Royston's Enginei Fuel Management System

Growing ship owner focus on vessel performance issues, with accurate bunkering and fuel management reporting, has prompted an upsurge in interest in marine engine monitoring systems.

Diesel power specialist Royston reports that its Enginei fuel management system has been particularly successful in Nigeria, with the fuel monitoring system now being installed in 25 vessels and a similar number planned for installation in the coming months.

To meet demand in Nigeria, Royston sells, installs and provides servicing back-up using its own factory trained engineers with local support where required.

In particular, the use of the Enginei system for careful monitoring of bunkering and fuel consumption data has helped to identify and overcome fuel security and potential pilferage issues.

Damian McCann, product manager for fuel management systems at Royston, explains: “Access to reliable fuel consumption data is taking on even greater importance for a wide range of fleet management and fuel security issues.

“Our upgraded Enginei fuel management system has attracted considerable interest from shipping operators in Nigeria, and we have responded by setting up special arrangements to ensure that all installations are carried out by our own skilled and experienced engineers.

“We take direct OEM responsibility for the installation and performance of the system - giving ship owners and operators the reassurance that specialist support will be provided for the entirety of a vessel’s working life or operational time in Nigeria.

“In addition, our electrical engineers work closely with local fabricators to keep system installation rates competitive.

“We have installation coverage throughout Africa and are now working with many oil sector majors and fleet operators – with initial customer feedback already confirming that significant reductions in fuel consumption are being achieved.”

Upgraded Enginei Capability
At the heart of the Enginei system is an expanded on board flowmeter and sensor system. This gives the upgraded system the ability to acquire comprehensive real time engine and vessel performance measurements beyond the usual RPM, GPS and fuel inputs to take in a wide range of other engine control unit outputs.

Installation of the system on board vessels also includes tamper proof armoured cable and a unique tamper prevention tape for flanges and electrical cabinets – which are also locked and robustly secured.

Enginei records the fuel consumption data which is presented on board via touchscreen monitors installed on the bridge and in engine control rooms. In addition, the system remotely sends the information from ship to shore where it can be accessed through a simple web dashboard with computer generated graphs and Google mapping to show an operational profile of a vessel.

Shore staff can then access live and historical data in order to analyse the performance of their vessels. With the knowledge that the data provided is accurate and free from human error, analysis work can be carried out and decisions made confidently.

Importantly, the new data options include the measurement of fuel consumption by individual engines to enable operators to more accurately determine actual engine load for the scheduling of service and overhaul requirements.

In addition, specific fuel burn data can be provided for different vessel operational modes, as well as consumption measurements per passage and by different captains. This increased scope means the on-board monitoring system can be configured to meet precise operator requirements.

All data collected by the Enginei system can be automatically incorporated into daily reports and vessel energy efficiency plans in a range of formats.  The powerful data collection features and web platform are expandable, allowing additional user requirements to be incorporated as needs change.

The upgraded Enginei integrated fuel management system is compatible with all marine engine types and can be interfaced with new-build engine installations or retrofitted to operating vessels.