Ship&Offshore | Ausgabe 10/2025
Classification society warns of “hidden source of cost”
Researchers at ClassNK have warned that heavy weather encountered by ships at sea can lead to unnecessarily high fuel consumption and damage to engine components. This may not come as a surprise to many, but the classification society has warned of a “hidden source of cost” – the speed gap – a phenomenon well known to engineers but not previously quantified or clearly connected to real-world fuel losses and implications for maintenance. Lead researcher Yuzhong Song explained: “Even with speed reduction strategies in place, if the commanded engine speed remains higher than what the main engine can realistically achieve under current weather conditions, the governor will continue injecting excess fuel in an attempt to close the gap without success.”...