SmartSpeed Navigates to Fuel Savings

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT), a StormGeo company and a provider of fleet optimization services and onboard voyage management software, has launched AWT SmartSpeed, believed to be the first route advisory service to use advanced optimization to set both the optimum route and optimum speed for each segment of a voyage with daily updates.

AWT SmartSpeed combines vessel specifications and voyage details with AWT’s database of nearly 20 years’ weather and oceanographic information, to calculate optimum speed settings across an entire voyage.

This allows operators and captains to improve the performance of their vessels and burn less fuel.

“Because AWT routes 50,000 ship voyages per year, we have access to millions of speed and consumption records in all types of weather. This gives us a unique ability to calculate a vessel’s consumption and the effects of weather,” said George Schlinkert, vice president of ship route advisory services at AWT. “To provide variable speed and variable route optimization has been the goal of ship routing for years, but only today, with massive computing power, is this made possible.”

Prior to a voyage, AWT supplies shore-based ship operators with a pre-voyage plan for each segment of the voyage, the operator can then send this information to the ship.

During a voyage, users are provided with the tools to proactively minimize fuel costs, achieve on-time arrival and actively monitor daily fuel consumption.

When the voyage is completed, AWT Voyage Reports allow users to monitor compliance with the speed orders to the ships. On a monthly or quarterly basis a return on investment (ROI) analysis is provided to document fuel savings.

“With IMO and governmental requirements such as Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans (SEEMP), and with stricter Emission Control Areas (ECA) zones in 2015, we believe AWT SmartSpeed provides a timely solution to assist compliance, enable improved fuel efficiency and control costs,” said Haydn Jones, AWT CEO.