Enginei fuel management system has been fitted to ten of CalMac's passenger ferries
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Scottish ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) is on track to meet its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to fuel monitoring systems developed by marine diesel power generation specialist Royston.
Installed last year as part of CalMac’s Project Ecoship policy, the new Enginei fuel management system was fitted to all ten of its passenger ferries weighing more than 2,500gt to improve fuel consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2% or 1,800 tonnes.
CalMac has now reported that initial results from the programme are ‘encouraging’ and that it expects to meet its emissions reduction target, with the engine operational adjustments not affecting journey schedules and timetables. If CalMac meets its emissions targets as expected, the installation costs of the ten Enginei systems will pay for themselves within 12 months.
In addition, the data produced by enginei system has also encouraged closer working between the bridge and engineering crews and has also fostered collaboration across the fleet with staff exchanging ideas on engine performance and fuel optimisation.
“While it is too early to reveal any kind of scientifically concrete data, the initial figures we are seeing, as well as the anecdotal feedback from the teams onboard, are optimistic,” said Drew Collier, CalMac’s operations director. “Our target is to make a 2% reduction in our release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. At the moment, we are confident that we are on track to achieve this and, importantly, we now have the technology in place to make accurate measurement.”
Royston’s 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.