Improving energy efficiency in fishing vessels

The challenge

Fishing fleets must reduce fuel consumption both for economic sustainability—fuel can account for between 20% and 50% of a vessel’s operating costs—and to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets.

However, not all energy efficiency measures are suitable for every fleet segment. Improving efficiency requires a detailed understanding of vessels’ operational patterns, as well as quantifying the fuel and emissions reductions achieved by each measure in order to assess their suitability and cost-effectiveness.

The solution

• Monitoring of three fishing vessels from the OPROMAR fleet operating with different fishing gears—trawling, longlining, and purse seining—to analyse operational patterns and fuel consumption based on historical data. The parameters recorded on board were grouped into three main categories: engine parameters, electricity generation, and vessel positioning.

• Monitoring of ten small-scale fishing vessels in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) to characterise their operational and consumption patterns as a basis for identifying alternative re-engining strategies.

• Monitoring of three small-scale fishing vessels in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to establish baseline operational and consumption patterns and to identify the most suitable alternative propulsion option (hybrid electric systems) in each case.

• Monitoring of two inshore fishing vessels targeting the albacore tuna (bonito) and mackerel fisheries, with the aim of developing decision-support solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of fishing operations.

The results

• Identification of a set of measures with the potential to reduce fuel consumption across different fishing methods.

• Detailed analysis of high-consumption situations to assess possible modifications to routes, operational patterns, and practices that improve energy efficiency.

• Characterisation of operational and consumption patterns, and development of digital and AI-based decision-support systems to support energy-efficient fishing operations.