A joint development project (JDP) between DNV GL, Statoil and Farstad Shipping has demonstrated that offshore supply vessels (OSV) can save up to 21.000 Euros on their annual fuel bill, by running the vessel at optimal trim. The project partners carried out a comparative study in the North Sea to document potential energy savings created by using DNV GL’s trim optimization tool ECO Assistant on a platform supply vessel (PSV).

“Even if our modern PSVs are highly fuel efficient due to advanced hull designs as well as innovative engine- and propeller configurations, it is interesting to observe how much impact operational considerations such as trim optimization has on the energy consumption”,says Børge Nakken, Vice President – Technology & Development, Farstad Shipping Norway.

“As a charterer of vessels we work continuously to reduce the environmental footprint of our chartered in fleet. We welcome initiatives taken by the ship operator to reduce the fuel consumption as part of daily operation,” says Frida Eklöf Monstad, Manager for Marine in Statoil’s unit for logistics and emergency response.

“Because of its bow design and relatively flat transom stern this PSV design proved to be sensitive to changes in trim. We were excited to see the results demonstrated that trim optimization can help a modern PSV save significant amounts of fuel, without affecting its normal operation,” explains Petter Andersen, Principal Consultant for Fleet Performance Management at DNV GL – Maritime.

The pilot vessel FAR SUN and her sister ship FAR SYGNA took part in the study. Owned by Farstad and chartered by Statoil, both vessels had the same operational profile and were in service off the south west coast of Norway. Over the study period, which ran for approximately six months, FAR SUN used DNV GL’s ECO Assistant.

On both vessels an automated onboard data collection system gathered information about the required power, trim and fuel consumption. This was sent to DNV GL and analysed using the ECO Insight performance management solution. The results revealed that by using ECO Assistant, FAR SUN consumed an average of 4.3 per cent less fuel than FAR SYGNA when operating between 4 and 14 knots. The greatest savings (over 5 per cent) were achieved when the vessel was operating at speeds over 7 knots.

About DNV GL

Driven by its purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. Operating in more than 100 countries, the company’s 15,000 professionals are dedicated to helping their customers in the maritime, oil & gas, energy and other industries to make the world safer, smarter and greener.

About Statoil

Statoil ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) is an international energy company with operations in 36 countries. Building on 40 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world's energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. We are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with approximately 23,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the Oslo and New York stock exchanges.