By
Rebecca Gibson |
Running cruise ships is a complex and expensive undertaking for owners and operators. Small changes to engines and propulsion systems can lead to significant differences in running costs. Eniram’s onboard applications, performance management and analytics and reporting solutions allow for the gathering and analysis of large amounts of data about how ships perform, says Padfield. “Previously, much of our reporting was ad hoc analysis, but increasingly we’re ‘productising’ that analysis by delivering automated applications. Last year, we helped our customers save US$33 million worth of fuel – that’s about 163,000 tons of CO2. The cumulative effect is quite large.”
Eniram’s onboard assistants and decision support systems allow for models to be built, showing what the optimal trim or speed of a vessel should be. Optimal models are compared with the current conditions to show where improvements can be made. “Our models can send a signal to the autopilot and automatically adjust the toe angle, for example,” says Padfield.
Increasingly, Eniram is looking at the vessel in the broader context of the voyage itself and voyage planning – “for example, looking at what time you arrive in port, and what depths and weather conditions you are going to encounter.”
Where an operator has multiple vessels running the company’s equipment, it is possible to gain a range of insights into efficiencies. “We’re gathering lots of data from those vessels and can break down the energy consumption of the vessel to show where energy is being consumed by heating, ventilation and propulsion,” says Padfield. “We analyse that data and disaggregate it, then present it to the customer in a meaningful way, for example as a specific analysis of fuel consumption or fouling. Automated reporting is delivered so they can look at comparisons across the fleet.”
Cruise ships account for about 200 of the 30,000 ships for which there is a very strong ROI for Eniram’s technology, says Padfield, and the company is already working with 70 vessels in the cruise segment. “Although it’s quite a small segment for us, it has become our dominant market because it’s quite sophisticated in its use of competitive analysis and looking at different solutions,” he remarks.
Word of mouth has seen the customer base expand quickly, says Padfield. “Initially we were in a position where, if somebody was interested in our technology, they always wanted to trial it first, and a trial could often take 6 months to a year before they saw the benefits and. But since early in 2011 we have seen new customers placing orders without requiring trials, based on recommendations in the industry. Typically, we can help customers achieve a ROI of around $300,000 on average on a single cruise ship in the first year, although the ROI is often achieved more quickly than that.”