Sindre Stemshaug Bornstein, VP Commercial Decarbonisation of marine fuels testing company VPS, shares the firm’s role in REM Offshore campaign which saw its fleet increase its fuel efficiency by 9.8% in three months:

The crews on the REM PSV fleet recently rallied behind the common goal of increasing the fuel efficiency. The results speak for themselves. Over the course of three months the fleet increased its fuel efficiency by a baffling 9.8%. This translates directly to emission cuts and cost savings, totaling 1,700 tons of CO2 emissions saved and a fuel value in excess of half a million dollars.

The objective of the REM Offshore campaign was to proactively reduce vessel emissions levels in key modes of operation, such as dynamic positioning (DP), standby, port and transit eco. To do this, a specific part of the project was built around identifying and overcoming technical and operational barriers. In three of the four modes of operation double-digit savings was achieved during the campaign period. Some vessels even saw savings >20% in certain operational modes. The detailed analytics and measurement of savings was done by leveraging the high-quality fuel and operational data REM is collecting through the VPS Maress data- driven decarbonisation solution.

REM and VPS worked closely during the project, seen here with Linda Stuberg from VPS and Capt. Boyan Boyanov from REM Mira.

REM HSEQ Manager Iliyan Aleksandrov, said: “REM has committed to optimising the energy consumption of our operations and being an active player in the ongoing transition to a more sustainable maritime industry. We achieved our ISO 50001 certification this year, and amongst other initiatives, we were excited to extend our working relationship with VPS Decarbonisation on this campaign. Crew dedication, strong focus on energy efficiency and consumption optimisation, combined with VPS decarb advisory service and Maress software were the key factors in achieving the amazing results.”

One example of a challenge that is a cause for excessive fuel burn was when vessels are in transit and receive speed demands from charterers that might not align with fuel- efficient speeds. The challenge for the crew is to then strike the right balance between vessel speed, fuel efficiency, prevailing weather conditions, and safety.

By using available data and insight around this to engage in close discussions with the charterers it is possible to fine-tune speed based on vessel capabilities and conditions. Closer, data-driven interaction between vessel owner and charterer is often a win-win situation, where the end-result is more efficient vessel operations. In the campaign, REM was also able to use the data collected in Maress to calculate the economic speed of each vessel and pairing this with sailing forecast data led to improved voyage planning and speed management.

“What gets measured gets managed”, said Emilian Buksak, Senior Decarb Advisor with VPS. He worked closely with the crew and onshore organisation during the planning and execution of the campaign. 

“The results we see from campaigns like this are just incredible. It was truly motivating to see the whole REM organisation start utilising available data and analytics in new ways. We started seeing patterns and improvement areas that would have been difficult to uncover without high quality data collection and analytics such as provided by the Maress software solution. However, finding the answers is one thing, but there would be no savings if it wasn’t for the focus and eagerness of the crews to really take it to the next level”, Emilian continued.

Once a new efficiency level and fleet baseline has been demonstrated in a campaign such as this, it is key to avoid falling back into old patterns. A few ingredients that improve the chances of sustained results are; a continued focus from the organisation and a company culture built around celebrating best practices – in combination with a solid system for showing data-driven insights.

Looking ahead, Iliyan and Emilian discuss with enthusiasm about the next initiatives on the list to reduce fuel and emissions further. They are in full agreement that -even though big strides have been taken and the REM vessels are more efficient than most “…there is more potential to be tapped!”

REM Offshore CEO, Lars Conradi Andersen sums it up: “Decarbonisation is the way forward for our industry. What we have achieved and learned during this campaign will be further implemented within our fleet operational practices to make sure REM continues to be a leader in innovation and green initiatives towards the zero-emission long term target.”

And, if you have been wondering which of the REM PSVs that saw the biggest savings in the campaign, the answer is REM Cetus. Congratulations to the crew.

Photo credit: VPS
Published: 14 November, 2023