A research project which brings together The Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES), Laskaridis Shipping Co. Ltd and Metis will evaluate the real impacts of the alternative fuels offered to solve shipping’s decarbonization dilemma.
As explained, reliable real-world data regarding the impact of different low-carbon fuels is elusive, thus there is a need to evaluate the impacts of alternative fuels. The three-way collaboration will make high frequency data captured by analytics and performance evaluation specialist Metis from the Laskaridis Shipping Co. LTD in-service bulk carrier ICARUS available to CARES.
With funding from Singapore’s National Research Foundation, data scientists at CARES have developed tools to model ship lifecycle pathways towards decarbonization.
These include the lowcarbonship.com online calculator, which helps users to compare vessel performance across a range of fuel and decarbonisation options, including Heavy Fuel Oil, on-board carbon capture and others.
We are fortunate to collaborate with Metis and Laskaridis Shipping Co. LTD. who have kindly agreed to give us fuel consumption, weather and routing information. This will allow us to apply our modelling tools and provide “what if?” answers based on realistic data. In this way, effective decarbonization strategies can be developed quickly.
… said Professor Nondas Mastorakos from CARES
Integrating individual vessel characteristics such as weight, volume and cargo displacement into the modelling, as well as energy consumption and emissions data, generates realistic inputs to develop an accurate picture of a ship’s future performance across a range of fuel options.
The collaboration will create an invaluable database for projecting ship CO2 reductions, based on a granular analysis that goes far beyond estimates based on average fuel consumption and routing.
The maritime sector is considering many decarbonisation options to reduce its environmental footprint. However, no single option is emerging as a clear winner. Consensus suggests that shipping’s carbon neutral future will rely on a range of alternative fuels, supply chains and technologies.
… commented Panos Theodossopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Metis
Meanwhile, Nikolaos Tsoulakos, Innovation & Technology Manager of Laskaridis Shipping Co. LTD, emphasized that the high-frequency data collection systems installed on their vessels serve as the foundation for harnessing the potential of AI. Through collaboration with CARES and Metis on this initiative, their aim is to contribute to the scientific community by sharing data and providing valuable insights to the maritime sector through data analysis and performance analytics.
