Fuel Savings News

Union Maritime, a UK shipowner, has launched its first wind-assisted vessel, Buran, fitted with Norsepower Rotor Sails™ designed to harness wind energy and enhance fuel efficiency.Its launch marks a major milestone as the company seeks to expand its fleet with 34 wind-assisted ships, including six chemical tankers equipped with Norsepower Rotor Sails™. Once complete, Union Maritime will operate the largest fleet using this technology globally, with the rotor sails expected to generate up to 10% of each vessel’s annual energy needs from wind.

Stena Line has announced the concept for a new generation vessel: Stena Futuro, a 240-meter-long roro intended for transporting semi-trailers and cars.The hull and superstructure have been optimized to achieve the most efficient use of cargo space possible. At the same time, low weight and optimized hydro- and aerodynamics are central to achieving low fuel consumption.In addition to the vessel’s design, Stena Futuro will be equipped with technology to limit its environmental footprint.

Robotic hull cleaning company Fleet Cleaner has changed its name to Fleet Robotics to reflect its evolution into a global 24/7 one-stop-shop for high quality underwater maintenance and performance optimization.In 2017 Fleet Cleaner became the first company to offer its robotic underwater hull cleaning in Dutch ports, expanding to Belgium shortly after. Since then, Fleet Cleaner has grown into a trusted provider of safe, efficient, and certified underwater cleaning operations, including the world’s only ATEX-certified solution for tanker cleaning during cargo operations.

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to supply an integrated package of equipment for a new Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) being built for ship owner DOF.The new 110-meter OSV, with a capacity to accommodate 164 people, is designed by MMC Ship Design and constructed at CRIST shipyard in Gdynia in Poland. The vessel will operate offshore Newfoundland, known for its harsh environmental conditions.It will be equipped with a comprehensive range of Kongsberg Maritime systems, including the DC main switchboard…

Wind assisted ship propulsion (WASP) pioneer Blue Wasp Marine announced the launch of its latest software tool, Pelican Suite, which will enable vessel owners, operators and charterers to assess and optimize a range of WASP solutions.Pelican Suite hosts a collection of tools to assess the suitability of WASP solutions, both pre- and post-installation. It provides important insights such as the probability that a certain rudder angle or grid load is exceeded, or which routes are more favorable for wind assistance.

Hoyer, a leader in electric motors and automation solutions, announced the launch of Hoyer ESS (Energy-Saving System) at Sea Asia 2025 in Singapore. Specifically designed for retrofits on operating vessels, Hoyer ESS offers shipowners, operators, and fleet managers a fast-track solution to reduce motor energy consumption by 40-65% while lowering emissions and improving operational efficiency—all without the need for drydocking.With tightening environmental regulations like EEXI…

Orca AI celebrated a milestone as Seaspan Corporation, a global containership powerhouse, integrates its SeaPod digital watchkeeper across its entire fleet to support safety improvements and operational cost savings.As part of its digitalization strategy, Seaspan began using Orca AI's SeaPod digital watchkeeper on select vessels to enhance situational awareness for navigation. An analysis of Seaspan’s fleet performance from 2023−2024 revealed positive results: a 35% increase in the minimum average distance between vessels in open waters and a 37% decrease in close encounters.By using Orca AI…

bound4blue and Odfjell have partnered to complete the first installation of a wind propulsion system for the chemical tanker specialist, with four of bound4blue’s eSAILs retrofitted on the 49’k dwt Bow OlympusThe 22-meter-tall suction sails will help the advanced vessel achieve significant fuel savings, unlocking commercial, environmental and regulatory advantage. A tailored two-step installation process was deployed to accommodate the vessel’s schedule, with the installation completed in just two days.Firstly…

Incat Crowther said that the first of two new catamaran ferries for Dumai Express Group completed sea trials and will soon commence operations in Indonesia. The 33-m ferries build on a fleet of first-generation 30-m catamarans designed by Incat Crowther for the Indonesian operator. The new models offer improved operational efficiency via an extended stern, optimized hull form and customized propeller tunnel. The design enhancements mean Ruby of Dumai provides a full-load draft of 1.5-m…

Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG) extended its adoption of GIT Coatings’ graphene-based propeller coating, XGIT-PROP, across seven additional crude oil tankers. Previously, OSG applied graphene-based propeller coating to one of its crude oil tanker vessels in October of 2023. The first application of XGIT-PROP on an OSG tanker has seen performance gains and fuel savings proven beyond expectations. A third party has further validated this with the vessel tracked along its trade route covering the Pacific Ocean.

Global Marine Management and World Wide Metric announced a new strategic agreement to offer Frese FuelSave, an advanced energy optimization solution, to the cruise market, helping them reduce energy consumption, lower emissions, and improve sustainability.Frese FuelSave is a dynamic flow control solution designed to optimize energy usage with onboard cooling and HVAC systems. By ensuring precise temperature and flow control, it enables significant fuel savings and enhances overall system performance.

Sourcing and maintaining marine coatings systems are arguably a shipowner’s most critical means to ensure a long and productive lifecycle for ships, boats and offshore rigs. At the same time, coatings have become a central part of the ship efficiency, decarbonization discussion. Christer Øpstad, Global R&D Director Fouling Protection, Jotun, discusses how these macro trends are driving R&D within his laboratories today.To start us off, can you provide a ‘by the numbers’ look at Jotun today?Jotun is headquartered in Sandefjord, Norway, still a family-owned company founded almost 100 years ago.

Dutch company Econowind, based in Zeewolde, has secured €1 million in development capital from Invest International to advance and test its VentoFoil XL, a 24-30 meter high steel wind sail inspired by aviation technology. Like airplane wings, these innovative sails are designed for large vessels, harnessing wind power to reduce fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 15%.Econowind has been producing smaller VentoFoils for coastal shipping for several years. With the introduction of the XL model…

Holland Shipyards Group announced the delivery of the Maasvliet, a specialized cable recovery vessel, to Hartel Shipping & Chartering, part of Hudig & Veder Group. Maasvliet, measuring 90.6 meters in length and 13.2 meters in width, is designed to support offshore cable recovery operations efficiently. The vessel will be on long-term charter to Subsea Environmental Services and deployed for vital cable projects over the coming years.Maasvliet is equipped with advanced cable management systems…

Alfa Laval has signed an agreement to acquire NRG Marine, a U.K.-based provider of ultrasonic anti-fouling solutions for marine, oil and gas, and industrial applications.The move aligns with Alfa Laval’s strategy to provide its customers with environmentally friendly solutions that significantly improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and extend the asset’s lifecycle. Closing of the acquisition is expected during the second quarter of 2025.By incorporating NRG Marine’s ultrasonic technology into its portfolio…

A surge in industry interest combined with systems builders and yards scaling up production and installation capacity, is set to accelerate growth in orders for wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS), says DNV in a new whitepaper that examines the technologies, their onboard implementation and potential fuel savings.There has been a rapid uptake of WAPS in the global fleet since 2021, with 52 seagoing ships now in operation and 97 newbuilds with WAPS in the orderbook (as of January 2025).Retrofitting WAPS is possible for almost any ship with sufficient deck space and unobstructed airflow.

The increased performance of the SCHOTTEL RudderPropeller Dynamic SRP-D has once again been confirmed by external sources. At the request of the Dutch Damen Group, the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) carried out extensive research to demonstrate the added value of the SRP-D for Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV).While an earlier study had already demonstrated a reduced DP footprint and fuel savings, Damen’s latest research focused particularly on propulsion efficiency during thruster interactions.

Slime build-up is a costly drag on fuel efficiency for ocean-going cargo ships, leading to more emissions and, eventually, higher consumer prices. A recent study, however, suggests a new approach to managing this common problem.Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology developed a model for estimating the speed and extent of biofilm growth, which could enable ship operators to schedule hull cleaning at optimal intervals to save on fuel consumption.Cornelius Wittig, a PhD student in fluid mechanics at KTH…

Thordon Bearings has delivered COMPAC water-lubricated propeller shaft and SXL rudder bearings to replace oil- and grease- lubricated bearings onboard McKeil Marine’s bulk carrier Northern Venture as part of a major refurbishment project.Established in 1956, Canada-based McKeil Marine provides marine transportation along the St. Lawrence Seaway, the East Coast, and Canadian Arctic with its diversified fleet of tugs, barges, workboats and vessels, including bunkers, cement carriers, and tankers.The shipowner acquired the 155m (508.5ft), 19,651dwt Northern Venture in 2022.

German container line operator Hapag-Lloyd has implemented Shipshave’s In Transit Cleaning of Hull (ITCH) solution for proactive fouling removal on two of its container ships, achieving significant fuel savings and emissions reduction results.In order to independently verify the benefit of proactive fouling removal, Shipshave in cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd commissioned DNV to analyse operational performance data from two Hapag-Lloyd container ships equipped with the ITCH solution.The vessels are of 8…

New vessel’s performance exceeds efficiency expectations, says Damen.Recently, the first in series Damen Shrimp Trawler 2607 successfully completed its sea trials in the Port of Hamriya, UAE. Damen has designed the new vessel for the next generation of (sub) tropical shrimp fishing. The design aims at the provision of a straightforward, no-nonsense platform, easy to operate and with minimal maintenance requirements. The Shrimp Trawler 2607 has an extremely low fuel consumption…

Dominion Energy has installed 78 monopile and four offshore substation foundations for as part of the first offshore construction campaign for the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.CVOW, the largest offshore wind project under construction in the United States, will consist of 176 turbines that will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes and is expected to generate fuel savings of $3 billion for customers during the first 10 years of operation.With the completed first installation campaign…

Anthony Veder has retrofitted two sails on the ethylene carrier Coral Patula.With this installation by Econowind, Anthony Veder is the first company worldwide to install sails onboard a gas carrier. Later this year sister ship Coral Pearl will be equipped with two similar sails.The system is designed to work alongside existing engines, providing a boost in propulsion through the power of wind. The company anticipates fuel savings of around 5%, with the potential of more than 10% in optimal wind conditions.Björn van de Weerdhof…