Tolani Shipping to use MARIS VDS for fuel-saving initiative

Tolani Shipping’s Singapore arm, Tolani Shipping (S) Pte Ltd, is to use the Voyage Decision Support (VDS) system developed by Maritime Information Systems (MARIS) as part of an initiative to adopt green technology on its fleet of owned and operated vessels.

Tolani Shipping owns a fleet of bulk carriers ranging in size from 50,000dwt to 84,000dwt, and with an average age of five years. With its origins in India, Tolani Shipping established a presence in Singapore in 2003 and operates vessels under both the Indian and Singaporean flags.

“We are looking to provide our charterers with the option of using the system to minimise the carbon footprint and reduce the impact on the environment and save on fuel,” said Rohet Tolani, managing director of Tolani Shipping (S).

“Tolani Shipping’s target is to reduce fuel consumption by an annual average of 3 per cent per vessel and, on specific longer voyages, by 5 per cent per vessel.”

The company will initially implement the VDS system on five Singapore flagged vessels in support of the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority’s green initiatives, according to Capt Mikkjal Poulsen, general manager, Tolani Shipping (S).

“Each vessel will be able to reduce its environmental impact through reduced emissions due to lower levels of fuel consumption, made possible by the system providing real-time guidance for optimal route planning to the Master, using technology, data and methodology which is superior to that used by traditional weather routeing services,” he said.

“The integration of this routeing with the ECDIS system will also lead to safer navigation overall. It should certainly establish a new role model for superior standards within the industry.”

The MARIS VDS System is an electronic tool based on the MARIS ECDIS, and is designed to plan and execute voyages in a safe and optimised manner, while also allowing for documenting and analysis of results.

The MARIS VDS System comprises a separate VDS computer, which is also a fully functional ECDIS. It operates in a LAN with the two regular ECDIS installations required for approved paperless ECDIS navigation.

The reason for choosing a total of three is that the VDS will have a second important function as a spare ECDIS. All three ECDIS installations receive required navigational information from the MARIS Digital Server.

“A reduction in the impact on the environment and the fuel saving potential of the VDS System has already been tested, proven and documented by major oil companies, but it has potential uses for other types of vessels such as bulk carriers,” notes Bhupesh Gandhi, director of Asia Pacific, MARIS.

“The project with Tolani Shipping will highlight the unique advantage of VDS being based on an ECDIS system at the forefront of strategy as owners pursue measures to cut costs in this uncertain economic environment.”