Gas shipowner-operator BW LNG and its charterer oil major TotalEnergies are partnering with Nautilus Labs to improve vessel optimisation services, reports Riviera Maritime Media.
LNG transport poses challenges
LNG transport poses a range of challenges: as a dynamic product, the temperature and pressure of the cargo changes over time, and the vessel’s engines are set to run on the boil-off of the -160°C cargo. The vessel’s master must ensure the cargo is in a specific condition when the ship arrives for discharge, and the challenges of cargo sloshing, the degree of boil-off gas and whether it is used as fuel or liquefied need to be considered.
The companies believe the contractual structures of the LNG segment lead to differing objectives for stakeholders. For instance, owners are not incentivised to share data or insights with their respective charterers.
“We knew we had to break down these siloes and barriers,” said Total head of LNG shipping Eric Lepesan.
Nautilus services
Nautilus’s boil-off gas optimisation and voyage optimisation services specifically target the LNG segment, using integrated vessel data to build ship-specific machine learning-based performance models that power its voyage optimisation platform and enable owners like BW to share insights with their charterers.
Both charterer and owner evaluated the incentives and metrics within the industry. While gas consumed over a voyage has a direct impact on the environment, the companies said the CII and EEXI metrics potentially create different incentives as they are based on distance sailed.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: Riviera Maritime Media
