Marubeni is participating in the Blue Visby Consortium, a consortium that has been working on the development of the Blue Visby Solution (hereinafter, “Solution”), an integrated system that notifies ships of the optimal date and time for arriving at their destination (www.bluevisby.com).

The Solution uses digital technology developed by NAPA Oy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ClassNK who is also the coordinator of the Consortium, alongside Stephenson Harwood LLP, an international law firm with headquarters in London. It aims to optimize the arrival time of oceangoing vessels and reduce the speed and CO₂ emissions of those vessels.

Solution simulation results, with circle size indicating the relative number of ships landing in port (larger circles indicate more ships) and color intensity indicating the relative amount of potential CO₂ emissions reduction (darker shades indicate further reduction)

In the shipping industry, vessels typically sail quickly to an area near their destination, then idle there until they can enter port, resulting in unnecessary CO₂ emissions. According to various stage of proof-of-concept research, including an analysis of 150,000 voyages by 13,000 freighters worldwide in 2019, using the Solution would enable a reduction of cruising speed and standby time in 87% of voyages. With this Solution, vessel operators will be given an optimal arrival time, so that they can then successfully adjust the vessel’s cruising speed and reduce fuel consumption by using the most efficient route and speed to reach the vessel’s destination, with a potential average CO₂ emissions reduction of 16%.

Marubeni will support the demonstration and implementation of this Solution using its fleet of gas and chemical tankers throughout its chemical trading network with the aim of implementing low-carbon transportation of chemical products.