Tolani Shipping’s Singapore arm, Tolani Shipping (S) Pte Ltd, has opted to use the Voyage Decision Support system developed by Maritime Information Systems AS, Norway (MARIS) as part of its major initiative to adapt green technology to its fleet of owned and operated vessels.

Tolani Shipping owns a fleet of bulk carriers ranging in size from 50,000dwt to 84,000dwt 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.

The MARIS VDS System is an electronic tool based on the MARIS Electronic Chart Display System (ECDIS), designed to plan and execute voyages in a safe manner with optimal fuel and time consumption and also document and analyse the results.

“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 vessel and, on specific longer voyages, by 5% per vessel.”

Capt Mikkjal Poulsen, General Manager, Tolani Shipping (S) added: “The plan initially is to implement the VDS system on five Singapore flag vessels in support of the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority’s green initiatives. 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.

“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.”

Tolani Shipping (S) Pte Ltd uses low sulphur marine gas oil as standard on vessels that do not have designated tanks for both high sulphur and low sulphur.

“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,” said 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,” he added.

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 ECDIS navigation. The reason for choosing a total of three is that the VDS will have a second important function as a spare ECDIS.

Approved ECDIS navigation will require two functional ECDIS installations at any time, meaning, for instance, that vessels may be refused clearance for leaving port if one has failed and not been repaired, in exactly the same way as for radar.

All three ECDIS installations receive required navigational information from the MARIS Digital Server.

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