Survey: 97% of Ship Owners and Operators Seeking Energy Savings

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday February 20, 2014

A new report commissioned by marine coating company International Paint finds that 92 percent of ship owners and operators measure fuel consumption and 87 percent say a common standardised methodology for doing so is important.

The survey, by UCL Energy Institute, found that the vast majority of companies that monitor fuel use, 97 percent, want to identify potential cost-savings and ways to increase efficiency, while 51 percent say they are seeking to satisfy requirements for environmental indexes.

"Virtually all respondents cited the identification of potential cost-savings as the reason for monitoring fuel consumption," the study's authors write.

"This was further corroborated by the fact that over 70% of respondents had 'improving fleet efficiency' as a boardroom agenda item."

The most commonly used monitoring tool is noon reports, at 63 percent, followed by energy efficiency operational indicators (EEOIs) at 49 percent, automated continuous on-bard monitoring at 44 percent, and paper logbooks at 42 percent.

Charterers were far more likely than other types of companies to report using paper logbooks.

Eighty percent of companies said they have implemented some kind of fuel-saving technology within the past five years.

Hull coatings were the most common adaptation, at 70 percent, followed by machinery modifications at 58 percent and propeller modifications at 55 percent.

International Paint has called for transparent, international standards to show the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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