Data analytics for fuel consumption management in maritime transportation: Status and perspectives

The shipping industry is associated with approximately three quarters of all world trade. In recent years, the sustainability of shipping has become a public concern, and various emissions control regulations to reduce pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships have been proposed and implemented globally. These regulations aim to drive the shipping industry in a low-carbon and low-pollutant direction by motivating it to switch to more efficient fuel types and reduce energy consumption. At the same time, the cyclical downturn of the world economy and high bunker prices make it necessary and urgent for the shipping industry to operate in a more cost-effective way while still satisfying global trade demand. As bunker fuel bunker (e.g., heavy fuel oil [HFO], liquified natural gas [LNG]) consumption is the main source of emissions and bunker fuel costs account for a large proportion of operating costs, shipping companies are making unprecedented efforts to optimize ship energy efficiency. It is widely accepted that the key to improving the energy efficiency of ships is the development of accurate models to predict ship fuel consumption rates under different scenarios. In this study, ship fuel consumption prediction models presented in the literature (including the academic literature and technical reports as a typical type of “grey literature”) are reviewed and compared, and models that optimize ship operations based on fuel consumption prediction results are also presented and discussed. Current research challenges and promising research questions on ship performance monitoring and operational optimization are identified.