Operational data-driven energy performance assessment of ships: the case study of a naval vessel with hybrid propulsion

Ship designers hardly ever receive feedback from the actual operation of their designs apart from sea acceptance trials. Similarly, crews operating the vessels do not receive a clear picture of the energy performance and environmental footprint of different options. This paper proposes a methodology based on operational data from continuous monitoring, and applies it to an ocean patrol vessel of the Royal Netherlands Navy in order to identify the impact of diverse operational conditions on energy performance over the whole operating range, but also to examine the decision to equip the vessel with hybrid propulsion. Specifically, it introduces mean energy effectiveness indicator and mean total energy efficiency over discretised vessel speed, as the main tool in quantifying the energy gains and losses to assist in making better-advised design and operational decisions. Moreover, it demonstrates a dataset enrichment procedure, using manufacturers' information, in case not all needed sensors are available. Results suggest that electrical propulsion was 15–25% less efficient than the best mechanical propulsion mode, and on the overall energy performance of the vessel, increasing speed by 1 knot caused a 7% and 14% increase over the minimum /mile emissions between 8 and 14, and above 14 knots respectively.