Yara Marine Technologies, a front-runner in the development and implementation of emissions reduction technologies in the maritime industry, has acquired Lean Marine, a company at the cutting edge of automated fuel-saving, performance management, and reporting solutions for vessels. Lean Marine’s intelligent software and hardware solutions have already been installed on more than 200 vessels worldwide.
Intelligent software solution
Lean Marine offers a unique combination of direct, real-time fuel optimisation and data analysis over time. This improves operational efficiency, with potential fuel consumption and CO2emission savings of up to 25 percent.
Their FuelOpt system optimises a vessel’s propulsion line in real-time based on the commands from the bridge, enabling automated control of vessel speed and fuel consumption, and avoiding fuel overconsumption. Additionally, on vessels with controllable pitch propellers, FuelOpt acts as a dynamic tuning system controlling the propeller’s pitch and RPM automatically to produce the most amount of thrust with the least amount of power.
Their second main product, Fleet Analytics, turns the vessel’s data into knowledge to improve decision-making and achieve operational excellence. The great savings provided by these solutions ensure a short payback time and strong business case for customers.
Nautical green technologies
Lean Marine will continue to offer FuelOpt and Fleet Analytics as part of Yara Marine’s portfolio of green technologies for the maritime industry, and these offerings will be backed by Yara Marine’s global service and support infrastructure.
Stricter emissions regulations are on the horizon: the International Maritime Organisation is targeting a 40 percent reduction in CO2emissions by 2030, which leaves the shipping industry under growing pressure to implement technologies that facilitate significant emissions reductions.
Mikael Laurin, Chief Executive Officer, Lean Marine, said: “Yara Marine Technologies has consistently demonstrated its ability and dedication at providing commercial shipping operators with new technologies that reduce maritime emissions, and they have the capacity to scale and implement new solutions quickly. We strive towards the same goal – a greener maritime industry – and that made us a natural match. We are now ready to move our solutions into the next phase of rapid expansion, in a global market, where the frontrunners will show the way.“
“Moving forward, the time is right for our technologies to be offered to ship-owners and operators worldwide with the help of Yara Marine’s extensive network and experience.”
A partnership for a healthy environment
Thomas Koniordos, Chief Executive Officer, Yara Marine Technologies, said:
“The purpose of our work is to make this industry greener, and we do that by continuously introducing new solutions. Lean Marine’s innovative vessel efficiency technologies is our next important step on that journey. We have spent more than a year analysing dozens of system providers, but no one comes close to what we found at Lean Marine. The savings offered by their technologies made our engineers’ hearts skip a beat. In addition, their experience in propulsion control systems, customized marine engineering, and hydrodynamics really put fast-moving digital developments into good use.”
“Since we first began discussions with Lean Marine, we have been increasingly impressed with the scope of their technology, as well as their commitment to continue to refine and develop their offerings. We are very much looking forward to including their digital platforms in our expanding portfolio of technologies”, Koniordos continued.
“We already see several interesting synergies between us. For instance, the integration of wind-assisted propulsion and conventional propulsion systems requires a smart solution, one that is able to dynamically adjust engine power, pitch propeller, and route for real time optimisation of fuel efficiency. This is a very interesting arena now that Yara Marine is bringing WindWings to the market,” Laurin said.
“I believe we have a particularly good cultural fit with Lean Marine. A healthy planet for future generations is our overall ambition, and we share that with them. With this acquisition, we are one step closer to making that happen,” Koniordos concluded.
