BEST PRACTICE NO: 2015-07

SUBJECT: Energy efficiency

ISSUE DATE: 08 December 2015

BEST PRACTICES FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT OPERATION OF LPG SHIPS

Several best practices have been collected from the fleet.

1. SEEMP strategy
Strategy of SEEMP is to achieve maximum fuel efficiency while maintaining
organizational effectiveness. A list of all the possible stakeholders in the efficiency of a
single voyage is long; obvious parties are designers, shipyards and engine manufacturers
for the characteristics of the ship, and charterers, ports and vessel traffic management
services, etc., for the specific voyage. All involved parties should consider the inclusion
of efficiency measures in their operations both individually and collectively.
It is to be emphasized that safety prevails on charterer requirement (ie commercial
interests) and charterer requirements prevail on energy efficiency.

2. Virtual Arrival, Speed Control and Voyage Planning

Communication and team work between Charterer, Customer, Terminal Operator, and
Ship Manager is standard in our company and significant for savings in energy usage.
Further the Speed is “optimised” when ship’s estimated arrival is at the same time when
the terminal is ready. So far Manager and Charterers agree a speed adjustment. By
maintaining appropriate speed control in voyage planning, all parties involved ensuring
that ship arrives at its destination as efficiently as possible.
Best Practices

Ships are to communicate economy impacts and choices of voyage orders
to office and charterer.

Office / Management will strive to provide the desired ETA at ports to allow
the ship's crew to better manage the speed and fuel consumption of the
vessel.

Constant speed is the most fuel efficient (except in adverse weather).
Whenever charterer’s instructions prevent masters from keeping a constant
speed the master is required to mention that in the “Remarks” field of the
noon reports. Examples are speed reductions due to regulations, due to
visibility, due to navigational constrains, changed SAT, changed speed
instruction, High Risk Area, …
The remark in the noon report can have as effect that charterer changes its
speed instructions.
The remarks/clarifications will allow analyzing legs of constant speed.
Moreover it is very useful to be able to compare the actual consumption to
the guaranteed consumption for consumption claims.
 The KPI’s are highly depending on the actual speed. Therefore comparison
of the actual t/nm (tons of fuel consumed per nm) with the theoretically
achievable value for that speed is important.

3. Propeller and Hull Inspection

Ship resistance is improved by keeping propeller and hull clean. In general, hull and
propeller are cleaned based on condition assessment according class requirements.
Best Practices

Monitor the propeller ship and overall efficiency of the vessel to look for
possible hull fouling signs and schedule cleaning ahead of regularly
scheduled cleaning. This performance loss can also be highlighted during
the performance trials.

4. Engine Performance Management

Performance of main engine and generators are kept accurate by means of the PMS.
The permanent monitoring is part of fuel saving. The use of engine condition monitoring
by means of Electronic Indicator (EI) can be a useful tool to maintain high efficiency.
EI monitors the combustion process in diesel engines in real time and allows engine
tuning while measuring. The “Electronic Indicator” helps balancing cylinder load,
optimize injection timing and detect worn or damaged engine components and thus
reducing the engine’s operating cost.
 Balancing the cylinder load extends engine life, increases efficiency, and
reduces emissions to assist with environmental compliance.
 Proper ignition timing reduces exhaust gas temperature and rate of excess
carbon build-up. Each degree of delayed combustion increases exhaust gas
temperature by approximately 8-10Co.
 Tuning the engine may reduce specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC),
because each degree that ignition is retarded increases SFOC by
approximately 2%.
 The EI may protect against costly downtime by implementing predictive
maintenance. Major defects can be easily detected. Engine maintenance
can be planned, thus saving in parts and labour by changing engine parts
based on need, not on timed intervals.
 The Mean Indicated Pressure - MIP should be reasonably balanced
throughout the cylinders, with differences less then + /- 0.5 bar. Power is
proportional to MIP x RPM.

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  Optimisation of combustion means producing more power for the same
fuel rack without overloading the engine (exceeding maximum pressures,
MIP or RPM stipulated by the manufacturer).
 Important: MAX MIP - MIN MIP = 1 bar increases of SFOC by approx. 2%
MAX MIP - MIN MIP = 10% increases torsion vibrations by 100%.
Additional means to improve engine efficiency might include:
Best Practices

Stop M/E LO + Camshaft LO Pump in port if M/E notice allows. Many
terminals require the M/E on short notice so it is not possible all the time,
but when possible this should be done. Chief can use his discretion on this
best practice.

Use of fuel additives;

Adjustment of cylinder lubrication oil consumption;

Valve improvements;

Torque analysis;

Automated engine monitoring systems;

5. Boiler and Steam Performance Management

In case of using boilers on board our PMS has included management of steam /
combustion controls and maintenance of burners. When operating boilers, the
engineering staff should survey and optimize original boilers installed onboard to look
for inefficiencies. Significant fuel conservation can be achieved by minimizing overall
steam consumption onboard. Pipe and valve laggings are to be maintained in good order
to minimize thermal losses.
Best Practices

Maintain pipe/valve laggings in good order to minimize heat loss;

Maintain steam traps in good order;

Use steam tracing judiciously;

Optimize bunker tank heating;

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 6. Onboard Bunker Management
Managing bunkers is important in improving reliability and reducing the chances of
incompatible fuel related incidences. Our crew is familiar with specification of fuel and
bunker routines to prevent such incidents. Before ordering bunkers, each ship should
use the bunker worksheet to calculate the expected bunker consumption and verify the
amount with the operation department / charterer. As a minimum, vessels should have
enough onboard to complete the current voyage maintaining the following:

HFO - 3 days (maximum consumption)

MDO – 10 days (minimum generator load)
The ship should consult with the operation department if the above cannot be met. The
decision to carry excess bunkers above the inventory limit is to be justified by economic
and operational considerations. Factors that can influence this decision include bunker
cost, quality, the absence of firm orders, and other requirements.
Best Practices

Vessels should carry the most economical amount of bunker inventory.

All fuels are purchased on internationally recognized standard known as ISO
8217.

Every precaution should be made to try to avoid comingling of parcels of
fuel.
The most common problem with the incompatible fuel is clogged filters and in the worst
case scenario, engine shut down.

Fuel should be consumed following the principle “first in, first out”.

Avoid carrying fuel that is over a few months old. The longer fuel is kept
onboard, the longer the solids and asphaltenes in the fuel are likely to drop
out, and the more potential for reliability problems the ship is likely to face
in terms of filter clogging and other problems. Fuel that cannot be used for
any reason should be de-bunkered off the ship as soon as possible.

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 7. Power Generation
The generation and consumption of power onboard represents an opportunity to save
fuel and minimize running hours on the power generators. Our crew of ship conscious
the high electrical consumers and try to reduce their use as much as possible or operate
this equipment when additional generating capacity is required for other uses.
Best Practices

Minimize use of unnecessary machinery – e.g. deck hydraulic, fire pumps,
engine room fan etc. see your ship specific list of consumers (cfr ASI 2015-
03)

A considerable level of saving can be done by proper communication and
advance notice between deck and engine room teams. Starting of large
Electric motors should be announced but should not be anticipated too
long before the starting. Similarly upon switching off of such large electric
motors deck department is to inform engineers promptly. Although proper
communication and advance notice is not absolutely required for ships
provided with Power Management System, it is still seen as good practice
for all ships. For example: Deck department to communicate with engine
room on ballast and cargo pump usage to avoid running pumps
unnecessarily for long periods;

Ship’s staffs to have a meeting to discuss the impacts of running various
pieces of machinery and efficient use

Mooring winches are used sparingly. The evaluation should be made how
many mooring winches are to be used for each mooring operation. If it is
possible to only use one instead of two winches this should be
implemented.

Maximize D/G load when possible to run on one generator if it is deemed
safe

The calorifier on steam is the preferred method above the calorifier on
electricity. The reason is twofold: on steam the energy consumption of the
calorifier is lower and it can create more heat to kill possible bacteria in the
water. If your vessel doesn’t have a steamheated calorifier on board, this
suggestion can be discarded.

Switch off lights in unused spaces in accommodation;

Try to minimize use of washing machine and drier with only one or two
items;

Try to minimize the time to warm up the compressors

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Ships to have discussion on judicious use of pump room fans, bosun store
fans etc.

Power Management System is available on the W-class, the K-class as well
as Avance Wind-class and some other ships of the fleet thus this best
practice only applies to those vessels.
If the settings of the Power Management System from the Newbuilding
yard are considered too high, it is recommended to adjust this setting. For
example if the setting is 90% for switching on the next generator, this can
be adjusted to eg 85% instead of switching the Power Management System
to manual.
The choice of the settings for the PMS should take into account that
starting of consumers of medium size (Ex. Fire Pump, Winches hydraulic
packs) could provoke automatic switch off of non-essential consumers like
ESD of cargo plant. Although starting of large consumers are provided with
“separate start request” and would hence not endanger stable power
supply, medium size consumers are not provided with a separate start
request. In short, take into account the operational safety issues while
adjusting the systems to operate on max efficiency

8. Bunker Heating
Bunker should be heated in most economical way. The bunker temperature has to be
kept in optimize limit for engine consumption and to be limited under safety aspects
according Voyage Plan. In order to reduce fuel consumption and reduce heating costs, a
voyage-specific heating procedure should be developed. The following should be
considered:
 Vessel tank configuration;
 Number of heating coils and surface area;
 Auxiliary and composite boiler specifications;
 Cloud point, viscosity, and wax content;
 Weather en route including ambient air temperatures;
 Sea water temperatures, wind force, sea and swell;
 Estimated heat loss and drop in temperatures;
 Recommended return condensate temperatures;
 Estimated daily heating hours and consumption.

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Best Practices

Closely monitor and analyze bunker heating

Verify the effectiveness of heating progress

Do not heat for short frequent periods

Follow the recommended condensate temperature

Bunker should be heated as economically as possible and planned soon
after departure.

9. Draft and Trim Optimization

Operating the vessels at the optimum trim and draft can significantly improve efficiency.
Generally all ships create trim table(s) to be able to manage the most fuel efficient draft
and trim by keeping all safety and operational requirements. The resistance of the hull
through the water and the overall efficiency of the ship changes with the draft and trim
of the vessel. The most optimum draft and trim is dependent on vessel shape, operating
speed, and cargo weight. Tank arrangements, hull girder strength, and minimum
propeller immersion often limit the ability of the ship to sail in the most optimum draft
and trim. Trim trials should be performed to test and validate the trim optimization
efforts. Vessel with a trim optimization tool should make optimum use of it. The vessel
should be familiar with the safe and correct sailing draft and trim of their vessel. A
Ballast Exchange plan is to be developed in advance of each voyage and updated as
needed. This plan is to show the planned ballast movements during the voyage to keep
the ship at or near the optimum trim and draft as fuel oil is consumed. At no time shall
the plan exceed the allowable bending moment and shear force for the hull girder, or
allow the propeller immersion to be reduced to the point that the propeller cavitates or
causes significant vibrations.

10. Accommodation – specific energy conservation

The accommodations can offer a number of energy saving opportunities. Air
conditioning is one of the major energy consumers. Windows account for nearly 50% of
the heat or heat loss (depending on the season) this in turn places close to 50% of the
workload on the air conditioning system or heating system. Untreated windows will
allow about 20 times more heat into a space than an equal amount of insulated wall
space. Personnel on board can limit the consumption by keeping the blinds closed when
sun light is not needed or the space is unoccupied. Regular inspections of the entire
refrigerant systems onboard shall reduce leaks and improve system efficiency.
The use of R22 shall be prohibited from January 1st 2015. New alternatives for
refrigeration and air conditioning equipment will have to be sourced after that date.

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 11. Port
Port congestion has two impacts on CO2 emissions and fuel use.
First, while waiting to enter a congested port, a ship must keep auxiliary engines running
to provide power for hostelling and cooling of cargo.
Second, a ship waiting to enter a port could have sailed slower if been informed about
port congestion in advance.
Best Practice:

Consider to drop anchor during short waiting (eg 2-5hrs) instead of
manoeuvring mode

12. Improved cargo handling

Cargo handling is in most cases under the control of the port and optimum solutions
matched to ship and port requirements should be explored. During the sea passage the
cargo compressors should be operated with acceptable diesel utilization.
Best Practice:

Usually, operating one compressor in 24 hours a day is enough to remove
the heat ingress and keep the tank pressure stable.
However, since the cooling water pump has a capacity for 4 compressors, it
might be better to run all 4 compressors 6 hours a day instead and stop the
cooling water pump when the compressors are not running:
One Compressor Four Compressors
Running hours 24 hours 6 hours
Compressor Power per day 6000 kWh 6000 kWh
Cooling Water Pumps per day 2400 kWh 600 kWh
Total Power Consumption 8400 kWh 6600 kWh
On the other side, the load from one compressor and one cooling water
pump may be accommodated with one generator, while four compressors
and one cooling water pump will require two generators in service
Load on Generators: 350 kW 1100 kW
Base load: 700 kW 700 kW
Total 1050 kW 1800 kW
Capacity: 1200 kW 2400 kW
Diesel utilization: 87.5 % 75 %

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 Both cases seem to have acceptable diesel utilization with insignificant
difference in SFOC. Hence one can conclude that it is more economical to
run four compressors for a shorter time than one compressor for a longer
time.

Streamlining the cargo compressors with the aux engines, ie ensure that
the Gen sets operate at the higher power rate, where the Specific Fuel Rate
is optimal.

It is recommended that the master seeks clear instructions with regard to
pressure and temperature of the cargo which is expected in the discharge
port. And that the cargo cooling plan is made in order to avoid that the
cargo is too cold. In this respect commercial considerations prevail over
Energy Efficiency interests, eg the cargo cooling plan should include
contingency to such extend that upon failure of single piece of equipment
en route the required cargo temperature can be achieved upon arrival.

13. Optimum use of rudder and heading control systems

(autopilots)
There have been large improvements in automated heading and steering control
systems technology. Whilst originally developed to make the bridge team more
effective, modern autopilots can achieve much more. An integrated Navigation and
Command System can achieve significant fuel savings by simply reducing the distance
sailed “off track”. The principle is simple; better course control through less frequent
and smaller corrections will minimize losses due to rudder resistance. During
approaches to ports and pilot stations the autopilot cannot always be used efficiently as
the rudder has to respond quickly to given commands. Furthermore at certain stage of
the voyage it may have to be deactivated or very carefully adjusted, i.e. heavy weather
and approaches to ports.

Track control is only available on the W-class and the K-class as well as
Avance Wind-class thus this best practice only applies to those vessels.
It is to be kept in mind that the main goal of adaptive auto-pilot and Track
control modus is to avoid/limit rudder movement (both frequency and
amplitude) Such frequent oscillation are caused by the waves and/or swell
and by the autopilot’s actions to avoid too large heading deviations. On
some ships the other effect of the wind to make the ship turn up or down
wind is fairly pronounced at a certain angle of the wind (relative to the
bow). This effect requires the autopilot to generate a constant off set of the
rudder, which also increases the resistance and hence the consumption.
The latter effect can sometimes be reduced significantly by small alteration
of the heading.

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The effects of rudder oscillations and constant rudder to stem wind yawing
moment cannot be described in general terms. These effects are very
specific per ship and depending on weather circumstances. It is
recommended to make a test by switching to various modes of the adaptive
auto pilot, by alterations of heading and to evaluate the effects. These test
procedures have not yet been captured into standard procedures, but sea
staff are encouraged to develop ship specific test procedures, send them to
the shore Energy Efficiency Team for feedback and sharing knowledge.

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