E.R. Schiffahrt, the German shipowning and shipmanagement company with activities in container, bulk and offshore vessels, is looking to trumpet its world-leading ship efficiency claims as a way to further its business niche. Nils Aden, CEO of the Hamburg-headquartered firm, lists some of the things the company has been doing to make its ships use less fuel.

It started very early to retrofit vessels, a process Aden calls "anti-ageing".

"The results are measurable and very convincing," he says. New propellers and bulbous bows result in 15% savings concerning fuel costs.

E.R. Schiffahrt crews receive diverse trainings focusing on fuel efficiency. The company has developed an e-learning tool on the subject.

E.R. Schiffahrt has also developed and installed a monitoring system called FuelSafe on its vessels in order to measure fuel consumption in an automated and precise way. It has also developed the first-ever ship and route-specific crew planning tool that optimizes the scheduling of working hours onboard. This instrument is capable of accurately planning the number and composition of crew for a particular ship size and route and the work processes required during port stays.