Leading European ferry operator Stena Lines says that a pilot project has shown that fuel consumption can be cut using artificial intelligence (AI), reports World Cargo News.
Reduced fuel consumption proved
A pilot project using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict the most fuel-efficient way to operate a vessel has proved a success, claims Stena Line.
“The results show reduced fuel consumption by 2-3% per voyage and the technology, now named Stena Fuel Pilot, will now be launched on more vessels”
Technology to face financial challenges
Reducing the vessels fuel consumption is a priority area for Stena Line and the ferry company has a target to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 2.5 % yearly.
Fuel is also one of the largest costs for a ferry company, at around 20% of total costs.
AI technology has shown to be a successful solution to tackle these challenges and achieve the ambitious targets we have set for ourselves.
Stena Fuel Pilot
Last year Stena Line started a pilot project on STENA SCANDINAVICA on the Gothenburg-Kiel route using AI technology to predict the most fuel-efficient way to operate a vessel.
The results show that the project has been successful, enabling the captain and crew to save 2-3 % fuel per trip with AI assistance.
The software is now named Stena Fuel Pilot and will be installed on five more Stena Line vessels during the autumn. The ambition is to do a complete fleet wide roll-out on all 37 vessels in Europe during 2020.
World’s first cognitive ferry company
“Stena Line aims to become the world’s first cognitive ferry company, assisted by AI in all areas by 2021,” said Jari Virtanen, Chief Transformation Officer at Stena Line.
“This project is using AI technology to support our captains and officers to save fuel. By improving the efficiency, we reduce both our costs and our environmental footprint.”
Safe and fuel efficient
According to Stena Lines, its Head of AI, Lars Carlsson, and Senior Master Jan Sjöström from STENA SCANDINAVICA were key players in the success of the project.
Jan Sjöström said, “Planning a trip and handling a vessel in a safe and, at the same time, fuel efficient way is craftsmanship. Practice makes perfect, but when assisted by AI a captain or officer can improve how to optimise fuel quicker, in return, this contributes to a more sustainable journey.”
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Source: World Cargo News
