Fuel costs are among the biggest expenses for ships, making up about 50 to 60 per cent of operating costs. Simultaneously, fuel consumption is the leading cause of emissions from the shipping industry.

The fuel costs and emissions are highly dependent on the sea state experienced by the ship– specifically how fast the ship moves through water. A small variation in speed can have a significant impact on fuel efficiency. By having the correct information about vessel performance shipowners can cut expenses and emissions.

Miros has developed the Speed Through Water solution to optimise vessel performance. The solution is built on Miros’ Wavex technology and deploys virtual sensors to measure a ship’s movement in water as well sea state data within the ship’s proximity

The virtual sensors use information available from a range of sources – including radar, GPS and gyroscopes – to estimate speed through water. This is a practical, accurate and cost-effective alternative to equipment submerged in water.

Accurate measurements of the speed through water of moving vessels are useful for a variety of applications including vessel fuel optimisation, hull performance, and docking and navigation in constrained areas.

From single ships to full fleets, Speed Through Water can equip shipowners and fleet managers with the data they need to run optimal operations, cut bunker-related costs, and drive down the bottom line.

Miros’ Speed Through Water is significantly more accurate than traditional speed logs, measuring with a variance of 5cm/s where speed logs range from 10cm/s to several m/s.

The dry, radar-based sensors eliminate the costs associated with monitoring sea state using submerged equipment by providing access to critical data without the traditional complications and price points.

This results in more accurate calculations when evaluating shipping routes, improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

Miros’ Speed Through Water is, moreover, cloud-integrated, meaning that it can deliver reliable data to any device, on or offshore.

With emission regulations steering the maritime sector to be more environment-friendly, improving fuel efficiency is becoming an increasing priority all over the world.

Miros is a technology company that specialises in measuring the ocean surface. The company has provided sensors and systems for environmental monitoring to the global offshore and maritime industries for more than 35 years and has a presence in 28 countries around the world.