In the last few years, Amarcon had a devoted focus on the development of a fuel saving extension within the OCTOPUS-Onboard decision support system: OCTOPUS-Performance.
The Performance extension gives a new dynamic approach to voyage planning. It combines all relevant measurements and forecasts with a new algorithm which will assist the master to reach the destination by choosing the route with the lowest resistance and cruising with the optimal speed. OCTOPUS-Performance can forecast and give advice for actual as well as for simulated situations. Regardless the hull fouling, age or condition of the vessel: the crew will always receive an accurate advice. With OCTOPUS-Performance savings between 2 and 10 % can be achieved, while the vessel is sailing the same average speed and weather conditions. This way fuel consumption can be reduced to an absolute minimum.
Several years of logged data for Panamax-container vessels have been analyzed by Amarcon for the development of a theoretical optimum RPM advice. Recently, these findings were confirmed by collecting data from a Panamax vessel in daily operation.
The fuel savings that can be achieved with OCTOPUS-Performance are substantial. In the following overview, the most important conclusions of the study can be found.
1. Sailing with constant RPM is very beneficial; avoiding RPM variations during voyage execution has a theoretical fuel saving potential of 4.7%. 2. Similar savings can be achieved when the vessels follows the RPM advice that is given by Amarcon. 3. For a fleet of 20 large container vessels, the fuel cost savings approach 15 Million Euro per year.