Ship Service Performance Analysis

Where in the past the operational cost of a ship was dominated by crew costs, fuel costs have taken over the majority of costs due to ever increasing bunker prices. To reduce operational costs, ships should be optimised in fuel efficiency considering environmental conditions and operational parameters. A first step in optimising ship performance is to check the speed-power relation in speed trials. A transparent and accurate industry standard for conducting and analysing speed trials is discussed. New methods to determine the added resistance of ships in waves are presented and a consistent practice of speed trials is proposed. The performance of ships during the speed trials can be accurately determined using the STA approach. This however does not improve the ship service performance. The performance analysis is the missing link in monitoring and improving the ship’s performance. By displaying the ship performance to the crew, the performance can be optimised by adjusting engine settings or trim within available limits.