DNV GL Trim Optimisation Slashes €21,000 from OSV Annual Bunker Bill

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday May 27, 2016

DNV GL Friday announced that a comparative study examining potential energy savings from the company's trim optimisation tool, ECO Assistant, has demonstrated that offshore supply vessels (OSV) could save €21,000 ($23,343) per year on bunker costs.

The joint development project (JDP), run by DNV GL, Farstad Shipping ASA (Farstad), and Statoil ASA (Statoil), examined two platform supply vessels (PSV), Far Sun and her sister ship Far Sygna, in the North Sea over a six month period.

The study compared both vessels, which are owned by Farstad and chartered by Statoil, while in service off the south west coast of Norway, with Far Sun utilising DNV GL's ECO Assistant.

The results demonstrated that use of DNV GL's ECO Assistant provided Far Sun with an average bunker savings of 4.3 percent compared to Far Sygna while operating between 4 and 14 knots, and over 5 percent savings while operating at speeds over 7 knots.

"Because of its bow design and relatively flat transom stern this PSV design proved to be sensitive to changes in trim. We were excited to see the results demonstrated that trim optimisation can help a modern PSV save significant amounts of fuel, without affecting its normal operation," said Petter Andersen, Principal Consultant for Fleet Performance Management at DNV GL – Maritime.

ECO Assistant is said to contain a trim-power model that is based on ship data and drawings, which incorporates seven speeds, seven drafts, and seven trim conditions.

"The optimum trim, related fuel savings and other hydrodynamic results are presented in a user-friendly digital interface," explains DNV GL, noting that the trim model also incorporates both speed-power and fuel oil consumption (FOC) curves for the full speed range of the vessel.

DNV GL says that more than 750 vessels around the world currently use ECO Assistant for trim optimisation.

"Even if our modern PSVs are highly fuel efficient due to advanced hull designs as well as innovative engine- and propeller configurations, it is interesting to observe how much impact operational considerations such as trim optimisation has on the energy consumption," said Børge Nakken, Vice President of Technology & Development at Farstad.

In March, DNV GL announced that Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell), Rolls-Royce's Marine Division, and MAN Diesel & Turbo SE (MAN) will be among the first companies to use its new liquefied natural gas (LNG) intelligence portal, known as LNGi, intended to share market intelligence and contribute to the uptake of LNG bunkers.