StormGeo, the industry leader in weather intelligence and ship routing services, on 10 September introduced its new Bunker Management module at the DNV Technology Center in Singapore.

The bunker management solution, first launched in February, is designed to assist shipping companies, particularly operators and bunker buyers, in navigating the complex maritime regulatory environment by streamlining planning and procurement processes.

“StormGeo's bunker management solution stands out by combining real-time data, advanced AI, and comprehensive fuel performance analytics to give a full transparent overview of our clients bunker management,” Julie Nielsen, Global Head of Bunker Sales, told Manifold Times.

“Unlike many traditional systems that only focus on fuel procurement or basic monitoring, StormGeo integrates environmental data with predictive models to help operators make smarter, proactive decisions.

“This not only reduces fuel consumption but also minimizes emissions as well as cutting cost by making the right bunker planning as well as having the real market data by hand when ordering bunkers, which aligns with sustainability targets and regulatory requirements.”

According to Nielsen, the new Bunker Management module seamlessly integrates into StormGeo’s existing s-Insight platform, offering clients a unified system for fleet and voyage optimisation.

The module connects with the company’s current routing and performance systems, allowing clients to track fuel usage, predict optimal routes, and benchmark performance in real-time.

The holistic approach ensures more efficient operations, lower operational costs, and improved environmental compliance, making it a key differentiator in the market and a key tool to optimise the largest cost on the OPEX.

“Shipping firms should adopt StormGeo's Digital Bunker Management platform because it delivers a comprehensive approach to fuel management that drives the largest cost on their OPEX, as well as optimising cost and time, as well as compliance with environmental regulations,” she added.

“The platform provides real-time visibility into fuel consumption, planning, procurement, and emissions, enabling shipping companies to make informed decisions that optimise their operations.

“Further by having a one-stop-shop solution for all your software solutions, is key to transparency and avoiding too much complexity.

“StormGeo’s continuous innovation and commitment to sustainability make it an essential partner for companies looking to future-proof their operations in a rapidly evolving maritime landscape.”

Photos from the event can be found below:

Photo credits: StormGeo
Published: 18 September 2024

Manifold Times gained exclusive access into Reinach-based MFM manufacturer Endress+Hauser Flow factory in Switzerland during February. This will be the fourth in a series of five articles produced for behind-the-scenes glimpses of the intricate process on what goes into perfecting mass flowmeters (MFMs).

The following are key takeaways from the tour to understand the role of MFMs in supporting shipping’s energy transition:

As the shipping industry seeks other forms of alternative energy sources to meet IMO 2030 and IMO 2050 emission limits, new types of fuels will be needed.

“At first there was the transition from traditional bunker fuels such as HFO to fuels with lower sulphur content. Now, we are witnessing the transition towards carbon neutral fuels,” said Stephan Natter, Principal Business Development Manager of Endress+Hauser Flow.

“What we see is that environmentally friendly fuels will play a major role in the marine industry; we are talking about liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, biofuels, maybe ammonia and hydrogen, to a certain extent over the next years.

“We want to support our customers with expert advice on their journey to reduce their carbon footprint, when it comes to flow measurement equipment and process consultation.”

According to Natter, some LNG bunker tankers are still using level gauges determining the delivered quantity. Often the installed equipment is lagging on traceability and custody transfer certification for LNG, resulting in short deliveries and disputes, similar to the situation with the former oil bunker tankers.

MFMs, which measurement performance can be traced back to the International System of Units, can be used over a very wide range of different process conditions.

“You can use our Coriolis mass flow meters for many kinds of liquids and with the same model and with some minor modifications the application range can be extended towards high pressure and very low temperatures such as LNG which operates at minus 165 degrees Celsius,” he explained.

“The biggest difference between traditional fuels and LNG is the cryogenic temperature of LNG. Today, all information needed to describe the mechanical model of a MFM, including the nonlinearity of metals at very low temperature, is known.

“Endress+Hauser proved on numerous test measurements that the water calibration factor can be transferred to cryogenic liquids without compromising on precision.

“Safety is often of major concern in LNG applications. Due to the nature of LNG, which expands 600 times from liquid to gas, we developed a specific zero-point verification procedure together with NMi Certin B.V. which allows to perform zero-point verification under gaseous conditions to remove the risk for the operator”.

Natter added: “LNG is traded in energy. That means, a bunkering metering system needs to have more than just the quantity measurement.”

Endress+Hauser launched a new LNG bunkering solution which offers its customers high precision at optimized CAPEX and OPEX. The purpose-built LNG bunkering solution offers real-time quantity measurement with MFM and LNG analysis with Raman spectroscopy without the need for sampling and vaporisation. The solution offers quantity measurement for LNG, BOG and fuels gas, composition measurement of LNG, energy and methane number calculation with complete traceability to national standards and certification for custody transfer.

“With the Raman analyser which offers composition measurement, we are extending the measuring system from quantity to quality; combined the two it gives us the energy amount going beyond a traditional MFM system,” he stated.

Endress+Hauser’s LNG bunkering solution is currently being used by a LNG bunker tanker operating at the Port of Singapore.

Related: Endress+Hauser factory tour series: Oil calibration of Singapore’s bunkering master meter
Related: Endress+Hauser factory tour series: Transforming designs into reality
Related: Endress+Hauser factory tour series: Finer points of MFM design, explained by R&D

 

Photo credit: Endress+Hauser
Published: 17 September 2024

 

Classification society DNV on recently published a Maritime Impact article on Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV Maritime’s CEO, sharing his reflections on the latest findings of the new Maritime Forecast to 2050 report and how maritime can get closer to achieving upcoming decarbonization goals: 

Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO, DNV Maritime, says shipping must invest in the exploration and development of technological solutions that improve energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions until carbon-neutral fuels become available.

Decarbonization is one of the greatest challenges facing shipping. Following a slow start, decarbonization aspirations have been embraced by the maritime industry. IMO goals have been set, notably full-scale decarbonization by or around 2050, a 20% emissions reduction by 2030, and a 70% reduction by 2040.

While these moves have been widely welcomed, it’s time to get real. Setting goals is the easy part. Achieving them is extremely difficult, bordering on the impossible. Indeed, a pragmatic assessment of the shipping industry today indicates that decarbonization is slowing down, not accelerating.

Let’s look at the facts.

The costly transition to carbon-neutral fuels

Full decarbonization will require a large-scale transition to carbon-neutral fuels. This is a huge challenge requiring the construction of new vessels and the retrofitting of existing vessels to enable them to operate on, likely very expensive, green versions of fuels. In a global economy already heavily burdened by inflation and high interest rates, the extra costs associated with this transformation are about as appealing to shipowners as a leaky hull.

Indeed, in an era of higher freight rates, shipowners are understandably seeking to harvest profits and have little incentive to join the queue for limited yard space. While around 50% of new orders today are for ships with dual-fuel capability, constructing them comes at a premium which is difficult to pass along the supply chain. The happy hour for methanol appears to be over already, and the reality is that 93% of the global fleet is still running on conventional fuels.

Even if this technological shift on board the vessels is eventually successful, global supplies of carbon-neutral fuels remain miniscule and shipping needs to compete with other industries for its share. Fuel suppliers are reluctant to invest billions of dollars in projects for which demand is uncertain and, so far, the exponential growth in supply that we need is nowhere to be seen.

But all is not lost yet.

Harnessing technology and cultural changes to drive energy efficiency

Using simulations, this year’s Maritime Forecast to 2050 report by DNV estimates that fuel consumption can be reduced by between 4% and 16% by 2030 using energy efficiency measures.

The first few percentage points can be achieved quite easily. Many maritime companies have already shown that by instilling cultural changes throughout an organization, and by encouraging crew members to seek efficiencies through their day-to-day operations, fuel consumption can be reduced, and emissions reductions of around 5% can be achieved.

However, going to the next level and reaching double-digit energy efficiency requires technological solutions. Technologies like wind-assisted propulsion and waste-heat recovery systems, to name just a few, have already been proven to deliver tangible emissions reductions.

But technology can do even more.

Note: DNV’s full article titled ‘Decarbonizing maritime: Overcoming challenges with innovation and ingenuity’ can be read here.

Related: DNV report: Technological developments key to reducing maritime sector emissions

 

Photo credit: DNV
Published: 16 September, 2024