Mon 5 Sep 2011, 16:04 GMT

Operator installs trimming system to cut fuel costs


Cruise ship owner chooses trim optimization as part of its fuel and emission reduction strategy.



Eniram Limited, provider of dynamic decision support systems for the shipping industry, has today announced that the German cruise ship operator, Phoenix Reisen, has installed Eniram's dynamic trimming system in a bid to further drive down fuel costs and reduce CO2, SOx and NOx emissions.

Eniram's Dynamic Trimming Assistant (DTA) provides the operator with continuous real time monitoring of a vessel's optimal trim in order to minimize fuel consumption. By analyzing the dynamic trim, speed and propulsion power in different operational and ambient conditions, the DTA presents the bridge officers with the optimal trim for the prevailing voyage conditions enabling them to sail at reduced resistance.

To date, DTA has been installed on the 600-passenger M/V Amadea, and the 800-passenger MS Albatros with a plan to deploy the technology onto a third ship the 1200-passenger Artania, in the fourth quarter of this year. All 3 vessels are managed by V.Ships Leisure in Monaco.

Norbert Jepsen, Fleet Manager for Phoenix Reisen commented: "Protecting the Environment is a very important issue for our cruise customers and so our goal was to find a proven technology to make our ships more fuel efficient and that could contribute to our efforts in creating a greener cruise portfolio. The DTA provides a cost effective solution to make instant fuel savings based on optimal trim and offers great potential in achieving long term savings based on fleet level performance and intelligence."

In addition to reducing fuel consumption and emissions, Phoenix Reisen will extend the use of the collected ship data to measure the effects of alterations to its ships. In advance of a scheduled dry-dock later this year, during which the vessel will undergo bulbous bow modifications, Albatros will sail with DTA installed collecting performance data that will enable the team to quantify in detail the reduction in hull resistance due to the modifications.

The technology will also be used to achieve long-term savings due to better information to support strategic decisions relating to maintenance, routing and scheduling. For example, measuring the change in hull resistance as a result of fouling over a specific period of time will enable management to pinpoint the best time for hull cleaning.

Philip Padfield, CEO at Eniram commented: "The IMO have listed trim optimization as one of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan's (SEEMP) strategic areas to increase efficiency of ships in operation. Dynamic trim optimization is one of the most easily achievable fuel saving practices and we are confident that DTA will enable Phoenix Reisen to quickly realize fuel savings and subsequently reduce their emissions. We are also pleased that Phoenix Reisen is one of the launch customers for our new draft radar system which complements the DTA system on-board."

Celebrating 13 years in business this year, the travel operator joins Eniram's impressive portfolio of leading cruise operators including Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Star Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruise Lines and Pullmantur Cruises.


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