Kongsberg has signed a five year contract with Shell to install its JAWS (Just Add Water System) software on board 45 of the energy major’s LNGCs.
The LNGCs already utilise the Kongsberg Maritime K-IMS Information Management System application suite.
This contract follows a year-long trial, co-conducted by Kongsberg, Shell and the LNG shipowner GasLog, on board the LNGC ’Methane Julia Louise’.
Her shaft energy consumption was recorded for nine months prior to the JAWS installation, as well as throughout the year-long trial with the JAWS software installed. The trial demonstrated that the software could provide a significant fuel saving for the vessel, it was claimed.
JAWS is a hydrodynamic optimisation program, with no additional instrumentation required. It calculates the most advantageous operating conditions in real time based on algorithms developed from historic high-frequency vessel data.
The software constantly issues recommendations for optimal trim and draft, helping crews to cut fuel consumption and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. JAWS provides the live data that allows ship and fleet managers to monitor and report emissions savings.
K-IMS is a web-based solution, which gives both ship crews and shore teams continual access to voyage and vessel data. The provision of JAWS as an application within the K-IMS suite renders it instantly available to all K-IMS users.
Over the course of the 12-month testing phase, on board and onshore monitoring confirmed that the JAWS software generated average energy savings of 5% when its recommendations were followed. This benchmark data was compared with performance data gathered from her sistership ‘Methane Becki Anne’, which followed a similar trading pattern.
One immediate outcome of the tests was a commitment from Nigeria Ship Management Limited (NSML) to invest in JAWS software for 11 of its LNGCs.
Karrie Trauth, Senior Vice President of Shell Shipping and Maritime, said; “JAWS has arrived at a pivotal time for shipping operations, when digitalisation is being recognised as a key enabler for an industry determined to cut costs, reduce emissions and enhance efficiency. It was encouraging to see JAWS referenced directly in the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2021 flagship report as a key technology for delivering on emission-reducing targets in the shipping sector.”
