Asia/Pacific News
Southeast Asia Distributor Chosen for Fuel Management System
Nautical Control Solutions LP (NCS) has signed marine fuel management systems consultant Mustang Technologies to sell and support its FuelTrax system in Southeast Asia, the company said in an emailed press release.
Mustang Technologies CEO Charles Kathrein said that, despite low rates and high fuel costs in the shipping industry, the Southeast Asian offshore support vessel (OSV) sector is growing rapidly.
"Oil majors who charter OSV's are increasingly requesting greater transparency regarding bunkering and fuel consumption for vessels under charter," he said.
"FuelTrax collects the required bunkering and fuel consumption data without human intervention and the FuelNet reporting tool provides web access to bunkering and fuel consumption activities for all stakeholders."
He added that his company is "seeing a greater market acceptance of FuelTax and FuelNet" in the region and that protection and indemnity (P&I) clubs have said using the tools may allow them to reduce companies' premiums thanks to the transparency they provide.
NCS CEO Anthony George said the FuelTrax system provides owners and other stakeholders with data on how vessels use fuel and what activities affect their fuel economy.
"As fuel prices remain high and volatile, owners and operators must find ways to accurately measure and report fuel usage across a fleet and then easily identify areas where quick improvements can be made," he said.
NCS has been seeking to spread the use of the systems worldwide, winning a European Union (EU) patent for FuelTrax earlier this year after getting a Canadian patent last year and a U.S. patent in 2006.
