Copenhagen-based bunker planning and optimisation solutions provider BunkerMetric in early July introduced ‘‘BunkerPlanner Lite’, a free-to-trial version of its BunkerPlanner platform, in an effort to demonstrate bunker planning optimisation strategy to ship owners and charterers.

Individuals can reach remarkable results based on their experience, wits and intuition when buying bunkers for the fleet, according to BunkerMetric.

However, the power of a good algorithm supported by relevant data and full awareness of the relevant constraints, will in the end win on its sheer ability to perform restless calculations of all possible solutions unbiased by past learnings, it believes.

“At BunkerMetric, we know the area of bunker buying is always sensitive when it comes to using computer-generated prescriptions of actions,” states the company.

“Voyage management teams and bunker buying teams feel they have a lot of experience among themselves to do planning, estimating and sourcing without relying on computerised decision making.

“The best way for marine operations people to appreciate innovation is to ‘touch and feel’ first, before entrusting machine to do what was traditionally done by the humans.”

The release of BunkerPlanner Lite, a free-to-trial version of BunkerMetric’s flagship product BunkerPlanner is an attempt to let people familiarise themselves with the possibilities of technology and its fit to their daily work.

Any vessel operator, bunker manager, or charterer is able to compare their planning skills with that done by a computer-based planner by signing up to access BunkerPlanner Lite.

The user simply enters the vessel’s IMO number, port of destination, and bunker on board known on the day (RoB); the system then returns the bunkering plan to be assessed.

“Vessel operators and bunker buyers are always sensitive when it comes to using computer-generated prescriptions of actions. Our mission is to offer people a chance to familiarise themselves with what optimization technology does and how it can help in their daily efforts,” comments Fernando Alvarez, CTO of BunkerMetric.

Christian Plum, CEO of BunkerMetric adds: “Our decision to create BunkerPlanner Lite was to educate professionals engaged in bunker decisions about the use of advanced technology in the decision process.”

“Even though the software will return realistic bunkering plan, it is more about users becoming familiar with difficult to explain concepts of how mathematical optimisation applies to real jobs in this area.”

About BunkerMetric
BunkerMetric, a software company founded in 2017, is a leading global provider of bunker planning and optimization solutions for ship owners and charterers. Its cornerstone product, BunkerPlanner, helps vessel operators around the world reduce bunker cost and improve decision transparency across the bunkering desk, the chartering desk and the vessel operations desk. The BunkerPlanner application ensures regulatory compliance and dramatically improves financial results creating impact where it really matters – on the bottom line of the voyage profit line.

For more information, please contact BunkerMetric at contact@bunkermetric.com or head directly to https://lite.bunkerplanner.com to learn more about computer-based bunker planning.

Published: 22 July, 2021