New methods assure energy efficient and safe ship performance.

Purpose of the project

Ship-owners are increasingly interested in reducing the fuel cost and emission of environmentally harmful exhaust gas components from the vessels.

This is achieved by introducing energy efficient solutions and initiatives. However, these initiatives can sometimes also reduce the safety.

An example of this could be when a vessel’s installed engine power is reduced due to improved hull design and/or due to requirements to lower speed and this results in a main engine that is too small to manoeuvre the vessel safely in waves and harsh weather conditions. This is the reason why we need methods to help ensure a good ship performance during operation from the point of view of both economy, environment and safety.

Target group

Participating companies of all sizes are expected to gain a financial benefit from the project. This could be ship-owners, operators, vessel consultants and product suppliers. 

Throughout the project, we will develop strategies for route-planning with an optimum usage of the advanced systems. Suppliers of route-planning systems will be able to use these strategies. They will also be incorporated into FORCE Technology’s own systems. Learn more here.


In this project, we will employ new methods to accommodate three technical challenges:

Estimation of extra engine power in waves (added powering) 

Sailing in waves calls for more engine power if one is to maintain the same speed and safety as when sailing in calm waters. We will work with CFD modelling to develop a procedure to calculate the sufficient engine power to sail in waves. This will be done by analysing the vessel’s hull, rudder and propeller in a complete CFD model.

Monitoring energy efficient approaches to operating vessels

Even though the energy savings are small percentage-wise, the economic savings are big. The traditional methods of monitoring do not always suffice when the ship-owners need precise information regarding the savings. In this project, we will develop new statistical methods for monitoring e.g. fuel savings after installation of retro-fit solutions on the vessel or after an optimized operation.

Route planning for vessels with advanced propulsion systems

Some energy-saving equipment will advise the captain to sail at a constant speed. However, sometimes it pays to sail at different speeds. Further, environmental requirements in certain regions may make it more beneficial to deviate from the shortest route. We want to develop new methods to guide the crew on board the vessel in selecting the optimum route and speed.