Maersk Tankers uses data to slash emissions

Specifically, the company’s fuel optimisation team assesses vessel performance and continuously advises in taking actions to mitigate any excess fuel consumed.

Before a voyage is fixed, the ambition is that the voyage simulator will enable charterers to choose the vessel best suited for a given voyage. After a voyage is fixed and when the vessel is en route, Optimise is used to determine the vessel’s optimal speed and route.

…Maersk Tankers explains.

The company is also pioneering digital solutions to reduce emissions in shipping, which complement the services offered by Pedersen and his team. These draw on the expertise of a team of data scientists and software developers led by Peter Schroder, Maersk Tankers’ Chief Digital Officer.

“Algorithms can execute tasks far more efficiently than a human brain,” he says, pointing to the company’s use of data from vessel reports and historical voyages, as well as external sources, such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS), and weather information.

What is more, the company is currently developing a voyage simulator that uses algorithms to simulate a vessel’s voyage to a specific port. The aim is that the new digital solution will be used before a vessel is fixed for its voyage. Using the voyage simulator in combination with vessel-specific data and future market and freight rate predictions, charterers will be able to choose the vessel best suited for a given voyage, driving down the environmental impact of voyages.

Each vessel is different with its own potential for optimisation, based on factors that include its design, age, time since dry-docking and past trade history. “We convert data into tangible actions by building a digital twin of each vessel, which tells us how the vessel would perform at an optimal level,” Pedersen explains. “By comparing actual performance data with that of the digital twin, we can identify its saving potential and initiate corrective actions for the vessel’s future trade.”