Following successful upgrades of two tankers, the entire fleet at Christiania Shipping will now be equipped with the Frugal Propulsion system for automatic, intelligent engine control, which is expected to result in a significant reduction in fuel consumption and emissions, ensuring that the company’s vessels comply with the EEXI regulations and improve CII ratings.
The class approved on-top system, Frugal Propulsion, is now working to optimise the fuel consumption on the oil/chemical tankers Jette Theresa and Alice Theresa. The preliminary data shows that the shipowner, Christiania Shipping, with Frugal Propulsion achieves a fuel saving of 17-20% at eco speed. At a speed similar to before the upgrade, the fuel saving is 10-14%, depending on the vessel type. ROI is said to be around 12 months.
The investment in Frugal Propulsion is an important part of Christiania Shipping’s 2023 preparations, when the IMO EEXI and CII regulations become effective. In the coming months, all of Christiania Shipping’s 13 owned ships will be upgraded with a Frugal Propulsion solution. The main gains for Christiania Shipping are improved operational efficiency, a reduced carbon footprint and an enhanced competitiveness.
Christiania Shipping Chief Operating Manger Rune Eriksen Lorentsen said: “The market increasingly values a low carbon footprint when chartering tankers. Therefore, it makes a huge difference whether your vessel will receive a high or a low CII-rating. In addition, the Frugal Propulsion system provides us with very accurate data on the ship’s performance, which helps us document our fuel consumption. Emission regulations will be tightened ongoing, and it is important to stay ahead.”
Frugal Propulsion is an automated, AI-based on-top system, which ensures that the engine and the propeller are constantly optimised in relation to draught, load, waves, and wind. There are no manual adjustments as the system is based on sensors, Big Data and algorithms that continuously keep learning. For the shipowner, this means that the fuel savings will increase as the system gets to know the ship.
EEXI and CII are believed to represent a significant challenge for international shipping operations. Analysts at VesselsValue recently estimated that over 75% of the world’s bulk, tank and container ships will struggle to remain compliant unless fuel consumption is reduced.
Peter Hauschildt, MD Frugal Technologies, the company behind the patented system, said: “Frugal Propulsion is a digital ShaPoLi (shaft power limiting) solution which automatically ensures that engine power never exceeds the calculated EEXI limits of the vessel. Shipowners choose our solution because it is quickly installed and ensures both a financial gain and a climate gain due to the significant reduction in fuel consumption. At the same time, we can help them to abide with the new regulations.”
Lorentsen concluded: “With Frugal Propulsion, we now know exactly how much fuel we use and where and when we use it. Because of the system’s data, we have a detailed overview of the tanker’s total use of fuel. Thereby, we can optimise our energy consumption throughout the ship.”
