Focus on behaviour can bring fuel savings

The “Esvagt Gamma” is taking part in a project to strengthen environmental awareness and change behaviour.

The “Esvagt Gamma”, together with vessels from shipping companies like A.P. Møller-Mærsk, TORM, J. Lauritzen, Færgen and A2Sea, is taking part in the ’Blue INNOship’ project that focuses on energy efficiency and the reduction of exhaust gas emissions.

The goal for ’Blue INNOship’, which is support by Danmarks Innovationsfond (Denmark’s innovation fund), is partly to test green technology in ’floating test laboratories’ and partly to study how behaviour on board ship has an environmental effect on vessel operations.

The latter focus is of particular interest to ESVAGT:

“We have chosen to use the ”Esvagt Gamma” for the study because it is a vessel that is representative for ESVAGT activities: It is busy, sails a great deal and performs many functions,” says Claes Skov Jensen, Fleet Manager – Technical for ESVAGT.

He is in no doubt that behaviour has a significant impact on fuel consumption:

“It will be interesting to see how much we can influence consumption by influencing behaviour and attitude on board. My guess is that we are likely to change it a great deal,” says Claes Skov Jensen.

Do as you would at home

Most of us know that a red light next to the fuel gauge changes a driver’s behaviour: lower speed, fewer overtaking manoeuvres, greater focus on anticipating the traffic ahead to hit a green light flow through traffic lights and avoiding costly accelerations.

ESVAGT is also convinced that the same focus will have an effect on a vessel.

“If you become aware that fuel consumption is something to focus on and that what you do can make a difference, then I think we can bring about real change. It makes a difference if your focus is on consumption instead of elsewhere,” says Claes Skov Jensen.

The “Esvagt Gamma” will therefore be equipped with an economy gauge that will show when the vessel is sailing optimally. The gauge is set to show all aspects of economic sailing:

”You can affect a great deal if you want to: You can make allowances for trim, wind, heading and swell. You need to think when planning: Can you hit the tide right when entering the harbour? You can also turn off the television if no-one is watching it and turn the lights off when leaving a room. All of the things you would do at home. And, in harmony with the customer’s needs, speed should be adapted to perfectly match what has to be done. The difference between sailing at 12 knots instead of 14 knots is something that can really be felt on fuel consumption,” he says.

Gains on improvements

Claes Skov Jensens expects that ESVAGT will gain fuel consumption improvement through increased awareness:

”We have already greatly reduced our consumption by optimising machinery and technical equipment and by choosing environmentally friendly systems where possible. Yet there are always potential gains to be had by increasing awareness about consumption. I believe that most of the remaining potential for improvement in consumption can be reaped by changing behaviour. This is where we have the chance of doing things even better,” says Claes Skov Jensen. 

FACTS

Changes can be made

ESVAGT has previously carried out an unscientific test of what awareness and economical speed can do for consumption. Two of ESVAGT’s C type vessels from the ASL shipyard sailed home from the Singapore yard. One vessel sailed at full speed (over 12 knots) and the other vessel sailed at a more economic speed (between 10 and 11 knots). Consumption for the fast sailing vessel was 10 cubic metres of fuel compared to 8 cubic metres of fuel per day for the more economically run vessel.