The pilot project of the Swedish ferry company, Stena Line, using artificial intelligence (AI) technology in order to predict the most fuel-efficient way to operate a vessel is saving fuel on the company’s ships.
In particular, the software, which is named Stena Fuel Pilot, is expected to be installed during autumn, on five more Stena Line vessels. Moreover, the company states that its ambition during 2020, is to promote the technology across its 37 vessels operating in Europe.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
Notably, reducing fuel consumption is a priority for the company, taking into consideration that it has a target to lower its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 2.5% per year. In addition to this, fuel can potentially be one of the largest costs for a ferry company like Stena Line, accounting for about 20% of total costs.
In fact, Jari Virtanen, Chief Transformation Officer of Stena Line said that “Stena Line aims to become the world’s first cognitive ferry company; assisted by AI in all areas by 2021. This project is using AI technology to support our captains and officers to save fuel. By improving the efficiency, we reduce both our costs and our environmental footprint. It really embodies Stena Line’s vision of Connecting Europe for a Sustainable future.”
Last year, Stena Line announced that it will conduct a pilot study in which artificial intelligence will be implemented on board. The new AI technology will be added onboard ‘Stena Scandinavica’. The AI model would be developed together with Hitachi and it will present the most fuel efficient way of operating a vessel on a particular route, and will be supporting captains and pilots. If the model is successful, it aims to contribute significantly on achieving the annual goal of reducing fuel consumption onboard by 2.5%.
Earlier in 2018, Hitachi Europe Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based technology company Hitachi, partnered with Stena Line in order to implement artificial intelligence technology on ships to reduce fuel consumption costs, in a bid to boost the company’s efforts to minimize environmental impact. By leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies, Hitachi will be able to identify the key factors causing high fuel consumption and, critically, advise how to make operations more efficient.
