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EcoEmissions Solutions, Inc. has concluded its fuel savings test on a prominent tug boat operation located in the Pacific Northwest.

Western Towboat Company is a family owned business that specializes in container barge services between the Port of Seattle and various ports in Alaska, from Southeast Alaska out to the Aleutian Islands. They also service the Port of Seattle for vessel assist operations as well as specialty projects throughout the country. The company has been in business since 1948 and their fleet consists of 20 active vessels.

A typical mid range twin engine towboat for this fleet can burn over 70 gallons of fuel per engine hour. With fuel costs at around $2.40 per gallon, the hourly operating fuel cost on these engines can be over $336 per hour.

The Eco CIS System (patented) injects a platinum-based catalyst vapour into the engine via the air stream, creating engine efficiencies that result in fuel reduction while maintaining power, reducing pollution dramatically and extending engine life. The catalyst is then replaced on regular intervals throughout the life of the engine.

The Eco CIS system was tested on one of the ocean-going barge tugs for over 2,000 hours and is said to have delivered a 6.4 percent reduction in fuel consumption on the test engine when compared to the control engine.

On a per engine basis, this reduction in fuel consumption equaled a saving of $9.21 per hour. With a cost of $3.60 per hour to run the Eco Emission Catalyst Injection System, the net hourly savings per engine were approximately $5.61.

Each vessel averages 5,500 hours of operation per year, hence the net savings per engine is estimated to be around $31,000 per year. For the vessel with twin engines, the savings have been calculated at more than $62,000 per year. In a 5-year period this would generate net fuel expense savings of over $310,000.

"When you put this over a 20 vessel fleet noting that some of these vessels have higher horsepower rated engines, the annual savings from reduced fuel consumption alone would allow Western Towboat to save well over $1.2 million dollars. The ongoing revenues for EES from this project would be over $650,000," EcoEmissions Solutions said in a statement.