February 2007: Significant savings reported from SPOS use onboard

From : Time Charterers.
To : Capt Morgenstond I
Ref : Voyage orders.

Please proceed in FULL speed from Houston Texas USA, to Rostock Germany.

These orders I have received on the 30-01-2007. After discharging the vessel was in Full ballast condition, with full fuel oil capacity.

At 01-02-2007 06:15 Lct. We dropped the pilot of at Galveston Bay. The route was original plotted through the Mona Passage. And a preliminary eta was given for the 19-02-2007 Rostock Germany. As I was already calculating some loss due to bad weather.

When proceeding towards the Florida straight. The SPOS gave a deepening low pressure moving on our route to the Europe continent.

I re configured the route settings and plotted a new route, this time through the “TURK” passage and optimized the route.

The route took us close north through the Azores. Most of the time the swell was from the beam until the Azores archipelago. This means rolling time! But the vessel is empty and the swell from the beam, means no loss of speed!

As we proceeded along or new track. Small adjustments where made. The swell height and period where as predicted along with the wind. The vessel was nicely rolling making speed of an average of 15.5 Kts.

This resulted in a new ETA of 17-02-2007 06:00 LCT at the pilot station Rostock. Two whole days’s where saved due to better weathering system on board.

The cargo could be taken on board two whole days ahead of schedule, saving the time charterer the cost of two days TC/Daily cost, not to mention 48 tons of fuel oil.

We left from Rostock on Route to Durban S-Africa on the 19-02-2007. (Our original planned ETA!)

So in a way SPOS is also contributing in the reduction of Co2 levels and to the environment, as we saved two day’s of fuel oil consumption.

Best reg Capt T.C.Drent.
Morgenstond I.