and Voyage Plan Comparator (for comparison of voyage earnings/TCE)

“This service does not require any retrofitting and installation of software or hardware and hence is a zero investment product”. BOSS is an on-line secured practical process that aims at an operational optimization through collective & informed decision; the direct benefits of which may be verified almost immediately. Giving a clear picture of the actual usage/motive of this service, added “BOSS is completely different from many other speed optimization solutions/services prevailing in current maritime industry. Adoption of BOSS will provide benefits beyond just reduction in operational cost and harmful emissions. It provides a platform for good cooperation, dialogue between the vessel owner/operator, the charterer and other stakeholders of the voyage.

The results has confirmed the following:-

• Considerable savings can be achieved if vessel is to follow optimized voyage plan generated by BOSS as against maintaining speed as per C/P.
• Verification of the predictive accuracy of Speed made good (SMG) achieved on forecasted weather every noon.
• BOSS can be implemented with minimum involvement of vessel and operations staff.
• Potential savings, which go unrealized in various scenarios.
• Voyage plan revision by BOSS according to real time situation faced by the vessel (e.g. critical RPM, slow steaming, re-routing).

 Thus a series of small steps taken in the right direction can make a large impact and prove that ‘Small is the next Big’.