Ferry company Stena Line has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to lower the fuel consumption of its ships by 2.5 per cent.
The company signed a deal with Hitachi Vantara, the digital change unit of Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, in June to make it the smartest “cognitive shipping” company by 2021.
The pair have started testing AI algorithms on its Stena Scandinavic cruise-ferry running between Gothenburg in Sweden and Kiel in Germany. The will evaluate the AI project at the end of the year with a view to extending the technique across all of it 38 ships.
Stena Line has set itself a sustainability target to reduce fuel consumption by 2.5 per cent annually. It wants the whole company to be “assisted by AI” by 2021. It is using data analytics in administration, finance, customer experience and customer care already, it said.
The proposed AI model will provide a flexible tool for Stena Line’s ferry fleet to predict the most fuel-efficient way to operate on specific routes. If AI can assist with accurate predictions of currents, one of the most complicated maritime variables, it would help the most experienced captain or officer, the company said.
Lars Carlsson, head of AI at Stena Line, said: “The model simulates many different scenarios before suggesting the optimal route and performance setup. With the help of AI we are able to consider a number of variables, such as currents, weather conditions, shallow water and speed through water, in various combinations which would be impossible to do manually.”
Ram Ramachander, chief digital officer at Hitachi Europe, said: “AI technology will deliver benefits to both the company and the environment. By working together to combine industry expertise with data and AI, Hitachi and Stena Line have been able to show how digitisation can optimise existing physical assets to create a better outcome.”
Jan Sjöström, senior master on the Scandinavica ferry, said: “We’ve been making adjustments to the model after each trip for about four weeks and it is amazing to see how quickly it is learning.”
He added: “Planning a trip and handling a vessel in a safe and, at the same time, fuel efficient way is craftsmanship. Practice makes perfect, but when assisted by AI a new captain or officer could learn how to fuel optimise quicker. In return, this contributes to a more sustainable journey.”
