Manta Marine Technologies (MMT) is set to support chemical tanker operator Chemship in reducing its fuel consumption and emissions through a new contract to supply and install Manta’s automated propulsion optimisation system, FuelOpt, across nine vessels in the Chemship fleet.
The new deal is the result of a successful trial in which FuelOpt was installed on Chemship’s Chemical Challenger vessel to optimise performance of the main engine and suction wings. The Netherlands-based operator will benefit from Manta’s performance monitoring, reporting and benchmarking tool, Fleet Analytics. The installations are scheduled to begin with two Japanese-built multigrade vessels being retrofitted by the end of 2025, followed by the remaining tankers during 2026.
The deal marks a major commitment by Chemship to optimise its fleet operations by reducing fuel expenditure and minimising GHG emissions. FuelOpt automatically adjusts a vessel’s propulsion in real-time, enhancing operational performance and freeing up crew to focus on other essential tasks, rather than having to focus on making multiple manual propulsion adjustments.
FuelOpt is fuel-agnostic, working equally with conventional or alternative fuels, alongside hybrid propulsion solutions, providing benefits to shipowners at a time when options such as wind assisted propulsion are growing in popularity. This means that any ship operator can future proof their fleets with a proven technology that delivers auditable results without compromising on safety.
Whatever fuel option is in use, FuelOpt dynamically adjusts propulsion based on predefined operational needs, such as maintaining a target speed or specific fuel consumption limit. Within these pre-defined parameters, the system automatically ensures that the vessel operates at the most efficient propulsion power output. This results in consistent and measurable efficiency gains, regardless of external factors like weather or hull fouling, and simplifies carbon emission reporting. When FuelOpt is paired with Wind Assisted Propulsion systems (WAPS) as on Chemical Challenger, it transforms the wind-gained thrust into fuel savings, through automated and precisely executed adjustments of the vessel’s engine propulsion. This is said to offer round-the-clock precision beyond what can be achieved manually.
Fleet Analytics is a real-time, cloud-based, vessel performance monitoring system that collects and analyses high-frequency data from multiple onboard sources. It provides ship owners and operators with actionable insights and allows them to benchmark performance of single vessels or the whole fleet. Fleet Analytics enables fact-based decision-making, reduces administrative workload and integrates with other technologies like FuelOpt and WAPS to enhance efficiency and sustainability across fleets. It comes with a timeline-based reporting feature, aligned with EU-MRV, EU-ETS, FuelEU Maritime, IMO-DCS, and CII.
Richard Engelhart Bjercke, CCO, MMT, said: “We are proud to partner with a forward-thinking operator like Chemship as they lead the way in sustainable chemical transportation. This contract underscores the critical nature of propulsion control in achieving net-zero targets with FuelOpt and Fleet Analytics, offering guaranteed performance improvements by seamlessly integrating human expertise with automated decision-making.”
Michiel Marelis, Operations Director, Chemship, added: “After decades of relying on manually entered, error-prone consumption figures, we finally have everything digitally available on a single platform. This enables us to eliminate all variables and accurately measure the efficiency of our sustainable investments. We now have full control over our fuel consumption and are achieving optimal savings from our Ventofoils, thanks to the Manta Marine Technologies FuelOpt package.”
Chemship operates a fleet of stainless steel chemical tankers which are designed to transport a wide variety of liquid bulk materials, including specialised chemicals, vegetable oils, acids, lube oils, aromatics and clean petroleum products.
Image: ‘Chemical Challenger’, the FuelOpt trial vessel (source: Manta Marine Technologies)
