FuelTrust, a US-based technology company dedicated to creating a sustainable fuel ecosystem for the marine industry, and Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which IOMSR will use FuelTrust’s fuels and emissions digital technology to validate vessels for the flag’s Green Ship scheme and to collaborate on further projects to incentivise and enable emissions reductions.
The collaboration and cooperation agreement will enable ship owners and operators registered with the IOMSR to use FuelTrust’s Bunker Insights product to predict, measure and authenticate their fleets’ emissions reductions. Under this collaboration, IOMSR will accept FuelTrust’s AI-based validation of a vessel’s performance regarding its emissions and fuel quality programmes. This will make vessels using Bunker Insights eligible for IOMSR’s green ship designation and benefit from discounts or offerings on annual registration fees.
The Green Ship discount programme, which comes into effect on 1 April 2022, is available to operators of cargo ships, commercial yachts or passenger ships that invest in biofuel, alternative fuels, wind, or shore-side energy technology. FuelTrust and IOMSR will collaborate further to explore methodologies for tracking emissions reductions from zero-carbon fuels, among other projects, to reduce GHG emissions.
Darren Shelton, Chief Product Officer, FuelTrust, said: “The agreement with Isle of Man Ship Registry creates significant opportunity for vessel owners. IOMSR recognises how advanced technologies such as ours can help its members reduce their carbon emissions, track fuel usage and monitor performance. The advent of low or zero-carbon fuels, each with their own supply chain, is making the bunkering market even more complex. Owners and operators need to demonstrate to charterers, shippers, insurers, financiers and regulators that they are purchasing fuel that delivers against decarbonisation targets. Digital technologies are required to ensure shipping companies have a validated analysis of their fuel profile and environmental impact.”
Cameron Mitchell, Director IOMSR said: “As the world’s first flag state to reduce registration fees for ships deploying green technology, we want to support our members’ efforts by giving them access to the best technology for supporting fuel choice and to manage and monitor vessel emissions for regulatory compliance. Our collaboration with FuelTrust provides Isle of Man-registered ship operators and charterers the insights, expertise and transparency to assess the collective carbon output of their fleets and to manage compliance with emissions regulations.”
FuelTrust’s solutions use its AI Digital Chemist to simulate combustion on a molecular level to track fuel quality, energy, and emissions profiles. AI Digital Chemist combines the known characteristics of a fuel batch, with class data on the vessel engine, and data from the day logs to precisely establish what results when fuel is burned. This gives a far more accurate picture than current emissions models and estimates, which do not account for chemical interactions, source fuel data, or supply and delivery chain impacts. Many approaches require significant amounts of manual input, or the installation of costly, high-maintenance devices aboard vessels. FuelTrust solutions are claimed to provide a fuel-centric and cost-effective digital method to solve these challenges.
