Fairwater and Wärtsilä collaborate to develop a service for operators to improve performance and efficiency

• Challenge: Find a partner to analyse vessel data to improve performance.
• Solution: The Wärtsilä Fleet Performance Review service.
• Benefit: 50 tons of annual fuel savings on certain vessels from optimised routes.
  

Fairwater was already experiencing the benefits of Wärtsilä’s Fleet Optimisation Solution (FOS) – but they could see there was more to gain. What else could be done to improve the performance and efficiency of their fleet?

Fairwater is a leading Jones Act and U.S. flag maritime solutions provider focused on the transportation of clean petroleum and renewable products, chemicals and crude oil. The company had been successfully using Wärtsilä’s Fleet Optimisation Solution (FOS) on several sample ships to improve performance and gain insights into fleet operations. 

Fairwater’s ship management team also asked Wärtsilä to provide active monitoring for a few of their vessels to optimise routes and improve overall performance. Wärtsilä proposed the Fleet Performance Review service, which provides regular detailed reports backed up by expert support that leads to clear action.

What a Fleet Performance Review report covers 

• Reporting data quality – are noon reports accurate and submitted on time? If there are any issues, Wärtsilä sends a notification. The reason why is simple: accurate data is the key to all analytics. 
• Vessel performance and optimisation – are fuel consumption and route planning optimal across different speeds and environmental conditions? If not, Wärtsilä can suggest corrective actions like hull or engine maintenance, or which routes would be more efficient.
• Regulatory compliance – are vessels in compliance with current and upcoming regulations like the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and EU maritime regulations? If needed, experts recommend corrective actions that help ensure compliance. 
• Maintenance planning – have maintenance schedules been optimised to ensure vessel reliability and performance while reducing downtime? If not, Wärtsilä can suggest when maintenance makes the most sense. 
  

The reports are put together by a wide range of experts including captains, naval architects, data analysts and meteorologists.

How the Fleet Performance Review works in practice 

As part of the Fleet Performance Review service, Fairwater received detailed performance reports every six weeks.

The reports provided actionable insights and recommendations that helped optimise vessel operations. Wärtsilä went over the reports together with Fairwater ship superintendents, shoreside management and onboard teams to ensure all information is 100% clear and to answer any questions Fairwater might have. 

The results of the service were clear. Fairwater witnessed significant savings and performance improvements. For example:

• 5% improvement in vessel route efficiency 
• Better operational patterns and improved maintenance
• 50 tons of annual fuel savings per vessel. 

Fairwater is now looking into rolling out the service to cover more vessels to ensure even more savings

Image author: © Fairwater