By
Laura Hyde |
Marine green technology company Qtagg is to digitise the propulsion control system onboard Corsica Linea’s Danielle Casanova. The French shipping company hopes the project, which includes power routing with EcoPilot and retrofit of governors, actuators and the pitch control system, will lead to a six to eight per cent reduction in fuel consumption.
Qtagg will install EcoPilot onboard Daneille Casanova, which is currently undergoing maintenance and technical upgrades in Marseille, France. The fully automated eco-driving system uses weather forecasts and ship data to calculate the expected fuel consumption for routes and predict arrival times. It also continuously adjusts to maintain an even engine load and optimise propeller pitch to maxise fuel savings. The active power routing provides the captain with full control over the arrival time while alleviating the human tendency to set a higher speed than necessary at the start of a voyage. It also adapts to changing conditions once the voyage is underway to ensure vessels arrive just in time to avoid unnecessary fuel consumption.
“For us, this is not only about saving on fuel expenses. Installing EcoPilot will also help us achieve a reduction on carbon dioxide emissions,” said Julien Colin, superintendent at Corsica Linea’s technical division. “As a company we have an ambitious plan to reduce our total carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent until 2030 and continue to move towards sustainable maritime transport in the Mediterranean. It will be interesting to see how much a system such as EcoPilot can contribute towards our goals.”
Danielle Casanova, which serves routes between the France, Corsica, Algeria and Tunisia, will be equipped with new Dego IV engine governors, Qtagg’s ASAC actuators and a replacement pitch control system, which enables digital propulsion control and active power routing with EcoPilot.
“[On] the trip between Dover and Calais lasting 90 minutes, we’ve observed savings of up to 20 per cent, equating to over €500,000 ($544,721) per year for our customers,” said Per Österberg, chief commercial officer at Qtagg. “There’s a notable market interest in integrating EcoPilot into large retrofit projects for propulsion control systems. Additionally, there’s a growing trend in installing EcoPilot directly onto the bridge without the need for retrofitting, achieving a remarkable return on investment in just three to four months.”