Kongsberg Digital has signed a partnership agreement with BunkerMetric to add its BunkerPlanner software application to Kongsberg’s Kognifai marketplace.

Designed to support ship operators in making optimal bunker purchasing decisions by helping to choose ports, volume and fuel grade for bunkering, BunkerPlanner by BunkerMetric can be used to minimise costs whilst taking relevant operational, commercial and regulatory factors into consideration.

By using BunkerPlanner, Vessel Insight subscribers can expect cost savings of 2-4 per cent on bunker operations, which, for a vessel burning 20 tons of fuel per day and sailing 250 days a year, translates to potential annual savings of USD 20-80,000 per vessel. The ROI is usually within a few months of operation.

BunkerPlanner integrates with Kognifai and other relevant data sources, such as port call costs and the daily bunker market, to develop a specific bunker plan for each vessel based on calculations made from the contextualised data. A daily email communicates BunkerMetric’s recommendations to the fleet, showing vessels’ priority for bunkering. Additionally, customers can use a web interface to review plan details, access information on prices and run new scenarios at any time.

BunkerPlanner models a number of recommendations, taking into account business rules such as commingling of fuels on board, time charter costs vs. costs for speeding up when choosing bunker ports, quarantine constraints, congestion in bunker ports, barge costs, port call costs and many others. By considering these details whilst taking a holistic view of costs, BunkerMetric can provide better, more authoritative recommendations.

“We are happy to welcome BunkerMetric’s BunkerPlanner as a new partner application on the Kognifai Marketplace,” said Eirik Næsje, senior vice president of Vessel Insight, Kongsberg Digital. “The BunkerPlanner application by BunkerMetric will benefit Vessel Insight subscribers with almost immediate effect by helping them choose the right bunker port, volume and grade. Bunker planning is a complex puzzle for shipowners, especially when navigating all operational, commercial and regulatory constraints. Having an application to incorporate these factors in the decision-making process can improve efficiency and reduce the risk of Vessel Insight subscribers making the wrong choice for bunkering.”

“We are excited that the combination of wealth and accuracy of data from KONGSBERG’s Vessel Insight and BunkerPlanner’s detailed calculations for bunker buyers will give direct and significant savings to our joint subscribers,” said Christian Plum, CEO, BunkerMetric. “The complexities of buying and burning bunkers are ever growing, with new rules such as ECA Zones, 0.5 per cent sulphur limit and no-scrubber zones having come into force in the last few years. In the future we will see EEXI, CII and wider adoption of new fuel types. Operators and bunker buyers navigating in this market need good tools such as those as provided by BunkerPlanner, based on good data provided by KONGSBERG.”

BunkerPlanner by BunkerMetric will be available for Vessel Insight subscribers on the Kognifai Marketplace from June 8, 2021.