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Interschalt Maritime Systems AG has launched its new fuel-saving TROP trim optimization software.

The German firm has been involved in trim optimization projects for a nmber of years. It points out that the issue of trim optimization has been an object of investigation since the 1990s. Back then, forward-thinking German shipowners were using models in towing tests designed to determine the trim that produced the lowest resistance as a ship moved through water. These tests showed that in many cases a slightly lower forward draft yielded the ideal trim.

Based on these findings, Interschalt added a ballast optimization tool to its MACS3 loading computer system. However, over the next 15 years the company says interest in this special module declined because the costs for conducting the associated towing tests proved to be too high.

Bernhard Finke, software developer at Interschalt, commented: "These days, towing tests can be realistically and economically simulated with special software. However, determining the optimum trim is one thing; being able to practically apply these findings in actual ship operation is another."

"After a ship has been loaded, the crew usually has only one method left to alter its trim: by using the ballast tanks. But here the following questions arise: How do the tanks need to be filled to achieve the ideal trim? How will this affect stability and strength? The new TROP trim optimization module, now fully integrated into Interschalt's proven MACS3 loading computer system, answers these critical questions," Interschalt said.

Finke added: "The user can now even automatically determine the best ballast distribution necessary to save the greatest amount of fuel."

In making its calculations, TROP is also said to take into account all safety regulations pertaining to stability and strength.

In terms of the amount of fuel that can be saved, Interschalt says that this depends on a number of factors such as the size of the ship, its speed, the weather and how calm or rough the sea is.

Using an example of a medium-sized container ship with approximately 7,500 TEU of capacity, Interschalt says that at a speed of 20 knots it would be realistic to expect fuel savings of 2 to 3 percent. "At a bunker price of around $600 per ton of fuel, this yields savings of from $1,500 to $2,200 per day," the company said.

Further details regarding Interschalt Maritime Systems and its range of products and services can found by visiting www.interschalt.de.