Challenge: Voyage Optimisation
The customer is one of the world’s largest operators of specialised Ro-Ro vessels, transporting cars, trucks, heavy machinery and other rolling cargo across global trade routes. It already invested significantly in fleet digitalisation, with vessels transmitting high-frequency operational data to shore. The next challenge was turning that data into measurable reductions in fuel consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions.
Conventional weather-routing systems consider forecasts and sea conditions but may not fully account for how each individual vessel performs under different combinations of speed, draught, wind, waves, currents and hull condition.
The company therefore wanted to establish whether AI-powered voyage optimisation could deliver meaningful real-world improvements while supporting its emissions-reduction and Carbon Intensity Indicator targets.
The Solution
A specialist maritime technology provider introduced an AI-powered performance-routing solution combining weather intelligence with vessel-specific digital models.
The project began with a rigorous proof-of-concept process. Operational data was analysed to identify quality issues, including sensors requiring recalibration. The verified data was then used to create individual vessel-performance models covering 19 operational and environmental parameters.
Blind testing assessed whether the models could accurately predict fuel consumption on completed voyages. Historical voyage simulations were subsequently used to compare optimised recommendations with the routes and speeds originally sailed.
The initial analysis of five voyages indicated potential average fuel savings of 10% and a projected return on investment of 31 times the solution cost.
The technology was then tested during a four-month live evaluation involving:
- Four vessels
- Six captains
- Nineteen optimised voyages
- 47,000 nautical miles
- Approximately 3,000 tonnes of fuel consumed
Training was provided to captains, chief officers and navigation officers. A direct communication channel allowed crews and shore-based specialists to respond quickly to traffic, military exercises, data gaps, machinery constraints and changing commercial requirements.
The Results
The live evaluation demonstrated substantial operational and environmental value:
- 6.9% average improvement in voyage efficiency
- 289 tonnes of fuel saved
- 912 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided
- $284,387 equivalent fuel-cost saving
- $2,031 average saving per vessel per day
- 26-times return on investment
When projected across a full year, the results indicated potential fuel savings of approximately 620 tonnes per vessel. Applied across the fleet, the estimated annual financial benefit exceeded $60 million.
The analysis also indicated that the efficiency improvement could increase an average vessel’s CII rating by at least one grade.
The technology provided valuable commercial insight as well. On one 11-day voyage, advancing the arrival time by 24 hours increased estimated fuel consumption from 419 to 507 tonnes—an additional cost of more than $86,000. Making this cost visible allowed commercial and operational teams to balance schedule requirements against fuel expenditure and emissions.
Our approach
CVC Global helps shipowners and fleet operators deploy proven voyage-optimisation technologies without disrupting their existing operational systems.
Expert Care
We assess data readiness, identify suitable vessels and routes, establish performance baselines, coordinate controlled trials and measure fuel, financial and emissions outcomes. We also support integration with existing fleet-management, weather-routing and emissions-reporting platforms.
Real Results
This case demonstrates that AI-powered voyage optimisation can produce rapid, measurable results with limited capital investment—reducing fuel costs, improving CII performance and accelerating maritime decarbonisation.
Challenge: Just-in-Time vessel arrival
Accurate vessel arrival and departure estimates are critical to efficient port operations. Every port call requires coordination between terminals, pilots, tug operators, stevedores, agents, transport companies, authorities and vessel crews.
When schedule information is inaccurate or fragmented, the consequences spread across the entire port ecosystem. Berths may remain unused, personnel and equipment can be deployed at the wrong time, cargo operations are disrupted, and vessels may wait unnecessarily at anchor.
These inefficiencies increase operating costs, fuel consumption and emissions.
The customer required a scalable national solution capable of delivering reliable vessel schedule estimates for every country's port. The system needed to improve operational visibility, integrate with existing platforms and respond dynamically to changing weather, traffic and sailing conditions.
The Solution
The customer selected a specialist technology provider to deliver an AI-powered Port Call Time Stamp and Estimation Service.
The solution analyses global Automatic Identification System data together with multiple factors affecting vessel movements, including:
- Vessel speed, position and route
- Origin and destination
- Historical voyage patterns
- Previous vessel behaviour
- Weather and sea conditions
- Port-specific operating patterns
- Seasonal ice conditions
Machine-learning models continuously compare live vessel movements with historical data. As conditions change, the system automatically recalculates estimated arrival and departure times, providing port stakeholders with more accurate and dependable forecasts.
The service is delivered through secure application programming interfaces, allowing ports and maritime organisations to integrate schedule intelligence directly into their existing operational systems. Information is also made available through the customer's Digitraffic API and Port Activity application.
Because the technology was already commercially proven, the solution was configured for the customer in approximately one month before testing and deployment. This reduced implementation time, cost and delivery risk.
The Value Delivered
The platform creates a consistent and reliable source of vessel schedule intelligence across the country's maritime network.
More accurate forecasts help ports and their partners plan berths, pilots, tugs, labour, cargo-handling equipment and landside transport more effectively. Stakeholders can respond earlier to delays and make better operational decisions.
Key benefits include:
- More predictable and efficient port calls
- Improved berth, labour and equipment utilisation
- Reduced vessel waiting and anchorage time
- Better coordination between maritime stakeholders
- Fewer operational delays and last-minute disruptions
- Greater automation and data sharing
- Lower fuel consumption and avoidable emissions
- Improved competitiveness across the logistics network
The project demonstrates that AI-powered maritime intelligence can create value across an entire national port system—not just within a single port.
Our Approach
CVC Global helps ports, terminals, shipowners and logistics companies deploy proven maritime technologies that improve operational efficiency and accelerate decarbonisation.
Expert Care
We identify the strongest use cases, establish measurable operational and emissions baselines, select the right technology, manage integration with existing systems and verify the value delivered.
Real Results
For ports and fleet operators, this capability can support just-in-time arrival, port-call optimisation, more accurate resource planning and reduced vessel waiting. The result is a more connected maritime ecosystem—with lower costs, improved reliability and fewer emissions.
Challenge: Carbon Intelligence
The customer is one of the world’s leading chemical producers, with a global supply chain that depends heavily on ocean freight.
The customer is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reaching this target requires the company to address not only emissions from its own operations but also those generated across its global logistics network.
Ocean freight presented a significant challenge. Shipping lines calculated and reported carbon emissions using different methodologies, assumptions and data sources. This made meaningful comparisons difficult and limited customer's ability to identify which carriers and services offered the lowest-emission options.
Without a consistent source of emissions intelligence, sustainability could not be integrated effectively into procurement decisions, freight negotiations or cargo-volume allocation. The customer needed reliable, comparable and independently calculated data that could connect environmental performance with commercial decision-making.
The Solution
The customer introduced a specialist emissions-intelligence solution across its global liner-shipping procurement process.
The technology provides GLEC-certified carbon calculations using vessel- and service-specific information. Emissions are calculated on a standardised CO₂e-per-TEU basis, enabling the customer to compare shipping services and carriers using a consistent methodology.
Rather than relying exclusively on aggregated estimates or carrier-reported figures, the customer's procurement team can evaluate the expected carbon impact of different transport options before allocating cargo volumes.
The data is incorporated directly into ocean-freight negotiations. Carriers can be assessed on both their commercial offer and their environmental performance, encouraging them to provide more transparent information and develop lower-emission services.
The customer can then build a portfolio of carriers that offers the strongest combination of price, reliability and carbon efficiency.
The Value Delivered
The solution has transformed emissions information from a reporting requirement into a practical procurement tool.
Key benefits include:
- Consistent comparison of emissions across carriers, vessels and services
- Stronger negotiating positions supported by credible, transparent data
- More informed allocation of freight volumes to lower-emission carriers
- Increased engagement with shipping lines on carbon performance
- Improved visibility of the relationship between cost and emissions
- Better preparation for carbon-related regulation and surcharges
- Stronger evidence to support the customer's 2050 carbon-neutrality commitment
Approximately 60–70% of the carriers involved in the customer’s procurement activity now actively engage with the company using the emissions data. When applied effectively, the information has also helped the customer achieve freight-rate savings.
The platform supports regulatory cost control as well. Reliable emissions calculations allow the customer to assess and challenge EU Emissions Trading System surcharges, improve cost forecasting and prepare for expanding maritime carbon regulations.
The case demonstrates that sustainability does not need to compete with commercial performance. Accurate carbon intelligence can reduce costs, strengthen procurement decisions and influence carrier behaviour while helping companies reduce supply-chain emissions.
Our Approach
CVC Global helps cargo owners, manufacturers, freight buyers and logistics companies embed reliable maritime emissions intelligence into procurement and operational decision-making.
Expert Care
We identify the emissions data required, select proven technology, connect it with existing procurement and logistics systems, and establish measurable performance indicators. This enables clients to compare carriers, services and routes; improve Scope 3 reporting; verify carbon-related charges; and allocate cargo volumes more effectively.
Real Results
For companies with substantial maritime supply chains, the result is a practical route to lower logistics costs, better regulatory preparedness and measurable decarbonisation—without compromising service reliability.
Challenge: Fuel optimisation and predictive maintenance
A major oil company, working with the customer to transport marine fuel along the US West Coast.
Tug and articulated tug-barge operations require vessels to meet demanding schedules while responding to changing weather, sea conditions and operational requirements. Maintaining reliable arrival times is essential, but running engines at unnecessarily high revolutions per minute can substantially increase fuel consumption.
It can also accelerate engine wear, increase maintenance requirements and generate avoidable carbon emissions.
The oil company chartered the customer’ articulated tug-barge unit, comprising the tug and barge, for fuel transportation along the US West Coast. The challenge was to determine whether the vessel could maintain its required speed and arrival targets while operating its engines more efficiently.
Achieving this required reliable operational data and a clear understanding of how changes in engine load and RPM affected fuel consumption, vessel speed and machinery condition.
The Solution
A specialist maritime technology provider introduced a vessel-performance monitoring and analytics platform to capture, combine and analyse operational data from the tug’s onboard machinery and sensors.
The technology created a consolidated view of vessel performance, allowing the operating team to examine the relationship between:
- Engine load and RPM
- Vessel speed
- Fuel consumption
- Voyage duration
- Operating conditions
- Machinery behaviour and health
Rather than relying only on fixed operating practices or retrospective fuel reports, the system provided data-driven insight into how the vessel was performing during operations.
The project focused on throttle optimisation while the articulated tug-barge was underway. Vessel data was analysed to identify the engine operating range capable of delivering the required speed with lower fuel consumption.
This enabled the crew and shore-based teams to refine engine RPM without compromising operational commitments. Vessel performance could be monitored continuously to verify that speed and arrival targets remained protected.
The platform’s equipment-agnostic architecture also allowed data from different onboard systems to be analysed together. This whole-vessel approach provided a more complete picture than monitoring individual pieces of machinery in isolation.
The Value Delivered
The project demonstrated that relatively small changes in engine operating practices can produce meaningful operational and environmental improvements.
Reported benefits included:
- A significant reduction in monthly fuel consumption
- Lower carbon emissions from underway operations
- Required vessel speed maintained
- Arrival targets achieved without operational disruption
- Improved visibility of engine performance
- Reduced unnecessary engine stress
- Potentially lower maintenance requirements
- Better collaboration between the charterer, vessel operator and crew
The initiative showed that fuel efficiency does not necessarily require slower voyages, major machinery modifications or extensive capital investment. By identifying a more efficient balance between RPM, engine load and vessel speed, operators can reduce fuel consumption while maintaining service performance.
The improvement in engine operating conditions can also support longer-term machinery reliability. Avoiding inefficient loading and unnecessary engine stress may reduce wear, improve maintenance planning and lower the risk of unplanned downtime.
Our Approach
CVC Global fleet operators turn vessel data into measurable fuel, emissions and maintenance improvements.
Expert Care
We assess existing onboard data, establish a reliable performance baseline and identify the vessels and operating modes with the greatest optimisation potential. We then coordinate technology deployment, operational trials and measurement of fuel, cost, emissions and machinery-health outcomes.
This approach can be applied to transit speed, throttle settings, generator loading, idle time, equipment utilisation and predictive maintenance.
Real Results
The oil company and the customer's project demonstrates the practical value of combining maritime operating expertise with real-time analytics: lower fuel use, healthier machinery and fewer emissions—without compromising the mission.
Challenge: Vessel Digitisation and Data transmission
The customer, owner and operator of a specialist expedition cruise ship serving remote destinations across the Arctic and Antarctic.
For a vessel operating thousands of miles from the nearest port, reliable IT and communications are operational necessities.
The ships’s ageing infrastructure was causing network bottlenecks, limiting system performance and making it increasingly difficult to meet the connectivity expectations of passengers and crew. The existing environment also supported essential navigation, reporting, operational applications and communications.
The ship required a complete technology upgrade before the start of its new expedition season. However, the implementation window was extremely limited. All equipment had to be sourced, transported to Portugal, installed and tested without delaying the vessel’s scheduled departure.
The customer needed a maritime technology provider capable of delivering a complete, turnkey solution under significant time pressure—with minimal disruption and a single point of responsibility.
The Solution
Following an onboard technical survey, the technology provider designed a complete replacement for the vessel’s digital infrastructure.
Five specialist engineers travelled to Portugal in April 2025 and completed the principal deployment within an intensive one-week implementation period.
The project included:
- Complete renewal of the onboard IT infrastructure
- A new vessel-wide Wi-Fi environment
- Modernised wide-area network infrastructure
- Starlink and Iridium satellite connectivity
- Migration of operational data and services
- Separate connectivity portals for passengers and crew
- Integration with ResCompany and CruisePal
- Backup systems for critical infrastructure
- Secure removal and responsible disposal of obsolete equipment
- Continuing remote support and connectivity management
Data migration was particularly critical. The team carefully prepared and tested the transfer process to reduce the risk of data loss or system failure.
The new infrastructure was designed not simply to solve immediate performance problems but to provide a stable and scalable digital foundation for future onboard applications.
The Value Delivered
Despite the demanding deadline, the transformation was completed on schedule and within budget. The ship was fully operational and ready to begin its expedition season in May 2025.
The project delivered:
- Faster and more reliable internet throughout the vessel
- More responsive operational applications
- Improved communications for passengers and crew
- Greater resilience through backup infrastructure
- Reduced dependency on individual systems
- A scalable platform for future digital technologies
- One point of responsibility for infrastructure, connectivity and support
- Continuing second- and third-line technical assistance
Reliable connectivity is especially important for crew members spending extended periods at sea, helping them remain connected with their families. For passengers, it provides the digital experience expected aboard a modern expedition vessel.
The upgraded environment also creates the foundation for further operational improvements. Reliable vessel data and communications can support remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance, performance monitoring, emissions measurement and more efficient ship-to-shore collaboration.
Our Approach
CVC Global helps shipowners and fleet operators modernise fragmented onboard technology and create the digital foundations required for safer, more efficient and lower-emission operations.
Expert Care
By combining resilient maritime IT with vessel-performance, maintenance and emissions technologies, CVC Global enables clients to move beyond isolated systems towards integrated operational intelligence.
Real Results
The project demonstrates what can be achieved within a narrow operational window: a complete onboard digital transformation delivered without delaying the vessel’s schedule—strengthening operational resilience, passenger experience and readiness for future decarbonisation technologies.