Retrofits alone lead to dramatic emissions reductions for Odfjell

Retrofits have saved Odfjell 53% in CO₂ emissions across the fleet compared with its 2008 CII baseline, with the tanker company now targeting 57%, according to Erik Hjortland, Technology vice president.

Since 2014, Odfjell has installed 140 energy-saving devices on its fleet of 70 vessels, leading to substantial reductions in fuel consumption and resulting in a larger reduction in CO₂ emissions than could be achieved with some e-fuels. These have included propeller boss-cap fins and Becker Mewis Ducts, retrofits which improve the efficiency of the aft hull and optimise propeller inflow and aft-flow. Vessels have also benefitted from LED lighting, which, Hjortland said, meant replacing around 700 bulbs per ship.

“We took the 19 highest consumers in the fleet, and made changes to the engine, shaft generator, put on new propellers, and rudders. By that, without any speed loss, we saved 20% on average, as much as 30% with some of the ships. It really shows the potential of using existing on-the-shelf technology.

“According to a Clarksons study earlier this year, 63% of the world fleet has not installed any energy-saving devices. So imagine the potential.”

A surprising finding for Odfjell, though, was that air lubrication proved ineffective as a fuel-saving measure: “It did not produce results,” Hjortland told SRN.