Maersk Tankers Retrofitting Vessels for Fuel Savings

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday May 28, 2013

Maersk Tankers is seeking fuel savings of up to 10 percent from a $35 million programme to retrofit about 70 tankers, according to a report by Carbon Positive, a consulting company that promotes environmentally friendly shipping.

Maersk Tankers' effort focuses on as many as 35 separate measures, and specialists will determine which retrofits will be the most effective for each type of vessel.

Maersk Maritime Technology, a subsidiary of Maersk Tankers' parent company, A.P. Moller Maersk (Maersk), will help assess the various technologies.

One "I-class" very large crude carriers (VLCC) will get fuel-saving devices including Becker Mewis propeller ducts and propeller boss cap fins.

By reducing the fuel consumption of existing ships, Maersk Tankers plans to avoid the need to order new, more fuel-efficient ships at a time when the market is already oversupplied with vessels.

Cutting fuel consumption by 8 percent, which it is believed can be achieved at relatively low cost, translates into a savings of about $8,000 per day, or $30 million per year for each VLCC.

Maersk Line, Maersk's containership business, said earlier this year that fuel efficiency measures have allowed it to realise a profit despite a difficult market.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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