Voyage Optimization News

Odfjell has initiated a deployment of Syroco’s weather routing platform on two of its vessels, the Bow Olympus and Bow Optima.The two vessels are part of Odfjell’s Hudong-class chemical tankers, flying the Norwegian flag. Both built in 2019, the 183 meter vessels are each equipped with 33 stainless steel tanks and operate primarily on trans-Pacific routes.In early 2025, the Bow Olympus will be fitted with four eSAILs, bound4blue’s suction sails. As an add-on to optimise the sails' effects…

Since April 2024, CORSICA linea has deployed the voyage optimization solution from French start-up Spinergie, a maritime technology company specializing in monitoring ship performance using big data and artificial intelligence (AI).CORSICA linea plans to achieve a 40% reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2030.The Voyage Optimizer is a decision-support tool that helps choose the most fuel-efficient and CO2-reducing voyage plan. By analyzing onboard sensor data and meteorological information…

Maritime insurance specialist The Swedish Club reports that it registered claims exceeding $25million attributable to heavy weather over the past five years. In response, it has developed a Heavy Weather Alert tool as an addition to its existing loss prevention tool.Heavy weather can cause structural damage, shifted cargo, broken mooring lines, wet damage, lost cargo overboard, and more. The Club says it has also seen examples where vessels have failed to suspend cargo operations and depart port in a timely manner when severe weather is approaching…

Danelec has released a new simulation tool it says will bridge the gap between LNG carrier commercial and operations teams.LNG carrier operations are subject to several unique challenges, including balancing diverse factors to meet charter party requirements, meeting cargo temperature and pressure requirements at discharge, and optimizing voyage planning amidst variable weather conditions and route complexities to minimize consumption and maximize delivery.By simulating expected vessel performance and providing optimized operational setpoints…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its preliminary assessment of the grounding of the bulk carrier Indian Partnership on April 23, 2023, and implicated voyage optimization planning.The UK-registered bulk carrier ran aground at 0409 off the coast of Misool Island while transiting the Indonesian archipelago. The grounding caused significant breaches to the hull, leading to water ingress into the duct keel and five ballast water tanks.Indian Partnership had set sail from Skardon River…

KR has signed an MoU with HD Hyundai to collaborate on the pilot project of a cloud-based next-generation smart ship solution (ISS 2.0) developed by HD Hyundai. The MoU was signed at Posidonia 2024.The project, jointly undertaken by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI), HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), HD Hyundai Marine Solution (HD HMS), Sinokor Merchant Marine, and KR, aims to equip and demonstrate smart ship solutions on vessels. KR plans to conduct technical reviews based on classification rules as well as domestic and international regulations…

Stena Line has reported a significant reduction in fuel consumption thanks to its strategic use of AI.Through its Voyage Optimization System, optimization of vessel functions can now be done much more efficiently, and this has resulted in a 1-5% reduction in fuel consumption.The system has been tested on crossings between Gothenburg and the Danish port of Frederikshavn, among others. The use of AI helps to optimize vessel operations by accurately analyzing a number of factors that affect the vessel's voyage…

Smart Ship Hub (SSH), a maritime digital platform for ship owners, operators, charterers and insurers, has received significant strategic investment from one of Japan’s largest maritime equipment manufacturers: Nakakita Seisakusho.Headquartered in Singapore, SSH supports vessels from across 50+ ports through its Singapore, India and Japan offices.Welcoming the investment from Nakikita, Joy Basu, CEO of Smart Ship Hub, said: “Japan is an important market for us, and we have learnt a lot from Japanese processes and quality frameworks over a long period of time.

The first voyages of the Blue Visby Prototype Trials took place in March/April 2024 with the bulk carriers Gerdt Oldendorff and the Begonia, which, under voyage charter to Blue Visby Consortium member CBH Group, performed ballast voyages to CBH Group’s Kwinana Grain Terminal, Australia.The Blue Visby Solution is aimed at eradicating Sail Fast Then Wait (SFTW): the operational practice of ships that sail to their destination "with the utmost despatch", without regard to other ships or to the conditions at the destination.

A project, GASS, led by Navtor, with six other Norwegian research, innovation and industry partners, has been awarded 44 million Norwegian kroner to develop new commercial AI-enhanced technology and services to optimize the energy usage of vessels and ships.Navtor, Grieg Star, Maritime CleanTech, Scandinavian Reach Technologies, Simula Research Laboratory, SinOceanic Shipping and Sustainable Energy are partnering on the project which will enable vessel owners and operators to…

Cargill has signed a three-year contract that will see ZeroNorth become Cargill’s primary software provider for optimisation of over 600 vessels. Cargill commenced its strategic partnership with ZeroNorth in 2020. The partnership has expanded over time, with Cargill and ZeroNorth working together to develop ZeroNorth’s fuel model and dry bulk solutions.Eman Abdalla, Global Operations Director for Cargill Ocean Transportation, added: “We are delighted to announce that we’ve chosen ZeroNorth as our vessel and voyage optimisation digital platform.

Yara Marine Technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) application developers Molflow, Chalmers University of Technology and social science specialists from Halmstad University and Gothenburg University have collaborated over three years to develop and trial an AI-based semi-autonomous voyage planning system.Initiated in August 2020, the Via Kaizen project explores how AI and machine learning can enable more energy-efficient voyage planning for ship operators. The project demonstrated…

We’ve had the means for a while, now we have the incentive to crush the data siloes that are holding back voyage optimization.Like kids in the sandpit, owners and charterers are being forced to share, perhaps more than they really want to. The IMO and the EU, for starters, are setting data-driven decarbonization rules, and those in the sandpit are having to respond.Ship managers and data analysis specialists are developing technical solutions to boost transparency with the aim of facilitating shared responsibility on CO2 emissions, but it’s no easy task.

Emirates Shipping Line and Peter Döhle have developed a partnership with Nautilus Labs to help reduce their carbon footprint while increasing voyage profitability and operational efficiency.Emirates Shipping Line, charterer and operator of the vessels and headquartered in Dubai, was looking for a solution that allows them to increase voyage profitability and reduce CO2 emissions. Germany-based ship owner Peter Döhle, the Technical Manager for the vessels, was looking to optimize…

Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd., a bulk carrier and ice class vessel owner/operator headquartered in Newport, R.I., expanded its partnership with Nautilus Labs to include a large part of Pangaea’s fleet of bulk carriers.Pangaea and Nautilus began their initial collaboration in October 2018 and have since committed to expanding it to 12 vessels in Pangaea’s fleet, as Pangaea seeks a solution that allows reliable capture of high frequency vessel data, analysis of fleet performance in real-time, and sending of operating recommendations to ships and operators to optimize each voyage’s outcome.