MARINE POLLUTION

Marine fuel management
Marine fuel management
(MFM) is a multi-level
approach to measuring,
monitoring, and reporting
fuel usage on a boat or
ship, with the goals of
reducing fuel usage,
increasing operational
efficiency, and improving
fleet management
oversight. MFM has grown
in importance due to the
rising costs of marine fuel
[1] and increased
governmental pressures to
reduce the pollution
generated by the world's
fleet.[2][3][4]
Effective MFM requires that
you know:
How much fuel is used
How the fuel was used
What things impact fuel
usage
And by how much
Manual methods of
measuring fuel usage, i.e.
fuel tank dipping or
sounding, typically do not
tell how much fuel was
used:
Traveling versus idling
while in port or on
station
By a specific engine (port
versus starboard, for
example)
Performing one job
versus another
By crew A versus crew B
on similar voyages
Without a clear
understanding of how fuel
is being used, there is no
operational baseline from
which to compare any kind
of fuel conservation tool or
activity. Without a baseline,
there is no way to
determine if conservation
strategies are actually
working.
MFM allows a fleet owner
to track actual fuel
consumption and relate
fuel consumption to the
work performed by the
vessel. It supports the
analysis of the effectiveness
of operating strategies and
helps develop a clearer
understanding of how well
a vessel uses its fuel.
MFM Main Functional
Areas
Operational
Performance
Engineering and
Maintenance
Management
Management Oversight
Operational Performance
Operational performance
includes those functional
areas that impact the
actual performance of a
vessel or fleet. It includes
fuel monitoring, inventory
control, accounting, and
engine throttle
management.
Fuel Monitoring
Many marine vessels do not
provide a way for captain
and crew to measure and
monitor fuel usage while
underway. An optimum
system onboard would
include the ability to
instantaneously monitor
fuel burn rates from the
wheelhouse. Individual
engine and generator burn
rates would be included, as
well as fuel tank levels. This
proactive monitoring
would allow the crew to
make decisions that
positively impact fuel burn
rates and efficiency.
Inventory Control
Fuel tanks need to have
sensors installed that
continuously monitor levels
as fuel is taken onboard
and burned by engines and
generators. Periodically
measuring tank levels using
traditional manual
methods is not accurate
enough or timely, given the
volumes of fuel that a
marine engine can
consume. Meters should be
installed on transfer lines
where fuel is taken
onboard or off-loaded.
Accounting
In some parts of the world,
fuel theft is an ongoing
concern. Consequently, the
accurate measurement of
fuel taken on board
coupled with the fuel
actually consumed by
engines and generators, is
an important part of MFM.
Meters should be installed
in all fuel transfer lines so
accurate fueling data can
be captured. This data can
then be compared with
burn rates to determine
whether fuel is being
transferred off the vessel
secretively.
Beyond fuel theft, many
governmental jurisdictions
require that all fuel spill
incidents be recorded and
reported to the local
authorities. For example,
the Marine Department of
the Government of Hong
Kong has specific guidelines
for responding to
accidental marine fuel
spills[5] which reflect
international requirements
as promulgated by
MARPOL, the International
Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution
From Ships.
Additionally, accounting
for fuel usage at various
points along a voyage
provides the ability to tie
fuel burn and its associated
costs to shipping or
container rates. For
example, understanding
how a vessel burns fuel on
certain parts of a voyage,
allows the more accurate
bidding of container rates
so profit margins stay
healthy. Consequently,
varying shipping rates
based on documented fuel
usage rates can allow a
shipper to bid more
aggressively.
A modern marine fuel
management system would
help in monitoring fuel
usage, fuel transfers,
bunkering events and
could be configured to
sound an audible alarm
when refilling fuel tanks
might lead to a spill.
Throttle Management
Vessel operators have the
most control over fuel
usage by the way they use
the engine(s) throttle.
Wind, current, hull
condition, load, and
propulsion system health
can all impact fuel burn
both positively or
negatively. Some operators
choose to lower engine
speed, and hence vessel
speed, in an attempt to
save fuel. However, engine
RPM and vessel speed
alone are not indicative of
total fuel consumption, so
arbitrarily lowering engine
speed does not guarantee
fuel savings. One must do
the workflow calculations
on how the propulsion
system is operating under
existing changing
conditions and then tie
that to fuel consumption.
Simply lowering engine
RPM does not guarantee
an optimum vessel speed
setting based on
conditions. Some modern
fuel management systems
are designed to perform
these calculations while
underway and make
recommendations to the
vessel master.
Engineering and
Maintenance
Management
As with any capital asset,
manufacturers typically
include the standard
maintenance practices and
procedures needed to keep
the asset functioning
properly and within design
specifications. In many
cases, scheduled
maintenance routines are
based on laboratory or
design parameters and do
not necessarily represent
the optimum. MFM
supports proper
maintenance on marine
engines and generators by
using the actual fuel
burned or hours operated
as the basis for performing
maintenance routines. This
condition-based
maintenance
program more accurately
reflects the operating
environment of the engine,
but more importantly,
reduces or eliminates
unnecessary maintenance
work.
Management Oversight
Management functions
within MFM include:
Vessel performance
analysis and overall fleet
performance
Crew analysis with
emphasis on applying
lessons learned as best
practice across the fleet
Key Performance
Indicator
(KPI) gathering across
the fleet to include fuel
burned per mile or per
ton; throttle settings at
various points on a
voyage; engine RPMs and
exhaust gas analysis; and
vessel performance
against hull conditions.
Fuel management from
purchasing to transfers
to usage
Chartered vessel fuel
performance and
adherence to
contractual obligationst