MF Shipping Group is using onboard fuel monitoring technology from Eefting Energy to give its bridge and engine teams a clearer view of consumption, vessel speed and machinery performance during daily operations.
Captain Pieter Dekker, who sails on an MF Shipping Group vessel equipped with the system, said the technology has made fuel monitoring more straightforward and helped the crew make more informed decisions about vessel operation.
“Since I started sailing as a captain a few years ago on one of MF Shipping Group’s vessels equipped with an Eefting Energy system, monitoring fuel consumption on board has become very straightforward,” Dekker said. “As a result, the system is an excellent tool for operating the vessel as economically as possible.”
The system gathers data from multiple measurement points, including fuel consumption from engines and boilers, GPS position and vessel speed. This information is presented through a dashboard accessible on the bridge and in the engine room.
Dekker said this gives navigators a more practical way to assess the relationship between speed and fuel consumption.
“While on older ships without a monitoring system one can do little more than maintain an economical speed based on an educated guess, the Eefting Energy system makes it very easy for me to not only view current consumption but also easily obtain an overview via the dashboard of the optimal speed, the corresponding consumption, and, for example, the power generated by generators,” he said.
Trend data is also used during voyages to compare log speed with speed over ground, helping the navigator assess current conditions and whether the vessel can maintain its expected arrival time.
The same data can support troubleshooting. Dekker cited an instance where regular drops in main engine RPM were visible in the trend graphs, helping the crew narrow down the cause.
“On board, it is a user-friendly system that provides navigators and engineers with a wealth of information with minimal manual input,” he said.
The case shows how fuel efficiency can be addressed through routine operational decisions rather than treated solely as a fleet-level reporting exercise. Better visibility of consumption, speed and machinery performance gives crews data they can use directly while a vessel is underway, with potential implications for both fuel use and emissions.
