Performance monitoring key to securing vessel emissions goals

Vessel operators can no longer afford to underestimate the significance of vessel performance data in responding intelligently to growing market, and likely future legislative, pressures in 2022. That at least is according to Reygar, the leading provider of innovative remote monitoring and reporting platforms to the maritime sector, which urges the industry to finally embrace vessel performance monitoring as a means of activating effective pathways to fuel consumption and emissions reductions.

With the year ahead set to be defined by the growing environmental agenda in the wake of COP26, vessel operators face pressure on multiple fronts. Industries like harbour towage and offshore wind support – currently under fire for lacklustre environmental performance – are diverting pressure to their suppliers to curb emissions output, but without compromising on the quality of service they expect.

Meanwhile legislative requirements continue to close in, with national and international regulators exploring means and metrics to enforce carbon reduction measures upon the maritime space, as well as developing testing and commercialisation pathways for emerging fuels and propulsion technologies. These added pressures on vessel operators sit against a backdrop of soaring fuel prices, leaving them to tackle these challenges with essential budgets already under strain.

A track record of fuel consumption and emissions performance mapped to the operating profile of individual vessels gives operators a foundation of evidence on which to prove competitive advantage to their customers, demonstrating compliance in a changing legislative landscape. Mapping accurate measured fuel consumption to invoicing on per job basis is an aspiration for some customers, where vessels are carrying out multiple jobs per day. As vessel operators consider whether to adopt electric, hybrid or hydrogen propulsion technologies, it is increasingly valuable to have a historic and accurate record of measured performance data on their existing fleet to enable them to make the right decisions on future vessel specifications

“The maritime sector has been slow to digitise, but the case for improved vessel performance analysis is growing too strong to ignore,” comments Chris Huxley-Reynard, Managing Director of Reygar. “But opportunities to implement data strategies and develop critical track records of performance abound across the maritime sector in 2022, with advantages to offer for those operators which seize the moment. In the United States in particular, both the offshore wind boom and the nationwide capacity crunch at container ports need more efficient vessel operations to accelerate construction and alleviate gridlocks.

“Industries like offshore wind support and harbour towage, which require broad operational capacity from their vessels - ranging from transferring cargo and personnel between ports and loitering in harbour, to towing other vessels and pushing on turbines - provide fertile ground for understanding and tracking fuel consumption and emissions across the scope of vessel activities, informing the more efficient operation of vessels and fleets to cut costs and carbon outputs.”

Reygar’s flagship remote monitoring and reporting platform, BareFLEET, is unrivalled in its ability to inform intelligent decision-making for vessel operators, combining multiple datasets to optimise performance, reduce downtime, and enable other critical efficiencies. BareFLEET unlocks vessel performance optimisation for customers worldwide across multiple industries, working in partnership with existing providers to enhance its offering for specialised industry customers. Its latest integration with Helm CONNECT is set to revolutionise fuel consumption and emissions tracking capabilities in the US towage market, mapping accurate vessel measurements on a per job basis.

“Even beyond the immediate challenges to the maritime sector, the potential expansion to alternative propulsion technologies proposes to take vessel owners down unfamiliar pathways.” Huxley-Reynard continues. “The maritime sector must improve its attitude towards and utilisation of vessel monitoring data if it is to deliver successful gains on all fronts in 2022, as well as preparing itself for the potential of an electrified future. The days of hiding our heads in the sand are done - action is the name of the game in 2022, and those who act intelligently on a solid foundation of operational data will find themselves one step ahead in the race.”