Minimal Time Route Computation for Ships with Pre-Specified Voyage Fuel Consumption

The air pollution caused by the use of heavy fuel oil in shipping is a growing problem that is drawing increased attention. Methods have been developed to reduce air emissions from ships, more or less aimed at the choice of fuel and the related air emissions. However, the emissions of particulates, sulphur and carbon dioxide, which contribute to the greenhouse effect are not only related to the choice of fuel but also to the amount of fuel consumed in the combustion engines. This paper proposes an additional method that can contribute to the reduction of the air pollution from ships by decreasing the fuel consumption. This is done by specifying the amount of fuel that can be consumed on a specific ocean crossing and by computing a minimal-time route for that given amount of fuel, so decreasing the fuel consumption in a verifiable way.