The article presents an analysis of ship operating characteristics in the context of identifying parameters that determine fuel consumption. The analysis is supplemented with examples of the impact of selected parameters on ship performance. The most significant parameters identified are: speed, draft, and trim of the vessel. The impact of hull fouling on fuel consumption is also discussed.INTRODUCTION
Commercial operation of a ship consists of activities aimed at maximizing revenue from transported cargo and passengers, while technical operation of a ship is the maintenance of the ship in full technical readiness.
The basic technical and operational parameters of a ship include: ship length L, length overall LOA, length between perpendiculars LBP, ship breadth B, ship draft T, displacement D, deadweight DWT, ship trim, and speed v.
Speed is one of the most important technical and operational parameters characterizing a ship and is closely related to the use of a specific type of propulsion, as well as resulting from operational parameters that operators and the ship’s captain do not take into account when performing a transport task. The lack of information in ship documentation regarding the impact of trim and draft on reducing daily fuel consumption means that the captain, when considering trim, only has the “seaworthiness of the ship” in mind.
The unit of speed is the knot2: the following types of speed are distinguished:
• maximum speed, which can be achieved using 100% of engine power, • sea speed obtained under good weather conditions while using power (about 75%-85%), • operational speed, which is the speed the ship achieves under given conditions, • economic speed, which the ship should maintain in order to cover the longest distance while burning a specific amount of fuel.
Trim – the inclination of the ship (by the stern, by the bow).
1 knot means that the ship is moving at a speed of 1 nautical mile per hour (1 NM/h). 1 nautical mile is 1852 m. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 4/2011