How measured fuel visibility helps operators manage DP fuel burn without compromising safety, redundancy, or mission readiness.
Dynamic positioning is one of the most fuel-intensive operating modes for platform supply vessels.
A PSV may appear stationary during DP, but it is actively using power to maintain position and heading against wind, current, waves, and operational demand. Fuel burn is driven by power demand, thruster activity, generator configuration, redundancy requirements, and field conditions.
That makes DP fuel optimization different from voyage optimization.
The objective is not to reduce power blindly. It is to understand whether DP fuel burn matches the operating condition.
Key Findings
DP fuel burn is driven by station keeping, thruster demand, power management, and environmental conditions.
Fuel-per-mile metrics do not apply during DP operations.
Generator configuration and redundancy requirements can significantly affect fuel performance.
PSV fleets need fuel data tied to DP activity, vessel mode, equipment use, and field conditions.
DP optimization must protect safety, position keeping, and operational readiness.
EFMS data helps identify efficiency opportunities without oversimplifying DP operations.
Operational Problem
PSVs often spend significant time in DP while supporting offshore assets.
During these periods, the vessel may be holding position, supporting cargo operations, waiting on crane availability, responding to weather, or maintaining readiness for client instructions.
A daily fuel total rarely explains this activity.
It may show high consumption, but not whether that consumption was driven by thruster demand, generator lineup, redundancy requirements, weather, current, cargo activity, or waiting time.
Without that context, operators can misread DP fuel burn.
They may miss efficiency opportunities or question consumption that was necessary for safe station keeping.
Why It Matters Offshore
DP operations carry a different risk profile than transit or standby.
Fuel efficiency cannot be separated from safety, redundancy, and position-keeping requirements. A PSV must maintain enough power and system availability to support the operation safely.
The goal is not to run less power at all costs.
The goal is to understand whether the power configuration fits the operating condition.
Across a PSV fleet, unnecessary high-power configuration, inefficient generator loading, or extended DP waiting time can increase fuel consumption, engine hours, maintenance exposure, and emissions.
For operators, the value is in identifying where fuel burn can improve without compromising the DP operation.
What We’ve Seen Offshore
DP fuel issues often appear as patterns, not single events.
A vessel may remain in a higher generator configuration after weather improves. A PSV may stay in DP while waiting on deck readiness or platform crane availability. Thruster demand may change quickly even though the vessel appears stationary.
Common PSV patterns include:
DP fuel burn is often reviewed after the operation is complete.
Generator lineup may remain conservative after conditions change.
Waiting time in DP can become a major fuel driver.
Thruster demand may not be visible in daily fuel totals.
Weather and current can make vessel-to-vessel comparisons misleading.
Cargo operations can extend DP time beyond the original plan.
Shore teams may see consumption without seeing the DP condition behind it.
The issue is not that DP consumes fuel.
The issue is knowing whether the fuel burn matched the DP requirement.
FuelTrax Perspective
FuelTrax approaches DP fuel optimization as part of fuel efficiency, fleet optimization, and active operational management.
The Electronic Fuel Management System is designed to help operators measure, monitor, and manage fuel performance in real time. Its fuel efficiency approach emphasizes accurate data, direct fuel consumption measurement, onboard sensors, optimization tools, and continuous fleet visibility.
For PSV fleets, this matters because DP fuel performance cannot be evaluated by fuel totals alone.
Operators need to connect fuel burn to equipment use, vessel activity, operating mode, and field conditions.
This perspective is built around practical offshore requirements:
Measure Fuel Burn in Context
DP fuel consumption should be evaluated alongside vessel activity, power demand, and operating condition. A high burn rate may be expected in one DP condition and worth investigating in another.
Connect Fuel Use to Equipment Configuration
Fuel data becomes more useful when operators understand which engines and generators were running, how long they operated, and whether the configuration matched the DP requirement.
Protect Safety and Redundancy
FuelTrax does not replace DP procedures or operational judgment. The goal is not to reduce redundancy blindly. The goal is to identify avoidable fuel burn while maintaining safe operations.
Support Active Management
DP fuel optimization depends on timely visibility. If teams only review fuel burn after the job is complete, the opportunity to adjust may already be gone.
FuelTrax helps operators move beyond daily fuel totals by connecting measured fuel data to real PSV operating conditions.
Operational Takeaways
DP fuel optimization is about understanding fuel use in context.
During DP, fuel burn should be evaluated against operating conditions, power demand, and vessel activity—not distance traveled.
With better visibility into generator configuration, thruster demand, waiting time, and vessel mode, operators can identify avoidable fuel consumption while maintaining safety and redundancy.
The result is better fuel performance, improved operational awareness, and more informed fleet decisions.
Related Articles
The Hidden Cost of Engine Hours in Offshore Operations
Why Offshore Fuel Optimization Is Different Than Voyage-Based Shipping
Fuel Security Offshore: Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
Technology Is Easy. Offshore Deployment Is Hard.
Download Whitepaper
Download the full white paper for marine operations, fleet management, procurement, maintenance, finance, and sustainability teams.
Contact FuelTrax
To learn how FuelTrax supports DP fuel visibility, PSV fleet optimization, fuel efficiency, and offshore operational intelligence, contact the FuelTrax team.
How reducing unnecessary runtime improves fuel performance, maintenance planning, uptime, and fleet economics.
In offshore operations, fuel burn is often the most visible cost of running machinery. Engine hours are the quieter cost.
Every unnecessary hour on a main engine, generator, or auxiliary system can affect fuel consumption, maintenance intervals, component life, emissions, and vessel availability.
Offshore vessels often accumulate engine hours during standby, low-load operation, DP readiness, cargo support, hotel load, and waiting periods. Some of that runtime is required. Some of it is not.
The challenge is knowing the difference. Operators need visibility into when engines are running, why they are running, how they are loaded, and whether that runtime supports the mission.
Unnecessary runtime accelerates maintenance intervals and equipment wear.
Offshore vessels often accumulate hours during standby, DP readiness, and auxiliary load.
Low-load operation can hide inefficiency even when total fuel burn appears normal.
Runtime reduction must be balanced with safety, redundancy, and operational requirements.
EFMS data helps connect fuel use, machinery runtime, and operational context.
Operational Problem
Offshore vessels are built to stay ready.
That readiness often requires engines, generators, and support systems to remain online even when the vessel is not actively working. From the outside, this can look like idle time.
Operationally, it may be required.
The problem is that engine-hour accumulation is often reviewed without enough context. A report may show runtime, but not explain whether it was tied to transit, DP, cargo operations, standby, redundancy requirements, or inefficient equipment configuration.
Without that context, operators may miss opportunities to reduce unnecessary hours or challenge runtime that was actually required.
Why It Matters Offshore
Engine hours affect more than the daily fuel bill.
They advance maintenance schedules, increase wear, and influence oil changes, inspections, overhauls, parts replacement, and planned downtime.
Across a fleet, small amounts of unnecessary runtime can compound quickly.
An extra generator running during standby may not seem significant in one shift. Repeated across vessels and campaigns, those hours can become a meaningful maintenance and cost issue.
Engine hours also affect availability. When equipment reaches maintenance thresholds sooner than expected, operators may face earlier service windows, parts planning challenges, or reduced scheduling flexibility.
In offshore operations, reducing unnecessary engine hours is not just an efficiency exercise. It is an uptime strategy.
What We’ve Seen Offshore
Engine-hour issues rarely come from one obvious decision.
More often, they come from operating patterns that become normal over time.
A vessel may keep more equipment online than the job requires. A generator lineup may remain unchanged after the operating condition changes. Standby periods may continue longer than expected. Auxiliary loads may increase without being clearly tied to the work performed.
Common offshore patterns include:
Equipment continues running after operational requirements change.
Generator configurations are not always optimized during standby periods.
Low-load operation creates hidden inefficiency.
Maintenance hours accumulate during periods with limited productive activity.
Shore teams see runtime totals but not the operational context behind them.
Engine-hour reviews often happen after the opportunity to adjust has passed.
The issue is not that every engine hour is bad.
The issue is that not every engine hour creates equal operational value.
FuelTrax Perspective
FuelTrax approaches engine-hour reduction as part of fuel efficiency, fleet optimization, and active operational management.
FuelTrax is an Electronic Fuel Management System designed to help operators measure, monitor, and manage fuel performance in real time. Its fuel efficiency approach emphasizes accurate data, direct fuel consumption measurement, onboard sensors, optimization tools, and continuous visibility across fleet operations. FuelTrax identifies fuel and maintenance cost reduction, reduced engine wear, and emissions reduction as core outcomes of fuel efficiency and optimization.
After more than 1,000 vessel deployments worldwide, FuelTrax has seen that offshore performance cannot be evaluated by fuel totals alone. Operators also need to understand how machinery is being used.
Engine hours become more actionable when connected to fuel consumption, vessel activity, operating mode, and equipment configuration.
This perspective is built around practical offshore requirements:
Measure Runtime in Context
Engine hours should be evaluated alongside vessel activity and operating conditions to determine whether runtime was necessary and efficient.
Connect Fuel Burn to Equipment Use
Fuel consumption is more useful when operators can see which equipment was running, how long it operated, and whether fuel use aligned with the work being performed.
Identify Efficiency Opportunities Without Compromising Readiness
The goal is not to shut down equipment blindly. The goal is to identify runtime that does not support the operating condition.
Support Active Management
FuelTrax emphasizes real-time data, optimization guidance, and 24/7 health monitoring and diagnostic support. Timely visibility helps operators identify inefficiencies while there is still an opportunity to act.
FuelTrax helps operators move beyond daily fuel totals by connecting measured fuel data, machinery activity, and operational context to real offshore performance.
Operational Takeaways
The hidden cost of engine hours extends beyond fuel consumption.
Unnecessary runtime increases maintenance requirements, accelerates equipment wear, affects vessel availability, and adds operational cost across the fleet.
The most effective engine-hour management programs combine fuel data, equipment activity, and operational context to identify avoidable runtime while maintaining safety and readiness.
Reducing unnecessary engine hours is not about running less equipment.
It is about ensuring equipment is running when it creates operational value.
Related Articles
Fuel Security Offshore: Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
Why Offshore Fuel Optimization Is Different Than Voyage-Based Shipping
Technology Is Easy. Offshore Deployment Is Hard.
Download Whitepaper
Download the full white paper for marine operations, fleet management, procurement, maintenance, finance, and sustainability teams.
Contact FuelTrax
To learn how FuelTrax supports engine-hour visibility, fuel efficiency, fuel accountability, and offshore operational intelligence, contact the FuelTrax team.
Why reliable fuel management depends on installation, support, and long-term sustainability in the field.
Maritime technology discussions often focus on software features, dashboards, analytics, sensors, and reporting capabilities.
Those tools matter. But offshore, technology only creates value when it can be installed, supported, trusted, and sustained on working vessels.
Fuel management systems must operate across vessel schedules, shipyard windows, remote regions, local sourcing challenges, crew adoption, and ongoing maintenance needs.
After more than 1,000 vessel installations, FuelTrax has seen that long-term success depends on more than selecting the right technology. It depends on deploying it correctly and keeping it useful in the field.
Key Findings
Offshore technology success depends on deployment, not software alone.
Vessel installations require planning, logistics, commissioning, training, and support.
Remote regions can make local equipment sourcing difficult.
Turnkey installation reduces field delays and limits local improvisation.
Long-term value depends on crew trust, remote support, maintenance, and consistent data quality.
FuelTrax differentiates through measured fuel visibility and global deployment experience.
Operational Problem
Technology can look simple during evaluation.
The reality changes when it has to be installed on a working vessel.
A fuel management system may need to be deployed around vessel schedules, shipyard availability, logistics, onboard labor, commissioning, crew training, and long-term maintenance planning.
The software may be ready.
The vessel may not be.
The right components have to reach the right location at the right time. The installation window may be short. Local sourcing may be unreliable. Qualified support may be limited.
This is where many maritime technology programs struggle.
A product may be technically sound, but if it cannot be installed correctly, supported consistently, and trusted by the crew, it will not create lasting value.
Why It Matters Offshore
Offshore operations do not wait for ideal conditions.
A deployment in the Gulf of America is different from one in West Africa, Brazil, Guyana, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Mexico, or a remote inland waterway.
The technology may be the same.
The operating environment is not.
Offshore operators need uptime, consistency, responsiveness, and trust. They need systems that continue working after installation, data crews believe in, and support when something changes onboard.
In offshore operations, the true challenge is not only the technology itself.
It is making sure the system can be deployed, supported, and sustained where the work is actually happening.
What We’ve Seen Offshore
After more than 1,000 vessel deployments worldwide, FuelTrax has seen that deployment is often where technology succeeds or fails.
Every vessel is different.
A PSV does not operate like an anchor handler. A crew boat does not operate like a construction vessel. A vessel working in one region may have different installation constraints, crew practices, connectivity, and support needs than a vessel working somewhere else.
Common offshore patterns include:
Vessel schedules often drive installation timelines more than technology readiness.
Local sourcing can delay projects when parts, tools, or qualified labor are unavailable.
Installation windows are often short and require careful coordination.
Remote support matters because vessels may be far from technical resources.
Crew trust determines whether data becomes part of daily decision-making.
Maintenance and support planning are essential to long-term reliability.
These are not software problems.
They are operational execution problems.
FuelTrax Perspective
FuelTrax approaches maritime technology as both an engineering challenge and an operational deployment challenge.
Beginning with offshore automation and control systems experience, FuelTrax was built for vessels first, not adapted to vessels later.
FuelTrax software provides visibility into fuel consumption, transfers, and inventory. However, the greater advantage is the ability to deploy, support, and sustain that capability in real operating environments.
That approach is built around practical offshore requirements:
Turnkey Deployment
When local equipment sourcing is difficult, installation cannot depend on improvisation. Turnkey deployment helps ensure the right components, documentation, installation process, and support approach are defined before the vessel is waiting on parts or local availability.
Field-Proven Installation Experience
FuelTrax deployments span a wide range of vessel types and operating regions. That experience helps reduce installation risk because the process is based on real vessel conditions, not ideal assumptions.
Remote Support and Visibility
A system must remain useful after installation. FuelTrax supports remote visibility into fuel activity and helps shore teams maintain confidence in vessel data even when assets operate far from traditional support networks.
Crew Trust and Usability
Technology only works if the crew trusts it. FuelTrax focuses on measured data that helps vessel and shore teams work from the same operating picture.
Sustainable System Performance
Long-term value depends on continued reliability. A fuel management system must be maintained, supported, and operationally useful throughout the vessel’s working life.
FuelTrax is not simply providing software.
It is delivering a deployable, supportable, and sustainable fuel management capability for offshore operations.
Operational Takeaways
The offshore environment exposes a reality that many technology providers overlook: software is only one part of the solution.
Successful fuel management programs depend on the ability to deploy systems efficiently, support them across diverse operating regions, and sustain their performance long after installation is complete.
FuelTrax combines fuel visibility with the operational experience required to install, maintain, and support technology in real-world offshore conditions.
In offshore operations, software creates potential value.
Deployment, support, and sustainability create actual value.
Related Articles
Fuel Security Offshore: Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
Why Offshore Fuel Optimization Is Different Than Voyage-Based Shipping
Download Whitepaper
Download the full white paper for marine operations, fleet management, procurement, security, finance, and sustainability teams.
Contact FuelTrax
To learn how FuelTrax supports deployable, supportable, and sustainable fuel management across offshore fleets, contact the FuelTrax team.
How mission profile, operating mode, and measured fuel visibility change the optimization challenge offshore.
Voyage-based fuel optimization is typically focused on voyage efficiency: route, speed, schedule, and arrival time.
Offshore operations are different. A vessel may spend the same day in transit, on standby, maneuvering near an asset, operating on DP, or supporting cargo operations.
As a result, fuel performance cannot be measured by distance traveled alone. Operators need visibility into both fuel consumption and vessel activity to understand whether fuel burn was expected, necessary, or requires investigation.
Offshore fuel optimization is driven by mission profile, not just voyage efficiency.
Fuel-per-mile metrics can be misleading for offshore vessels.
Standby, DP, maneuvering, cargo work, and auxiliary load can drive significant fuel use.
Operators need fuel data tied to activity, operating mode, and field conditions.
Continuous measurement helps separate necessary fuel burn from avoidable waste.
A platform supply vessel, anchor handler, crew boat, construction vessel, or diving support vessel may shift between multiple operating modes during a single job.
Because of this, traditional fuel metrics often lack context.
High fuel burn with low mileage may appear inefficient, even when the vessel is performing exactly as required. Station keeping, weather conditions, auxiliary equipment, cargo operations, and client-directed activities can all significantly impact consumption.
Without visibility into operating conditions, it becomes difficult to determine whether fuel use reflects inefficiency or operational necessity.
Why It Matters Offshore
Fuel planning offshore affects cost, readiness, and job execution.
If operators do not understand what is driving fuel burn, they may misjudge vessel performance, forecast demand incorrectly, or challenge consumption that was actually required by the operation.
Offshore work also creates more frequent fuel-accountability events.
Bunkering, tank changes, inter-vessel transfers, offshore refueling, standby periods, and job-specific operating modes all affect the fuel record.
If those events are not measured clearly, fuel reviews become harder than they need to be.
Shore teams may question the numbers. Vessel teams may understand what happened but lack the measured data to show it. Customers may see consumption without seeing the work behind it.
That creates debate instead of clarity.
What We’ve Seen Offshore
Offshore fuel optimization problems usually start with missing context.
A vessel may burn fuel while waiting on weather. Another may spend hours holding position near an asset. A third may show higher consumption because auxiliary systems, pumps, hydraulics, or deck equipment were supporting the job.
From a simple voyage-efficiency view, those vessels may appear inefficient.
From an offshore operations view, they may be performing exactly as required.
Common offshore patterns include:
Fuel burn is often tied to operating mode more than distance traveled.
Standby time can become a major fuel driver.
DP and maneuvering can create high burn with low mileage.
Auxiliary and hotel loads are often underestimated.
Vessel-to-vessel comparisons can be misleading without job context.
Fuel reviews often happen after the operational details are already fading.
This is why offshore fuel optimization requires measured visibility into both fuel and activity.
Operators need to know not only how much fuel was consumed, but what was happening when it was consumed.
FuelTrax Perspective
FuelTrax approaches offshore fuel optimization as a visibility and operational intelligence challenge.
After more than 1,000 vessel deployments worldwide, FuelTrax has consistently seen that offshore fuel performance cannot be evaluated through voyage metrics alone. The most effective operators measure fuel consumption continuously and analyze it within the context of vessel activity.
FuelTrax systems provide real-time visibility into fuel consumption, transfers, and inventory, allowing operators to understand fuel use as operations occur rather than after the fact.
Several observations have emerged across offshore fleets:
Fuel Efficiency Requires Context
Fuel consumption only becomes actionable when it is tied to operating conditions. Transit, standby, DP, maneuvering, cargo operations, and auxiliary loads each create different fuel profiles.
Continuous Measurement Improves Decision-Making
Operators are better positioned to identify trends, investigate anomalies, and validate performance when fuel activity is measured continuously rather than reconstructed through reports and estimates.
Visibility Drives Accountability
When vessel and shore teams work from the same measured fuel data, discussions shift from questioning the numbers to understanding the operation.
Exceptions Matter More Than Averages
Most fuel consumption has a legitimate operational explanation. The greatest value often comes from identifying unusual patterns, unexpected changes, or performance that falls outside normal operating ranges.
FuelTrax helps operators connect fuel consumption to vessel activity, creating a clearer understanding of performance across offshore operations.
Operational Takeaways
Offshore fuel optimization is fundamentally different from voyage-based shipping optimization.
The goal is not simply to reduce fuel consumption. It is to understand why fuel was consumed.
The most valuable fuel data helps operators answer a few key questions:
What was the vessel doing?
Was fuel burn consistent with the operating condition?
Were there unusual changes in consumption?
Is there an opportunity to improve performance without affecting the mission?
When fuel data is paired with operational context, operators gain a clearer picture of efficiency, accountability, and fleet performance.
Related Articles
Fuel Security Offshore: Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
Download Whitepaper
Download the full white paper for marine operations, fleet management, procurement, finance, and sustainability teams.
Contact FuelTrax
To learn how FuelTrax supports offshore fuel optimization, fuel accountability, and operational visibility, contact the FuelTrax team.
How continuous fuel measurement improves accountability, operational control, and confidence across offshore fleets.
Fuel security offshore is about more than preventing theft. It is about maintaining visibility into fuel inventory, transfers, and consumption throughout the operation while ensuring that fuel records accurately reflect what is happening onboard.
When fuel management relies on manual reports, delayed reconciliation, or estimates, discrepancies are often discovered after the operational context has been lost. By that point, multiple transfers, bunkering events, or operating periods may have occurred, making investigations more difficult and less conclusive.
Electronic Fuel Management Systems (EFMS) help close that gap by providing continuous, measured visibility into fuel activity. The result is stronger accountability, faster investigation of discrepancies, improved confidence in fuel inventory, and better operational decision-making.
Fuel security is a visibility problem before it is a theft problem.
Manual reporting can delay the discovery of fuel discrepancies.
Small variances can compound across vessels, transfers, and reporting periods.
Continuous measurement improves confidence in fuel inventory and consumption records.
Better fuel data helps shore teams and vessel teams work from the same operating picture.
Stronger accountability supports planning, reconciliation, and operational readiness.
Operational Problem
Fuel moves through multiple custody and reporting points during offshore operations.
It is received during bunkering, stored in tanks, transferred onboard, consumed by engines and generators, and reported back to shore. At each stage, operators rely on accurate information to understand what fuel was delivered, where it went, how much was consumed, and how much remains onboard.
When that information comes primarily from manual soundings, handwritten logs, or delayed reports, uncertainty can develop between reporting periods. Small discrepancies may go unnoticed until reconciliation occurs, often after the vessel has completed additional operations or fuel movements.
The challenge is not simply tracking fuel. It is maintaining confidence in the fuel record throughout the operation and being able to explain inventory changes with measured data rather than assumptions.
Why It Matters Offshore
Fuel is one of the largest controllable costs in offshore operations, but fuel security affects more than cost.
It affects readiness.
If inventory records are uncertain, operators may over-bunker, under-bunker, interrupt work, or lose confidence in fuel forecasts.
It also affects accountability.
When a discrepancy appears, vessel crews, shore operations, suppliers, charterers, and customers may all be involved. Without measured data, investigations often rely on logs, estimates, and memory.
For offshore operators, fuel security means being able to account for fuel from receipt through consumption.
What We’ve Seen Offshore
Fuel discrepancies rarely start as one obvious event.
More often, they develop through small gaps in visibility.
Across offshore fleets, FuelTrax has observed that investigations frequently begin after multiple fuel events have already occurred. By that point, vessels may have changed jobs, crews may have rotated, and the operational context can be difficult to reconstruct.
Common offshore patterns include:
Inventory uncertainty builds over time when fuel activity is not continuously measured.
Manual reporting delays issue detection and investigation.
Small variances become harder to explain after multiple transfers, bunkering events, or reporting cycles.
Shore teams often need more context than a daily fuel total can provide.
Vessel teams may understand what happened operationally but lack measured data to validate it.
Most investigations begin after operational decisions have already been made.
Fuel transfer and bunkering discrepancies are often discovered during reconciliation rather than at the time they occur.
FuelTrax deployments have shown that operators gain the greatest confidence when fuel receipts, transfers, consumption, and inventory are measured continuously rather than reconstructed later from reports.
FuelTrax Perspective
After more than 1,000 vessel deployments worldwide, FuelTrax has found that fuel security is fundamentally a visibility and accountability challenge.
Organizations cannot control what they cannot accurately measure.
FuelTrax approaches fuel security as an operational control problem, not simply a reporting problem. The goal is to help operators understand fuel movement, fuel use, and fuel inventory with measured data instead of assumptions.
This perspective is built around practical offshore requirements:
Independent Measurement
FuelTrax uses direct fuel measurement to provide an independent record of fuel activity. This helps operators verify deliveries, transfers, consumption, and onboard inventory with greater confidence.
Continuous Visibility
Rather than waiting for end-of-day reports or reconciliation cycles, operators can monitor fuel activity as it occurs. Earlier visibility allows discrepancies to be identified while operational context is still available.
Accountability Through Measurement
Measured fuel data creates a common operating picture for vessel crews and shore teams. This improves reconciliation, supports investigations, and reduces reliance on estimates.
Bunkering and Transfer Verification
FuelTrax systems are commonly used to validate fuel received during bunkering and monitor fuel movement throughout the vessel. Independent measurement helps reduce uncertainty during custody-transfer events where discrepancies are most likely to occur.
Offshore Operational Context
Fuel data is most useful when it reflects how offshore vessels actually work: transit, standby, maneuvering, DP, cargo operations, auxiliary load, and changing field conditions.
FuelTrax helps operators move beyond estimated fuel performance by connecting measured fuel data to real offshore operations.
Operational Takeaways
Strong fuel security starts with confidence in the fuel record.
Operators should be able to verify fuel received, understand fuel consumed, and explain inventory changes without relying solely on delayed reports or manual calculations.
Continuous measurement provides a clearer picture of fuel activity throughout the operation, helping teams identify discrepancies sooner and investigate them with better information.
For offshore operators, the objective is simple: reduce uncertainty, improve accountability, and make fuel decisions based on measured data rather than assumptions.
Contact FuelTrax
To learn how FuelTrax supports fuel security, fuel accountability, and offshore operational visibility, contact the FuelTrax team.
Following my attendance at the Saudi Arabia Petroleum Congress in Dharan earlier this year and with Dubai hosting COP28 in a few weeks, it’s the perfect opportunity to take a look at the impact of sustainability on the marine service business in Saudi Arabia and the wider Arabian peninsula.
Assuming that none of us want to live in the dark, we all recognize that the world’s short to medium-term demands for affordable energy cannot be met by renewables alone.
This means oil and gas still have a significant role to play over the next 20 years or so as we transition towards a cleaner, low-carbon world.
With this in mind, the future of both the Saudi Arabian oilfield and the maritime service markets that serve it look set to achieve impressive growth. With a combined market value of $12.08 billion in 2023, recent forecasts indicate that this will soar to a remarkable $19.68 billion by 2030.1
As someone whose job involves regular contact with clients, business people, and politicians associated with the marine industry in Saudi I know that managing this huge growth is generating many challenges in the MENA region, particularly in regard to sustainability.
Or to put it more prosaically, how do we keep the lights on and make the best use of our resources without further compromising the planet?
Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, is in a challenging position. They have set themselves admirably high standards and targets for sustainable operations to meet the Kingdom’s ambition for Vision 2030 and Net-Zero 2060.
However, to ensure they can produce enough oil and gas to meet the world’s immediate energy demands, their oil fields are currently running at a very high level.
One impact of this is that Aramco currently complements its own fleet of 400 or so service vessels by chartering additional vessels to meet demand. Which makes enforcement of fuel monitoring standards more difficult.
As Aramco wants to be a better steward of the fuel it supplies to its charterers,how can it influence fuel and emission standards within its supply chain?
The answer lies in digitization.
However, this can’t just be software for software’s sake. Software is one part of it certainly, but the data that informs the software must be absolutely accurate and incorruptible.
Otherwise, every recommendation the software makes and every operational decision that is made based on those recommendations will be skewed by bad data.
Getting data you can rely on means installing the right hardware and sensors on each vessel to accurately measure fuel consumption and then having the means to relay this data securely in real-time to the captain, the crew, the C-suite, and any other stakeholders. Because when everybody involved in operating the fleet can access the same performance data at the same time, the doors open to a whole range of opportunities for efficiency gains in fleet operation.
Ahmed Al Qadeeb, managing director of Rawabi Energy, a provider of marine off shore services in Saudi Arabia that supplies charter vessels to Aramco had this to say about the environmental and performance benefits gained by using Fueltrax products.
“We have applied a fuel management solution through our partnership with the US company Fueltrax. This allows us to monitor the fuel consumption in our vessels and optimize throttle performance, which has resulted in a 7.8% reduction in fuel consumption without disrupting operations.
As of October 2022, we had 23 vessels equipped with the Fueltrax system. This reduction in fuel use means we reduce our fleet’s CO2emissions by 4 million kg a year. These emissions are equivalent to the amount of CO2 that 984 vehicles emit per year, or what a 737 aircraft emits in 50,000 hours of flying.”2
Rawabi Energy is currently installing the Fueltrax solution across its fleet of 160 vessels, a fleet that is growing all the time to help Aramco deliver the energy the world requires in a more sustainable and efficient way.
Of course, sustainability isn’t just about reducing emissions to meet green house gas targets. It also means helping the local communities in which you operate become more self-sufficient, by giving them the skills they need to compete and adapt to the changes being brought about by the energy transition.
This is why we are proud to partner with the Saudi National Maritime Academy to jointly investigate offshore vessel optimization and sustainability technology training for the upcoming generation of professional mariners.
By equipping deck and engineering officer cadets with the right knowledge and skills to implement sustainable practices at sea successfully, we’re not only helping make Saudi greener we’re helping the Kingdom achieve the Saudization element of its Vision 2030 goal; up-skilling the local workforce to ensure they can secure jobs in the new and emerging economies.
With regulatory changes regarding carbon intensity soon to arrive plus government-launched GHG reduction initiatives on the horizon, it’s clear that the Kingdom means business when it comes to sustainability.
With so many major oil and gas companies in the MENA region, it’s only a matter of time before others follow Aramco’s lead in investing in proper fuel management within its fleet and the supply chain. And when they do, everyone at Fueltrax will be there to help them achieve their goals.
As Faisal Alzahrani, managing director of Integrated Marine Solutions (IMS), a one-stop shop providing marine services for maritime industrial operations in the Saudi offshore market says,
“I can confidently say Fueltrax is a very important and crucial stepping stone towards more efficient energy consumption in the kingdom. It aligns perfectly with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious pledge tocut carbon emissions to net-zero by 2060.”3
For ship operators, bunker fuel management can feel like placing square pegs in round holes. There is a cost to balancing trade partners to understand, report, and reduce maritime fuel consumption with the duty to safeguard machinery, manage suppliers relationships,and ensure that voyages remain safe, profitable and on-schedule.
Even small fleets require a sophisticated management approach to tracking fuel consumption, monitoring bunkering events, verifying that deliveries are on specification, detecting discrepancies and quality issues, and matching custody transfers received against anticipated volumes.
Bunkering has become an inexact and inefficient operation, compounded by costly margins for error. But today’s more regulated and competitive tonnage market requires a more positive fuel management approach. Proven technology such as Fueltrax is available to solve fuel-related challenges without resorting to financial write-offs. But how do ship owners quantify the upside potential of electronic fuel management technology? If electronic fuel management systems (EFMS) can yield such significant returns, can a modern fleet afford not to have one? The secret is to go with the flow.
Can Shipowners Afford Not To Have an Electronic Fuel Management System Onboard?
In the same way that large retailers surrender to theft, fraud or cashier error by writing-off “shrinkage” on their balance sheets, shipowners accept reduced profits as a result of bunker fraud, off-spec deliveries and a litany of associated issues.
But the days of pricing inefficiency into shipping are over. Despite a recent cash windfall in the liner trades resulting from a unique set of market conditions, economic and geopolitical uncertainty is poised to return shipping to more familiar margin territories. Between tightening regulatory regimes, market based measures such as carbon taxation and emissions trading schemes, demand-side pressure from scope 3 emissions, poseid on lending and the zeitgeist of stakeholder capitalism, cost management has never been more important.
The pressures are more than monetary. Ship owners and charterers must contemplate pursuing non-financial goals related to environmental protection, social equity and good governance. For operators who are resolved to remaining competitive in this decade and beyond, the winds of economic and environmental change demand a conscious approach to decarbonization and new technology.
At its core, decarbonization is minimizing environmental harm by eliminating excess carbon emissions. Since a meaningful reduction in sea freight demand is unlikely in the foreseeable future, it is down to efficiency and technological breakthroughs to close the gap. But efficiency doesn’t just eliminate waste, it also reduces cost and risk, boosting profits and giving businesses more head room.
Electronic Fuel Management Systems (EFMS) liberates efficiency where it is most needed. Fueltrax EFMS blends robust mass flow technology with remote connectivity, intuitive software and data analytics to deliver a blended approach to fuel management.
Fueltrax measures every bunkering event and operating cycle 24 hours a day, wherever the ship is located. The data generated can be used to support decision making, resulting in measurable gains in efficiency, dramatically reducing fuel consumption, carbon emissions and cost. Since payback periods can be as short as 12-18 months, the decision to install a Fueltrax EFMS is a matter of basic arithmetic; you just have to know the numbers. Here we explore those in a bit more detail.
Consumption is Key
Many operators point to a need for developments in alternative fuel technology and infrastructure as a reason for falling behind the curve on net-zero. While this is a reasonable position, there is a growing consensus that operational efficiency, i.e. burning less of the conventional fuel we have, can be achieved today. In fact, the era of sustainability-linked technological change is well underway in shipping. According to Clarksons data from June 2023, Energy Saving Technology (EST) has been fitted on at least 6,250 ships, totalling 27.3% of fleet tonnage1
For the two-thirds who are yet to invest in any EST, there are choices. Fuel efficiency and carbon reduction measures are not confined to alternative fuels. Measures centered on reducing the consumption of conventional fuels, as is possible with EFMS, can have a transformative impact on carbon intensity and total carbon emissions.
A Thetius study from 2021 pointed out that perhaps up to 70% of the effort required from shipping to meet IMO-mandated emissions reduction targets could be achieved by reducing conventional fuel consumption by finding operational efficiencies 2. Allied to the environmental case, the same report linked increased profitability, citing a study from Aalto University that showed that mid-range tankers improved their profitability by 17.8% as a result of voyage optimization, mostly by reducing peak shaft power and using data to understand the voyage profile from a fuel consumption perspective3. The most effective way to manage the consumption of any type of marine fuel is to install an EFMS.
The Benefits of a Hardware-Supported EFMS
A joint IBIA and BIMCO survey conducted in 2022 canvassed 189 maritime professionals for their opinions on bunker licensing schemes, mass flow meters (MFMs) and other fuel security issues. An overwhelming 91% agreed that there is a need for increased transparency between suppliers and buyers of marine fuels. About 1 in 60 custody transfers end in formal quantity disputes, costing buyers an average of $27,790 per incident. While many are settled commercially, 1 in 4 results in legal action. Worryingly, nearly 60% of respondents had experienced off-quantity issues over the previous 12 months4.
As MFM technology becomes more common, the advantages are becoming better understood. 84% of survey respondents believed that quantity issues would decrease with the use of mass flow technology. The reason is self-evident. Placing secure technology in the line that not only records fluid quantity but can also discriminate between the target fuel grades and contaminants such as water or waste chemicals, and detect air bubbles in the flow, eliminates opportunities for suppliers to deviate from the bunker delivery note for any reason.
EFM systems provide a readily available and cost-effective solution to increasing efficiency, and reducing consumption and carbon emissions. But what is less well understood is the attractively low pay back periods; between one and two years for most applications. This is especially attractive given the scale of carbon reductions and margin improvements that they provide. (See Results below.)
The Fueltrax EFMS is compatible with all fuel grades and even works with alternative fuels, making it a vital transition technology. EFMS are readily available and future proof. This makes them equally applicable to new builds with cutting-edge, alternative-ready propulsion systems, as they are a viable retrofit option for existing vessels with as little as two or three years of trading life remaining.
Why Model What You Can Measure?
This type of technology should be a straightforward choice, but the maritime tech market has become a confusing place in recent years. Words like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Digital Twin are bandied around, often misguidedly. Some of these have their place, but these technologies can stray into providing solutions where more conventional wisdom works best.
Intelligent fuel management doesn’t require convoluted algorithms understood only by the artificial intelligence that created them. It starts with accurately measuring fuel flow using mass flow metering (MFM) technology and ends with applying that data intelligently to solving the efficiency puzzle. Installing robust, maintenance-free Coriolis MFMs takes the guesswork out of bunkering and custody transfers. Since the amount of fuel stemmed and the amount of fuel used during operations are the cornerstones of consumption management, it pays to remove uncertainty by taking real measurements. For Fueltrax users, this boosts the confidence level to an unsurpassed 99.5% or higher.
Good Data Support Good Decisions
Limiting shaft power can result in significant reductions in fuel consumption and voyage costs. The most effective way to limit shaft power is to provide data-driven, real time advice to the bridge team. Maneuvering in traffic dense areas, transiting port approaches and arriving at and leaving a berth can have a detrimental impact on consumption. For vessels which are frequently exposed to conditions which require variable power demands such as feeder vessels, ferries, cruise ships, and tugs, optimizing throttle position and shaft power can make a significant contribution to fuel savings but only when the right data is at hand.
The Fueltrax approach puts consumption data in the hands of the bridge team right where it is needed – at the throttle control. This approach not only results in measurable efficiency gains, but it invests the master and bridge team in the efficiency process. This has been shown to be good for crew morale and retention, but it also provides a vital layer of human oversight. After all, the bridge team remains responsible for the safe navigation of the ship and the best solutions involve human and machine in decision making processes.
Results
For most designs, the power required to move a ship increases in a cubic relationship to the speed. This is heavily influenced by weather and sea conditions, draft, biofouling and many other factors. As such, fuel consumption is consistently the largest variable in voyage related costs. Understanding fuel consumption as a variable cost component in voyage planning and execution is a vital part of running ships profitably. For example, it is normal to agree voyage speeds and codify them into voyage charter party agreements. From the ship owners perspective, this speed should be minimized sufficiently to reduce fuel costs, thus maximizing profitability. An EFMS like Fueltrax can provide vital, near real-time information on the consumption profile for the vessel, allowing commercial teams to use the most favorable voyage speeds, balancing charterer requirements with present performance criteria.
Equally, ascertaining the correct speed to use during ballast legs requires accurate consumption information to balance the requirement to minimize excess fuel consumption with the demands of the freight market. A market experiencing declining freight rates might warrant a faster passage to make the vessel available for hire and find a fixture before rates drop further. Conversely, a bigger focus on maximizing fuel economy is likely to be warranted in a rising freight rate environment.In all scenarios, knowing the threshold at which fuel savings offset reductions in Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) earnings resulting from longer sea passages requires accurate, real-time data.
Fueltrax has a long history of delivering these kinds of insights since it launched in 2006. The Fueltrax family have refined the technology in partnership with our customers using the experience gained from operating Fueltrax on over 800 commercial vessels.
Don’t just take our word for it. In 2022, Fueltrax partnered with Tidewater on their carbon emissions reduction project. What started as a 90-day pilot developed into a prospering partnership encompassing a technology deployment across 41 vessels. In the first 12 months, 41 EFMS installations connected to Fueltrax unique advisory services resulted in a saving of nearly 2.5 million gallons of fuel, $9.7 million USD in costs, and 19,336 Mt of CO2. This represented a payback period of just over one year.
To find out how Fueltrax can apply our patented technology, real-time connectivity and data analytics, and highly impactful consultancy services to your decarbonization and cost reduction goals, contact our friendly team today
Comments closed
Get in touch
From the Gulf Coast to the Middle East, and from South East Asia to Africa, Fueltrax secures sustainable performance for more than 800 vessel owners, charterers, and operators across the world.
Talk to us to discover how to join them.
Get in touch
From the Gulf Coast to the Middle East, and from South East Asia to Africa, Fueltrax secures sustainable performance for more than 800 vessel owners, charterers, and operators across the world.
Talk to us to discover how to join them.
Corporate Office:
+1 (281) 209-3480
Social Media:
READY TO SECURE SUSTAINABLE FLEET PERFORMANCE? CONTACT US
