Tag Archive for: Voyage optimization
Power routing will reduce fuel costs by 6-8% for Corsica Linea
Qtagg recently secured an order on a digitalization of M/S Danielle Casanova’s propulsion control system, that will reduce the ship’s fuel consumption by an estimated 6-8%. The order includes power routing with EcoPilot and retrofit of governors, actuators and the pitch control system.
Danielle Casanova is the largest of Corsica Linea’s nine cruise ships that serves routes between the French continent, Corsica, Algeria and Tunisia. The vessel is currently at port in Marseille for maintenance and technical upgrades.
Power routing for improved fuel economy
On Daneille Casanova, Corsica Linea has decided to install EcoPilot, a fully automated eco-driving system that uses weather forecasts and ship data to calculate the best power plan for a route and a set arrival time. It also implements continuous adjustments to maintain an even engine load and propeller pitch optimization for maximal fuel savings.
This type of automated eco-driving does not require the captain to manually change either speed or pitch. Instead, the active power routing provides the captain with full control over the arrival time and mitigates the human tendency to set a higher speed than necessary at the start of a voyage.
Upgrades of governors, actuators & pitch control
EcoPilot controls the ship’s propulsion system with instructions to the engine governor and the pitch control. Danielle Casanova will be equipped with new DEGO IV engine governors, new ASAC actuators and a new pitch control system. These will replace outdated technology and enable digital ship propulsion control and active power routing with EcoPilot.
Fuel savings guarantee
The EcoPilot power routing system comes with a 3% fuel consumption reduction guarantee, but the expected savings for Daneille Casanova is in the interval of 6-8%, based on a somewhat conservative calculation based on installations on similar vessels.
The actual fuel reduction will be determined by a 4–5-week test period after commissioning. The fuel consumption during this period will be compared to a baseline from a reference period where the ship operates without EcoPilot. The comparison will be confirmed by a statistical analysis to compensate for any influence from varying environmental, load and speed conditions.
“EcoPilot achieves fuel savings through three main methods: firstly, it automatically executes optimized power plans, keeping the load on the engine constant. Secondly, it prevents instances of ‘hurry up and wait’ and thirdly by adapting quickly to changing conditions, ensuring vessels arrive just in time, thus avoiding unnecessary fuel consumption. According to Per Österberg, CCO at Qtagg, the impact of these methods on fuel savings varies depending on the length and frequency of voyages. For long ocean crossings, such as those undertaken by large tankers, optimized power plan execution has a significant impact. However, for shorter voyages, like the trip between Dover and Calais lasting 90 minutes, we’ve observed savings of up to 20%, equating to over 500,000 Euros per year for our customers. There’s a notable market interest in integrating EcoPilot into large retrofit projects for propulsion control systems. Additionally, there’s a growing trend in installing EcoPilot directly onto the bridge without the need for retrofitting, achieving a remarkable return on investment in just 3-4 months, as noted by Per Österberg. “Control over arrival times with predictable fuel savings is getting more and more important in the industry”, ends Per Österberg
EcoPilot provides the captain with exact control over the arrival time, while saving fuel in a predictable manner. The expected fuel consumption for a voyage is automatically calculated beforehand, based on the desired arrival time, selected route and current weather forecast. In the voyage planning process, the captain will know how much fuel will be consumed to bring the ship to its destination.
CO2 emissions reductions
“For us, this is not only about saving on fuel expenses. Installing EcoPilot will also help us achieve a reduction on CO2 emissions”, says Julien Colin, Superintendent at Corsica Linea SAS Division Technique. “As a company we have an ambitious plan to reduce our total CO2 emissions by 40% until 2030 and continue to move towards sustainable maritime transport in the Mediterranean It will be interesting to see how much a system such as EcoPilot can contribute towards our goals”.
About Qtagg
Qtagg is a marine green tech company minimizing fuel consumption for vessels by providing automated systems for propulsion control. The system optimizes every voyage using AI for fuel savings and on-time arrival with desired CII rating. The captains and operators can execute their priorities and optimize fuel economy, cut emissions, and arrive on time, every time.
About Danielle Casanova
Vessel type: Ro-Ro/Passenger ship
Gross tonnage: 43,784
Length overall: 175 meters
Beam: 30 meters
Capacity: 2,400 passengers and 700 cars (or 90 cars plus 60 trucks/trailers)
Year built: 2002
About Corsica Linea
Corsica Linea is one of the largest maritime freight and passenger transport companies in the Mediterranean sea. With a turnover of €340 million, nearly a million passengers, 380,000 cars and 120,000 trucks transported annually, Corsica Linea has a fleet of 9 vessels under the French flag first register and serves 10 maritime routes between the French continent, Corsica, Algeria and Tunisia from 10 ports on regular lines (Marseille – Sète – Ajaccio – Bastia – Ile Rousse – Propriano – Algiers – Bejaia – Skikda – Tunis). www.corsicaLinea.com
For more information, please contact:
Per Österberg
per.osterberg@qtagg.com
+46 73 301 91 00
Download:
Pressrelease, Pic1, Pic2, Pic3, Logo
High-res pics available on request to the ORN office.
Getting the desired CII value for any voyage
Captains and fleet operators can now decide on a CII value for a voyage and have the optimal propulsion plan executed automatically. There is no need to run simulations beforehand, or for the captain to make continuous manual speed adjustments during the voyage.
CII mode voyage optimization in real-time
Swedish marine tech company Qtagg is releasing an update to its voyage optimization system EcoPilot that introduces a CII mode. Using the CII mode, the ship arrives at its destination with a predetermined CII rating.
EcoPilot is already an established solution, that saves fuel, decrease emissions and optimizes propulsion efficiency on ro-ro, ro-pax and cargo ships. Using the just-in-time arrival mode, proven fuel savings are about 7%. Using interactive on time arrival, it is possible to achieve an additional 20%. This means better CII rating and predictable result for each voyage.
Who will benefit from the EcoPilot CII mode? Ship owners and operators that want to control CII ratings of theirs ships, while not overcompensate by slowing down too much. They will be able to choose a CII value for every voyage and reliably target that outcome, says Tomas Lindqvist, CEO of Qtagg. Operators will be able to better maintain their yearly revenue per ship and be in full control of fleet performance.
Eco-driving with a track record
EcoPilot has been in operation for more than 10 years. It has different operational modes: arrival time, fixed ship speed, lowest fuel consumption or desired CII value.
The CII mode is the latest addition, developed in response to the new IMO regulations. The demand for our solution has been increasingly rapidly, and since the whole optimization algorithms were already in place, the addition of a CII mode was mainly about implementing another targeting model.
Tomas Lindqvist explains the main principles: The propulsion plan is calculated based on the desired outcome and acknowledged by the captain. EcoPilot is connected to the governors and pitch controller for automatic execution of the propulsion plan. The plan is recalculated continuously, based on updated weather reports and ship progress. Changes in schedule can be sent directly to the system from onshore fleet operations center and once acknowledged by the bridge, the propulsion plan is optimized and updated.
Automated propulsion control provides better results
What are the benefits with automated propulsion plan optimization? It is impossible to reach the same result trying to manually follow advice on ship speed, says Tomas. It is our integrated propulsion power control system that provides fuel savings, and predictable arrival times and CII values – all at the same time. Also, this is not a tool for simulations – it is an actual working control system.
About Qtagg
Qtagg is a marine green tech company minimizing fuel consumption for vessels by providing automated systems for propulsion control. The system optimizes every voyage using Qtagg´s proprietary software for fuel savings and on-time arrival with desired CII rating. The captains and operators can execute their priorities and optimize fuel economy, cut emissions, and arrive on time, every time.
For more information, please contact:
Per Österberg
per.osterberg@qtagg.com
+46 73 301 91 00
Download:
Pressrelease, Pic1, Pic2, Pic3
High-res pics available on request to the ORN office.
Total propulsion control makeover of Silja Europa
Qtagg recently secured an order on a total upgrade of Silja Europa’s propulsion control system, that will decrease the ship’s fuel consumption by 6% and CO2 emissions by 2096 tons yearly. The overhaul includes engine speed governors, fuel rack actuators, pitch control and voyage optimization with EcoPilot.
Silja Europa is Tallink’s largest cruise vessel with a gross tonnage of 59,912. Up until the summer of 2022 it operated on the Baltic Sea, between Helsinki (Finland) – Tallinn (Estonia). Since September 2022, it has been chartered out to the Netherlands and used to house migrants and refugees. The technical review made in preparation to bring Silja Europa into regular traffic again resulted in the decision to replace the complete existing propulsion control system with up-to-date technology, and to add EcoPilot for fuel-saving voyage optimization.
Voyage optimization, governors, actuators & pitch control
Qtagg will supply the EcoPilot voyage optimization system, with interfaces both at the bridge and in the control room, four DEGO IV engine governors, four ASAC actuators with control units, two pitch control units and the ancillary equipment needed for a complete and integrated installation.
The governors will be installed in the engine control room, replacing existing Woodward control units. The governors are connected to an application server and a system that visualizes fuel consumption and provides detailed logging.
The actuator control units will be mounted in the engine room, while the pitch control units are installed in the existing pitch control cabinet where it replaces the current analog rack.
Control and predictable fuel savings with AI eco-driving
EcoPilot provides the captain with exact control over the arrival time, while saving fuel in a predictable manner. The expected fuel consumption for a voyage is automatically calculated beforehand, based on the desired arrival time, selected route and current weather reports. In the voyage planning process, the captain will know how much fuel will be consumed to bring the ship to its destination. He can choose to adjust the arrival time or to depart earlier in order to optimize fuel savings.
6% less fuel and emissions
The fuel savings are estimated to be about 6%, in line with savings recorded on Tallink Isabelle, where EcoPilot is already installed. The fuel savings are achieved through optimized propulsion, based on the collection and processing of large amounts of data, including real-time weather forecasts, sea state and ship data. Once the captain has selected a route it is executed through the propulsion control system, and the optimal propeller speed and pitch position is applied over the complete course of the voyage.
Annual CO2 reductions of 2096 tons
The expected annual CO2 reduction for Silja Europa is 2096 tons, which will contribute to a lower ETS cost in the future and a better CII rating for the ship.
About Qtagg
Qtagg is a marine green tech company minimizing fuel consumption for vessels by providing automated systems for propulsion control. The system optimizes every voyage using AI for fuel savings and on-time arrival with desired CII rating. The captains and operators can execute their priorities and optimize fuel economy, cut emissions, and arrive on time, every time.
About Silja Europa
Vessel type: Ro-Ro/Passenger ship
Gross tonnage: 59,912
Length overall x Breadth extreme: 201.78 x 32 meters
Year built: 1993
Home port: Tallinn
About Tallink Grupp
AS Tallink Grupp is one of the leading providers of passenger and cargo transport services in the northern Baltic Sea region. The company’s fleet consists of 15 vessels and the company operates various routes under the brands of Tallink and Silja Line. Tallink Grupp’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Tallinn Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange.
For more information, please contact:
Per Österberg
per.osterberg@qtagg.com
+46 73 301 91 00
Download:
Pressrelease, Image Overview, Pic1, Pic2, Pic3, Pic4, Pic5.
High-res pics available on request to the ORN office.