Eniram Ltd., provider of dynamic decision support systems for the shipping industry, today announced an agreement with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), an innovative cruise line operator headquartered in Miami, Florida, to deploy Eniram’s Dynamic Trimming Assistant (DTA) in the entire NCL fleet of cruise vessels. Resulting from a pilot deployment on Norwegian Jewel, the agreement is the largest single deal yet for the Finnish-based Eniram.
Eniram DTA helps vessel officers to optimize trim at all times, minimizing water resistance, decreasing fuel consumption, and reducing emissions. The system continuously collects and displays real-time data of vessel attitude, allowing timely action in changing circumstances. The key metrics are brought to vessel officers in an easy-to-read graphic form, to facilitate faster and better informed decision-making.
“Increasing fuel prices are a pressing issue to everyone in the maritime industry,” said Mr. Niklas Peterstam, captain and Vice President of Nautical Operations at NCL. “We’re always looking for opportunities and technologies to help optimize our use of fuel.”
The full-scale deployment is currently being finalized on the Norwegian Jewel. Eniram’s delivery model, designed to ensure the accuracy of the data collected, includes a calibration period during which the dynamic data retrieved from operational vessel management applications and purpose-built sensors is measured for consistency and individually fine tuned for each vessel. Subsequently to Norwegian Jewel, Eniram DTA will be rolled out to the entire NCL fleet.
“The fleetwide deal with NCL is a breakthrough milestone for DTA and Eniram”, said Mr. Henrik Dahl, Managing Director of Eniram. “NCL has the youngest fleet in the industry and an outspoken commitment to environmental protection, so we were confident from the start that our ability to decrease fuel consumption and reduce emissions would be appealing to them. Having now demonstrated the effectiveness of DTA in practice, we’ll continue our talks with other cruise and freight operators around the globe.”
“Cutting fuel consumption by up to five percent leads to potential annual savings of hundreds of thousands of Euros per vessel”, said Mr. Eero Lehtovaara, captain and Director of Marine Operations for Eniram. “In addition to saving costs, reduced fuel consumption has a direct effect on emission levels, giving the shipping industry an easily deployable means to protect the environment. The system can be installed in full-scale use in 4-6 weeks, regardless of whether the vessel is under construction or already operative.”
Eniram DTA is designed by a team of marine system experts, software architects, programmers, naval architects and captains creating a unique combination of expertise. The DTA is based on dynamic data that is automatically retrieved from operational vessel management applications and purpose-built sensors using sensor network technology. The core of the system is its multidimensional analysis model, which continuously calculates the key forces affecting the vessel attitude. In fleetwide use, the system can be extended to provide shipping companies with compound vessel performance data for more efficient fleet management.
