The Maersk-owned company said its 8 knot speed limit during mobilisation and demobilisation has shown efficiency improvements
Svitzer calculates its global fleet of 400 vessels emits the same emissions every year as 100,000 diesel-powered cars, or one tug for every 25 cars, on average, and reasons “any immediate CO2 saving can have a big impact”.
The company has set its tugs a speed target of 8 knots, a sweet spot Svitzer said is based on analysis of the speeds its tugs travelwhile mobilising to and from a job.
“There is a huge potential for speed optimisation during mobilisation and demobilisation, compared to more operationally sensitive moments during a towage job. This is because there is less power demand and more predictable conditions. For some individual tugs, optimising speed to 8 knots during mobilisation and demobilisation has improved their efficiency by around 20%,” Svitzer Europe chief operating officer Kasper Karlsen said.
Svitzer said it has both “asked and incentivised” its tug fleet operators to follow the speed limit guidelines and has named its speed limiting programme the ’Aim for 8’ initiative. A pilot version of the programme began in late 2021 across Svitzer’s UK operations.
The company said the initiative is part of a “multi-faceted decarbonisation strategy” it launched May 2022.
“The initiative proves small behavioural changes, when implemented alongside more ambitious and long-term shifts such as fuel and tug design, can have an immediate and measurable impact on the CO2 emissions of the global fleet,” a Svitzer statement said.
In the first few months of the programme, Svitzer said it has “successfully prevented 1,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere”.
Following the UK pilot programme results, Svitzer said it will implement the speed limit across its global fleet. “This will considerably increase the potential CO2 savings from Svitzer’s operations, contributing to the company’s decarbonisation strategy through to 2040. Meanwhile, Svitzer continues to pursue advances in tug design and future fuels that will help propel itself to a carbon-neutral future,” the company said.
