Improving energy efficiency enables cruise ship and ferry operators to reduce operating costs and emissions
Investments in energy efficiency improvements offer cruise ship and ferry operators an opportunity to reduce operating costs and emissions while building a more sustainable brand image. The overall energy efficiency of a vessel is determined by the choices made throughout its lifecycle, from newbuild to scrapping and recycling.
In the current market situation, investing in more energy efficient solutions is a good way to improve long-term competitiveness. Cruise shipping is currently one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism, with China offering big opportunities for growth. At the same time, the merchant shipping market is declining due to the economic downturn, despite the fluctuating crude oil prices.
Industry forerunners are focused on improving safety and energy efficiency and on minimising their impact on the environment, which is an increasingly important factor for a growing number of cruise shipping customers. Tightening maritime regulation is also creating pressure for enhanced energy efficiency for both existing and new fleets.
An operator wishing to optimise its fleet’s energy efficiency should apply a holistic strategy by implementing comprehensive lifecycle solutions that take into consideration the vessel’s entire journey, from business planning all the way to scrapping and recycling. Major improvements can also be achieved through assessing a specific area and applying a customised solution to it. Such solutions can be hull, propulsion and engine maintenance, machinery upgrades, or electrical and automation upgrades.
“The development of new ship design is constantly moving forward,” says Tomas Hakala, vice president of four-stroke engine services at Wärtsilä Services. “Upgrading the existing fleet and optimising its operations, as well as maintenance, propulsion and machinery are areas where energy efficiency can be improved. For example, continuous performance monitoring can lead to substantial savings in energy consumption while optimised and smart maintenance planning makes maintenance costs more predictable.”
The use of data and analytics are providing enormous opportunities for energy efficiency improvements too.
“Digital technologies make it possible for service providers to collect and analyse data from an installation and remotely monitor its performance,” says Maarten van der Klip, general manager of project sales and development at Wärtsilä Services. “The technical knowledge of maintenance service providers is becoming critical to supplement the ship crew’s competences.”
In 2015, Wärtsilä launched Wärtsilä Genius services, which use the benefits of real-time data and data analytics to improve the efficiency and predictability of operations. Wärtsilä Genius services can be used, for example, to optimise an installation’s energy efficiency, or even the management of an entire fleet.
Earlier this year, Wärtsilä introduced Wärtsilä Lifecycle solutions, which also covers Wärtsilä Genius services. Wärtsilä Lifecycle solutions consist of three concepts that combine digital innovations and advanced data analytics with a holistic approach. As an example, guaranteed asset performance is a ground-breaking concept that provides guaranteed operational reliability, performance and uptime. This means that performance targets related to energy efficiency are determined based on measured data, and Wärtsilä can guarantee that these targets are reached and maintained.