Bibby Ship Management coo Simon Barham stopped short of following the lead of Precious Shipping boss Khalid Hashim, who last week described eco-ships as so much shipyard ‘hype’ (see earlier story). Nevertheless he pointed out that shipmanagers can go a long way in advising owners on eco-operations of their existing fleets, adding “I for one am sceptical that all the (eco-ship) promises of lower consumption will in fact become a reality”.
“There are other options and alternative methods of reducing fuel consumption,” he continued, “slight changes in hull forms or optimising trim and the like will work on certain vessels… yet the solution can also be something as straightforward as better weather routing. Good ship management can impact a voyage and can work to reduce any potential over expenditure on fuels.”
Barham also pointed out that fuel switching as vessels entered Emission Control Areas (ECAs) would be a key issue in future, requiring careful assessment of what modifications to vessels’ bunker tanks were both feasible and cost-effective.
He concluded by reiterating that ship managers had an important role to play in ensuring minimum fuel consumption “on both existing ships and the eco-ships of the future.”
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