Steam up and pollution down

Large ocean-going ships can save up to 15 per cent on fuel consumption – and thus on pollution – by using an Icelandic system which uses advanced mathematics.

Focus on the management of the world’s energy resources is growing. This is due not least to the fact that there is an increasing need for power, at the same time as demands are being made to reduce the emission of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases.

One of the areas in which savings can be made is on the world’s ocean-going ships, where only 40-50 per cent of the produced energy is converted to power. Marorka is an Icelandic company with ambitions to help its customers within the shipping industry to optimise their business. This is done by minimising fuel consumption and thus the emission of harmful greenhouse gases.

Good mathematics makes financial sense
It all began in 1995 when a small research group started working with ideas based on founder Jón Ágúst Thorsteinsson’s PhD thesis on energy technology. Marorka was established in 2002. Thorsteinsson has an engineering background, specialising in energy systems, and is driven by the idea of promoting better solutions for energy use within the shipping industry.

The company Maritime Energy Management Systems has developed an energy management system, Maren 2, which provides a detailed overview of all of the energy systems onboard a ship. Using complicated mathematical formulas, the system works out how the fuel consumption can be adjusted so that the energy is used more efficiently.

Easy access to test ships
The maths behind the system has been developed by Marorka. After four years of continuous adjustments during use, the system has proved its worth and has helped ships to reduce fuel consumption, and thus pollution, by 12 per cent. Marorka has plans to further improve the utilisation of energy of its clients by exchanging data which makes it possible to improve the system.

The development of Maren 2 required extensive testing and research capital. Jón Ágúst Thorsteinsson’s network within the Icelandic shipping industry gave the company access to test the systems on various ocean-going ships. The opportunity to carry out the testing was of immense value. As was the financing the company received from Icelandic and other Nordic research funds.