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In today's economic and environmental climate, fuel management and energy efficiency have risen to the top of the agenda for ship owners and operators. To assist them in preparing for these challenges, Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has this week hosted a "Fuel Saver" seminar.

Ralf Plump, Head of Environmental Research of GL, and Dr Volker Bertram, Senior Project Manager of GL, covered a wide scope of fuel saving options at the two-day seminar which took place on 25 and 26 May 2009 at the Green Park Hotel Bostanci in Istanbul.

The seminar focused on energy conversion, combustion engines, ship resistance and propulsion, and saving fuel in hydrodynamics, machinery and operation. The aim of the event was to provide an overview of fuel saving options in the design, re-design and operation of ships.

During the seminar, participants were informed about the basics of combustion, machinery and hydrodynamics before examining the various tools that are available to make ships more fuel efficient.

In joint presentations, the GL experts looked at current and future ways of reducing fuel consumption and best practice methods for fuel management and greater ship efficiency.

FutureShip: Designing for Energy Efficiency

Finding the best parameters for the on-board systems and an optimal ship design are key prerequisites for the efficient operation of a ship. To prepare for these challenges, Germanischer Lloyd has established its new subsidiary FutureShip, which offers various services for ship operation, on-board systems as well as hydrodynamics of ship hulls in what it calls a "whole ship" approach.

During the seminar, GL experts gave an overview of its Fuel Saver product line, which offers a range of services with a common objective: optimising ship fuel usage to improve profitability, both for ships in operation and those yet to be built.

The target audience of the two-day-seminar included ship operating personnel, ship owners, ship designers, personnel from shipyards and the maritime supply industry.