Following successful upgrades of two tankers, the entire fleet at Christiania Shipping will now be equipped with the Frugal Propulsion system for automatic, intelligent engine control. A significant reduction in fuel consumption ensures that the shipping company’s vessels comply with the EEXI regulations and improve their CII rate.

The class approved on-top system, Frugal Propulsion, is now working to optimize the fuel consumption on the oil/chemical tankers Jette Theresa and Alice Theresa.

The preliminary data shows that the ship’s owner, Christiania Shipping, with Frugal Propulsion achieves a fuel saving of 17-20% at eco speed. At a speed similar to before the upgrade, the fuel saving is 10-14%, depending on the vessel type. ROI is around 12 months.

The investment in Frugal Propulsion is an important part of Christiania Shipping’s 2023 preparations, where new regulations from IMO will become effective:

The Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII). In the coming months, all of Christiania Shipping’s 13 owned ships will be upgraded with a Frugal Propulsion solution.

The main gains for Christiania Shipping are improved operational efficiency, a reduced carbon footprint and an enhanced competitiveness.

– The market increasingly values a low carbon footprint when chartering tankers. Therefore, it makes a huge difference whether your vessel will receive a high or a low CII-rating.

In addition, the Frugal Propulsion system provides us with very accurate data on the ship’s performance, which helps us document our fuel consumption. Emission regulations will be tightened ongoing, and it is important to stay ahead, says Rune Eriksen Lorentsen, Chief Operating Manger at Christiania Shipping.

EEXI regulations increase the interest

Frugal Propulsion is an automated, AI-based on-top system, which ensures that the engine and the propeller are constantly optimized in relation to draught, load, waves, and wind.

There are no manual adjustments. There are no manual adjustments as the system is based on sensors, Big Data and algorithms that continuously keeps learning. For the shipowner, this means that the fuel savings will increase as the system gets to know the ship.

Peter Hauschildt is managing director of Frugal Technologies, which is the company behind the patented system. In his experience, the market is showing an increasing interest in learning about what his company has to offer.

This is not least because EEXI and CII represents a significant challenge for international shipping operations. Analysts at VesselsValue has recently estimated that over 75 % of the world’s bulk-, tank- and container ships will struggle to remain compliant unless fuel consumption is reduced.

– Frugal Propulsion is a digital ShaPoLi solution which automatically ensures that engine power never exceeds the calculated EEXI limits of the vessel. Shipowners choose our solution because it is quickly installed and ensures both a financial gain and a climate gain due to the significant reduction in fuel consumption.

At the same time, we can help them to abide with the new regulations, says Peter Hauschildt.

– With Frugal Propulsion, we now know exactly how much fuel we use and where and when we use it. Because of the system’s data, we have a detailed overview of the tanker’s total use of fuel. Thereby, we can optimize our energy consumption throughout the ship, says Rune Eriksen Lorentsen.

About Frugal Technologies

Frugal Technologies is the company behind Frugal Propulsion, which is an advanced IoT/Big Data solution that ensures fuel savings of up to 15% by optimising collaboration between the engine and propeller. Frugal was established in Denmark by CEO Peter Hauschildt and CTO Lars Stoustrup.

About Christiania Shipping

Christiania Shipping is a specialised chemical ship owning and chartering company with chemical tankers ranging from 3,500 dwt to 12,600 dwt. Christiania Shipping has a leading position in trade niches, and the vessels are trading in the Northern Europe, West Africa, and the Mediterranean.