Brittany Ferries has deployed a digital twin-enabled routing system developed with Adrena and Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore, achieving fuel savings of up to 6% across nine vessels. The result comes from combining vessel-specific digital twins with routing and consumption predictions, giving crews recommendations based on actual operating data while maintaining schedules and operational reliability.
The system builds on AdrenaShip, a routing solution first introduced by Brittany Ferries and Adrena in 2016. The original system delivered fuel savings of around 4% through route optimisation and performance analysis. Brittany Ferries brought in BV Solutions in 2022 to add vessel-specific digital twins and improve the accuracy of its recommendations.
The system was tested aboard Galicia, one of Brittany Ferries’ E-Flexer vessels, through almost two years of onboard monitoring and thousands of commercial voyages. It has since been deployed across nine vessels.
The digital twins combine operational data, engineering information and onboard experience to improve routing recommendations and provide guidance on machinery operation. According to the partners, the approach has produced fuel savings of up to 6% while maintaining schedule integrity and service quality.
The result is particularly relevant to Brittany Ferries’ Ro-Pax fleet, which operates short crossings between France, the UK, Guernsey, Ireland and Spain. These routes leave limited room for operational changes, making accurate predictions of fuel consumption and vessel performance important to fleet management.
Brice Robinson, Head of Studies and Projects, Brittany Ferries, said: “This initiative perfectly illustrates our commitment to developing tailor-made digital solutions that are adapted to the specific characteristics of our fleet and our operations.”
He added: “The results achieved demonstrate that it is possible to reduce our vessels’ energy consumption while preserving the reliability of our operations and the experience we offer our customers.”
Michel Rodet, Chairman and Founder, Adrena, said the routing and consumption model has achieved 97% reliability under commercial operating conditions and strict ETA constraints.
“The results achieved on the Galicia confirm what we have been developing for close to 15 years: a routing and consumption prediction model with 97% reliability, validated here under real commercial operating conditions and strict ETA constraints,” Rodet said.
Brittany Ferries is also using BV Solutions’ OptiCARBON platform to support operational and fleet investment decisions linked to decarbonisation.
