Manta Marine Technologies will supply and deploy its automated propulsion optimisation system FuelOpt on nine vessels operated by Chemship, following a trial installation on the Chemical Challenger vessel.
The contract also covers Manta’s Fleet Analytics performance monitoring and reporting tool.
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Retrofit work will start with two Japanese-built multigrade vessels before the end of 2025, with the remaining tankers scheduled for 2026.
FuelOpt adjusts a vessel’s propulsion in real time to maintain predefined operational targets, such as a set speed or specific fuel consumption limit, and to keep propulsion at an efficient power output.
The system operates with conventional and alternative fuels and can be used with hybrid propulsion configurations.
Manta chief commercial officer Richard Engelhart Bjercke said: “We are proud to partner with a forward-thinking operator like Chemship as they lead the way in sustainable chemical transportation.
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By GlobalData“This contract underscores the critical nature of propulsion control in achieving net-zero targets with FuelOpt and Fleet Analytics, offering guaranteed performance improvements by seamlessly integrating human expertise with automated decision-making.”
Manta added that when FuelOpt is paired with Wind Assisted Propulsion systems it converts wind-gained thrust into fuel savings through automated propulsion adjustments.
Fleet Analytics collects high-frequency data from multiple onboard sources, provides vessel performance analysis, and allows benchmarking across single ships or entire fleets.
The cloud-based tool produces timeline-based reports aligned with EU-MRV, EU-ETS, FuelEU Maritime, IMO-DCS and CII and integrates with systems such as FuelOpt and Wind Assisted Propulsion to support operational decision-making and reduce administrative workload.
Chemship operates stainless steel chemical tankers configured to carry a range of liquid bulk cargos, including specialised chemicals, vegetable oils, acids, lube oils, aromatics, and clean petroleum products.
Chemship operations director Michiel Marelis said: “After decades of relying on manually entered, error-prone consumption figures, we finally have everything digitally available on a single platform.
“This enables us to eliminate all variables and accurately measure the efficiency of our sustainable investments. We now have full control over our fuel consumption and are achieving optimal savings from our Ventofoils, thanks to the Manta Marine Technologies FuelOpt package.”
In February 2024, Chemship adopted wind-assisted propulsion technology on a chemical tanker by installing Econowind’s VentoFoils. Four 16m tall wind “sails” were fitted to the Chemical Challenger vessel.
