New Blue Visby prototype trials project average GHG savings of 29%

The second prototype trials of the Blue Visby software involving liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers have demonstrated that the solution can support various segments of the maritime industry and adapt to different scenarios while achieving substantial fuel and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings.

The Blue Visby Solution project (BVS) recently completed a series of prototype trials, involving 16 LPG tankers under charter by Marubeni Corporation, a Blue Visby Consortium member, across 40 voyages during a period of three months.

The BVS/Marubeni PT was designed to test the BVS technology acting as a decision-support tool in a “First Come First Served” (FCFS) operational environment. For the purposes of this trial, BVS technology provided the necessary optimization information and recommendations for the operator to decide whether or not to implement BVS, to reduce GHG emissions by mitigating the effects of “Sail Fast Then Wait“ (SFTW).

Due to the FCFS operational environment, a key parameter of the BVS/Marubeni PT involved monitoring the operational status of a total of some 919 vessels on a 24/7 basis to ensure that the vessels participating in the PT would not be overtaken by non-participating vessels.

Approximately 31 actionable recommendations for vessels to reduce speed were issued, with projected fuel and GHG savings of about 29%, on average. This average figure was confirmed in the results from the vessels that followed the BVS recommendations. These savings were delivered through speed reductions from an average speed of 13.6 knots, down to an average speed of 10.6 knots.

According to the consortium partners, the BVS/Marubeni PT demonstrated:

1. substantial GHG emissions savings;
2. the value of BVS as a decision-support tool, including in cases where a commercial decision is taken not to reduce speed, or to reduce speed only for part of a voyage.
3. The feasibility of individual ships using BVS to reduce GHG emissions in a FCFS environment, without suffering any commercial disadvantage, even in the absence of wider co-ordination or terminal involvement.

The BVS/Marubeni PT follows on from the prototype trials that were completed in Q2 2024 involving Supramax bulkers under charter by Blue Visby Consortium member CBH Group, which demonstrated fuel and GHG emissions savings of approximately 8-28%.

The BVS/CBH Group prototype trial was designed to test the BVS in the context of optimizing for the needs of a terminal stem, rather than in an FCFS environment, which was the case in the BVS/Marubeni PT.

“Over a period of several years, the Blue Visby Solution project has progressed iteratively through studies, simulations, virtual pilots to prototype trials. The combined experience of two sets of prototype trials over a period of six months, with the invaluable support of Blue Visby Consortium members CBH Group and Marubeni Corporation, has demonstrated the feasibility of deploying the Blue Visby Solution in the two main operating environments in maritime trade: terminal stem and First Come First Served,” Haris Zografakis and Pekka Pakkanen, Coordinators of the Blue Visby Consortium, commented.

“During this Prototype Trial, we successfully demonstrated the capabilities of the technical system in challenging First Come First Served operational environments. The groundbreaking work of our research team during the past year has enabled us to use a wide range of new data and optimisation constraints, allowing us to solve some of the optimization challenges present in a competitive operational environment with a limited number of participating ships. The experience and the outcome of this Prototype Trial demonstrate that the Blue Visby Solution can adapt to different operational needs and use cases, supporting various segments of the industry,” Kimmo Laaksonen, Chief Technology Officer of Blue Visby, explained.

‘Sail Fast Then Wait’

The Blue Visby Solution is an integrated system that notifies ships of the optimal date and time for arriving at their destination, eradicating the industry practice of “Sail Fast, Then Wait”.

According to the consortium, the SFTW practice can be justified for various reasons, but it is responsible for about 20% of shipping’s carbon footprint. SFTW cannot be eradicated through the actions of individual ships, or bilaterally as between an individual shipowner and an individual charterer. It is “a systemic challenge that requires a systemic solution”, the Blue Visby Consortium claims.

Specifically, the solution combines software, operations, and contracts to systemically optimize the ocean passage of participating ships and thereby reduce GHG emissions. It does not interfere with the voyage planning or weather routing of individual ships, and it does not interfere with berthing or port operations. A crucial component of the multilateral nature of the Blue Visby Solution is a benefit-sharing mechanism, which incentivizes participation and removes the obstacle of split incentives.

Over a period of several years, and with support from 40+ members of the Blue Visby Consortium, which is co-ordinated by Helsinki-based software company NAPA Oy and London-based law firm Stephenson Harwood, the project has progressed iteratively through several stages: from academic studies to proofs of concept, to hindcast simulations in real operating conditions, to virtual pilots with the use of digital twins and, finally, to prototype trials.

Prototype trials with the CBH Group and Marubeni Corporation have successfully concluded in the dry bulk and tanker segments, to be followed by more in 2025 with other consortium members and in other market segments.