SkySails helping Ardmore Shipping to set new standards in fuel and operational efficiency

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It is no secret that fuel efficiency and operational excellence are the keys to economic success in the maritime industry. Ardmore Shipping is embracing this challenge with the help of an innovative performance monitoring system from German manufacturer SkySails.

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Ardmore has taken delivery of the first two of its newbuild series of four 49,999 dwt IMO 3 tankers from SPP Shipbuilding in Korea.  Numerous fuel-saving technologies have been integrated across these vessels, which are anticipated to reap fuel savings of 10 to 15%.

Important however, is the understanding that in order to manage vessel performance, you need to be able to measure related aspects accurately.  For this reason, Ardmore has equipped all of its fleet with ‘Performance Monitor’, a vessel performance monitoring system from SkySails which allows it to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of the applied fuel-saving technologies.  This ensures that each and every day a vessel in its fleet is underway, the voyage is operationally optimized.

SkySails Performance Monitor is a sensors-based computer system that continuously collects and analyses data about a ships movement through the water and the environmental conditions under which it is operating. This lends transparency to the factors that determine effective fuel consumption, allowing the optimal condition to be achieved  through enhanced information and control in the hands of the onboard team. Through relaying ‘real-time’, accurate information provided both on the bridge and engine room to ashore, voyage related decisions that involve the Charterer or commercial interests ensure the entire voyage is optimized – matching electronic fuel consumption and speed on a continuous basis. SkySails Performance Monitor thereby delivers the necessary means for improving a ship’s operational efficiency, providing automated data collection, transfer and import routines.

“Applying a new technology to improve fuel efficiency is one thing,” said Anthony Gurnee, CEO of Ardmore Shipping, “but there is also a lot to gain in terms of operational optimization. We believe that our seafarers and team ashore are the ones who drive operational excellence. With the SkySails Performance Monitor we now have the perfect tool in place to give them the critical data and decision support essential for their daily work.”

Stephan Wrage, CEO of SkySails added: “A vessel’s fuel consumption heavily depends on a range of factors, including operating conditions such as waves, wind and load, which can change dynamically during sailing.  Whether the master and owners are looking for the most profitable speed, the most economical speed or the ETA speed for just-in-time arrival, our Performance Monitor collects the data and provides the real-time analysis that helps them to find the optimal operational settings, such as speed and trim.  With the daily bunker bill being such a high proportion of vessel operating costs, Performance Monitor performs a critical role in maximizing efficiency and profitability, on the bridge and on shore, for each vessel and across the fleet.”