By
Rebecca Gibson |
International classification society RINA has launched InfoShip Energy Management (EM), a tool that monitors and optimises the hotel power demand on cruise ships in real time.
Part of the InfoShip Energy Governance suite developed by RINA and software house IB Software & Consulting, the InfoShip EM tool collects live power consumption data from the hotel services, air conditioning systems, accommodation and lighting systems and galley and laundry services. It then compares actual use of power with the established target values, which are initially calculated at the design and installation stages and are then continuously updated by operational feedback and trend analysis.
By using a traffic light graphic display, the system alerts the ship’s staff when the actual energy use has exceeded target energy use, allowing them to take remedial measures, such as load shedding or load shifting. The InfoShip EM tool is expected to produce hotel load energy savings of more than 10%, reducing annual fuel costs signifcantly.
“Around half the energy used by a modern cruise ship is for the hotel services, so if we can bear down on that, we can produce substantial cost savings for cruise operators,” said Paolo Moretti, head of the marine business line, RINA Services. “InfoSHIP EM gives the cruise ship operators the information they need to make sensible energy saving decisions, such as getting laundry done outside peak time, or changing air-conditioning patterns. It also provides real data to inform decisions on retrofit or updates to onboard equipment.”