Exercise shows 8-9% fuel savings in JIT arrival trial

Another desktop trial in 'Just-In-Time' (JIT) ship operations has yielded positive results, showing emissions can be cut considerably. JIT operations have the potential to cut the time ships spend idling outside ports and help reduce harmful emissions. This can be achieved by communicating in advance the relevant information to the ship about the requested time of arrival - allowing the ship to adjust to optimum speed.

The exercise was conducted by representatives from the Port of Rotterdam, ship companies Maersk and MSC, and IMO. For the calculations, 26 vessels which called at one particular terminal in the Port of Rotterdam were analysed (one month of data). The 26 ships received an update on when they were requested to arrive at the Pilot Boarding Place: in one scenario 24 hours before arrival at the pilot boarding place and in the other 12 hours, and subsequently optimised their speed.

Comparing the real case with the two JIT scenarios, on average, the 26 ships consumed 9% less fuel in the JIT scenario where speed was optimised in the last 12 hours. Optimising speed in the last 24 hours of the voyage resulted in average fuel savings of 8% over last 24 hrs. These results show the significant fuel and emission savings that can be achieved through JIT, even when a relatively advanced port is called by relatively efficiently operated ships.

August 2020 the IMO published the Just In Time Arrival Guide which aims to provide both port and shipping sectors with practical guidance on how to facilitate Just In Time Arrivals. Widely recognised as a means of increasing port efficiency and port call optimisation, the successful implementation of JIT Arrivals can have a significant environmental impact through reduced GHG emissions. The concept is based on the ship maintaining an optimal operating speed, to arrive at the Pilot Boarding Place when the availability is assured.