Enginei system will eventually be deployed on ten of the UK ferry operator's major vessels
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Eight Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) ferries have now been fitted with new fuel monitoring systems developed by marine diesel power generation specialist Royston Limited.
Installed as part of the Scottish ferry operator’s Project Ecoship policy, the new Enginei fuel management system will help to improve fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all of its vessels weighing more than 2,500gt. The systems were fitted to eight ferries this summer and will be installed on two more during the company’s routine annual maintenance period.
Royston’s recently upgraded Enginei system uses Coriolis flowmeters and sensors to accurately monitor the fuel being consumed by each of a vessel’s engines, which is tracked against GPS data, voyage details and operational mode. The real-time data is collected, processed and relayed to bridge and engine room-mounted touchscreen monitors to enable the ship’s master to adjust vessel speed or take other actions to reduce fuel consumption. Onshore teams can access data remotely via a secure online portal.
“This contract win shows how flexible Enginei can be in successfully meeting the fuel monitoring needs of different vessels,” said Damian McCann, Royston’s Enginei product manager. “Installing the new systems in operational vessels has been a complex logistical project. Our success in meeting the client’s requirements and winning this contract demonstrates the experience and professional expertise of the Royston team.”
CalMac operates more than 130,000 separate sailings a year to 24 island destinations and on a number of mainland Scottish routes. In 2014, the company’s fleet of more than 30 ferries carried 4.65 million passengers, 1.1 million cars, almost 93,000 commercial vehicles and more than 11,000 coaches.
“Our commitment to the taxpayer and the environment has come together with Project Ecoship,” said CalMac’s technical director Peter Breslin. “The fuel monitoring systems have only recently been installed on our vessels and the project is in a bedding-in phase. But both early data and anecdotal feedback from the ships is encouraging and we expect to see significant benefits in due course both to our carbon footprint and our bottom line.
Breslin added: “Environmental kindness and major shipping vessels may seem like unlikely bedfellows, but we are committed to taking steps to improve our green credentials as we pass through some of the least polluted and most unspoilt areas in Europe during our day-to-day work.”