Speed reduction: a strategy for sustainable ship operations

ABSTRACT The selection of steaming speed is one of the main strategic decisions for ship operators under highly uncertain conditions. Speed reductions are of great benefit to the economy and environment in shipping operations. Since the inappropriate choice of steaming speed levels brought about a substantial financial and environmental impact on organisations, it is crucial to make precise decisions in the implementation of different levels of steaming speed. However, given its significance, the right pace of steaming for ship tankers benefiting the economy and the environment is still under investigation. Therefore, this study is undertaken to determine the most suitable steaming speed for chemical tankers under unpredictable operating conditions. To address this issue, an evaluation model based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is developed. The result indicates that extra slow steaming is the most acceptable steaming speed employing an integrated approach. This study envisages that the steaming speed of a ship can be considered as one of the strategies for a shipping company to reap financial and environmental benefits.