- Timely maintenance reduces fuel consumption and prevents issues.
- Postponing unnecessary maintenance saves costs and emissions.
- Service Agreements: Partnering with experts boosts efficiency and reduces downtime.
When it comes to reducing emissions from your fleet, the secret may lie in achieving small, incremental improvements. Known as marginal gains, these seemingly minor adjustments can accumulate over time and have a major impact on emissions reduction, reports Wartsilla.
The Power of Marginal Gains in Action
A great concept that “marginal gains” became an inspiration in competitive cycling. David Brailsford helped British Cycling to a certain degree of success they never thought existed: 178 world championships and 66 Olympic gold medals. This principle can similarly transform your emissions strategy.
Simple Ways to Achieve Marginal Gains
- Optimise Engine Efficiency: Small engine efficiency improvements can make a huge difference in emissions. For instance, ferry operator Wasaline upgraded the sails of its vessel, the Aurora Botnia, very slightly but still saved an impressive amount on fuel consumption and costs. Making sure your engine’s powertrain is optimized for sailing at different speeds can also reduce emissions.
- Monitor and Maintain Critical Components: Regular monitoring of critical components, including filters and air coolers, may help enhance performance and reduce fuel usage. For example, proper filter replacement or cleaning an air cooler can reduce the use of 2% of fuel. It would also prevent larger problems that cost much more by alerting early for any performance deviations in technologies such as AI. Wärtsilä’s Expert Insight service is a prime example of how this AI feature helps improve efficiency and emissions.
- Maintain only when necessary: Using data to determine when maintenance is absolutely necessary can save costs and prevent unnecessary emissions that come from manufacturing and shipping spare parts. Overhauls that are done unnecessarily not only keep the equipment longer but also conserve capital that can be used to invest in other solutions for emission reduction.
Getting Marginal Gains with the Right Partner
A good service agreement partner can work with you to achieve marginal gains. Wärtsilä offers service agreements that help:
- Predict and prevent problems before they cause downtime.
- Make data-driven decisions on engine maintenance, reducing lifecycle costs.
- Access expert support to solve problems quickly, improving efficiency and emissions.
Less downtime means lower emissions as well, since more downtime tends to mean faster sailing speeds, higher fuel consumption, and higher emissions.
Real-World Success Stories
Agreements have proven to reduce costs and emissions in real-life situations. MOL Sunflower Ltd., a Japanese ferry owner, used a Wärtsilä agreement to keep the engines of its ships running efficiently, saving fuel and reducing emissions. JOVO Group in China likewise used predictive maintenance and dynamic planning through a Wärtsilä agreement that would improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions.
Conclusion
The philosophy of marginal gains is what may help a successful strategy for emissions reduction. Focusing on small, data-driven improvements, you may achieve big results for your fleet’s decarbonisation journey.
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Source: Wartsilla
