Maritime artificial intelligence (AI) company Windward has launched the Windward Vessel Fuel Consumption API, an AI solution providing fuel consumption assessments with up to 95% accuracy on average per voyage, as well as actionable insights.
The solution, the latest AI model in Windward’s decarbonisation initiative, enables stakeholders to optimise chartering decisions and manage their carbon footprint, while increasing economic efficiency.
The maritime shipping industry transports 90% of world trade and accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s carbon emissions and this number is expected to increase, as maritime trade is predicted to triple by 2050. To cut down on carbon emissions, various regulatory bodies require vessels to monitor and report their fuel consumption and emissions. Currently, fuel consumption data is reported through noon reports, with the crew usually measuring and reporting data manually, making the report susceptible to human error and potential falsification. Furthermore, fuel accounts for up to 70% of a vessel’s expenses and inaccurate reporting can cause unintended and avoidable spending.
Windward Vessel Fuel Consumption API provides an objective way to track and calculate fuel consumption of any tanker across the globe in a more reliable and consistent manner, without the use of additional devices. This provides stakeholders – including charterers, shipowners, energy companies, and financial institutions – with total fuel consumption visibility for the main engines, auxiliary engines and boilers of all tankers. Organisations can optimise their chartering decisions, negotiate better time charter equivalent (TCE) rates, monitor vessels for technical malfunctions and benchmark different fleets, ultimately leading to potential savings of 10% of fuel costs on average, as well as a derived reduction in carbon emissions.
With decarbonisation regulation in a flux, and the expected regulation of carbon intensity indices (CII), energy efficiency indices (EEXI), annual efficiency ratings (AER) and other variables changing monthly, solving the fuel consumption mystery is the missing piece in translating data into real savings.
Ami Daniel, CEO and Co-Founder of Windward, said: “The first step towards decarbonizing the maritime industry is improving the visibility of vessels’ fuel consumption. Environmental concerns and ESG are primary goals for both companies and consumers. We are approaching the point of no return and providing accurate assessments of consumption is key in making business decisions that are both economical and more importantly, environmentally conscious. We are proud to use our maritime expertise and AI to contribute to the industry’s efforts in creating a sustainable future and protecting the environment for future generations.”
Windward Vessel Fuel Consumption API is based on a deep learning model that calculates and assesses the fuel consumption of any given tanker using multiple data sources, inputs, and behavioural features, including speed, meetings, port calls, weather conditions, hull fouling, engines, fuel types, 10+ years of historical voyage data, and more. These datasets were built , tested and verified in collaboration with leading companies participating in Windward’s Data for Decarbonisation Programme (D4D), a partnership aimed to increase transparency and foster collaboration within the maritime industry by leveraging the power of big data and AI to decrease carbon emissions.
