Decoding NAPA Studios
We recently announced the launch of NAPA Studios, a global offering focused on solving some of the maritime industry’s most pressing challenges, from tightening environmental regulations and supply chain disruptions to cybersecurity using data-driven technologies. Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions to shed light on how the industry can take advantage of this latest offering.
What is NAPA Studios?
NAPA Studios is aimed at fostering new partnerships and projects to deliver new insights and solutions to tackle some of the industry’s most critical challenges and uncertainties. With a clear vision to enable innovation, we are connecting the dots across our existing expertise- spanning ship design, safety and operational efficiency- to create innovative, data-driven solutions and partnerships across shipyards, shipowners, operators, charterers, ports and even financers and insurers.
Why now?
We believe that two (or many) minds are better than one, and the challenges shipping faces, from tightening environmental regulations and supply chain disruptions to cybersecurity, will not be solved by one solution or organization alone.
Instead, successfully navigating these issues will require a step change in the way the maritime industry operates; it demands closer and enhanced collaboration, innovative solutions and fresh operational frameworks that are built on the foundations of digital technology, data and transparency.
What makes NAPA Studios different from other solutions in the market?
NAPA Studios is not just about the convergence of our technology but rather about providing the industry with a connected source of impartial expertise and verified insights to deliver lasting business value. This, ultimately, contributes to the whole industry’s success.
Underpinning this is NAPA’s wealth of over 35 years of maritime experience and technology, spanning hydrodynamics, stability, hull design, and structural design , as well as fleet management, performance monitoring and optimization, safety, and data analytics, giving us a unique advantage in ensure recommendations are holistic and well-rounded.
What are the applications of this offering and are there any examples?
There are several examples of industry challenges where NAPA Studios can help connect the dots to deliver greater value for stakeholders across the industry. Recent projects with the industry shed some light on the potential new industry knowledge and solutions that NAPA Studios can deliver, and our new offering will build on these past successes.
Example 1: With so many energy-efficiency solutions in the market, how can shipowners and operators decide what’s the best option for their fleet in terms of emissions reduction and return on investment?
In 2023, we shared the results of a joint simulation project between NAPA, Norsepower and Sumitomo which found that the combination of NAPA Voyage Optimization with the Norsepower Rotor SailTM can deliver emissions reductions of up to 28% on average. Of these CO2 emissions savings, the contribution of NAPA Voyage Optimization was estimated at 12%.
By leveraging NAPA’s ship performance model and NAPA voyage simulation tools, NAPA created a digital twin to simulate the performance of tankers in selected sea areas to then estimate their CO2 reduction and potential fuel-saving. Critically, the project showcased just how different energy-efficiency solutions can work together to maximize emissions reductions, efficiency and profitability for owners and operators and shipyards.
Example 2: How can ship performance models and operational data work together to future-proof fleets?
With the introduction of the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) in 2023, the industry knew it needed to minimize emissions, but how and to what extent was the question. Helping shed light on what is immediately possible, in a joint study with Marubeni and ClassNK, NAPA measured the impact of voyage optimization on the greenhouse gas emissions and CII ratings of a real-life fleet.
The research was carried out using NAPA’s ship performance model and voyage simulation tools. The potential reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions were measured by “retro-optimizing” each voyage to incorporate weather routing, using the data on weather and sea conditions that were available at the time and maintaining the same departure and arrival times. The research found that a vessel could reduce its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 7.3% using voyage optimization. At the same time, these operational improvements could also improve CII ratings by an average of 5-6%, enabling a vessel to maintain its ratings for an additional two to three years.
Example 3: How can data be used to improve a vessel’s operational safety?
Working with ClassNK and MOL, NAPA jointly developed a navigational risk monitoring system to address critical safety challenges and improve performance, quickly and effectively. Bringing together the combined expertise of all three partners in ship operations, safe routing, and navigational risk analysis helped create a solution that increases safety across MOL’s fleet. It does so by predicting the risk of grounding in advance and ensuring greater situational awareness of navigation risks. The solution has been adopted across MOL’s fleet of over 700 vessels.
What will be the impact of NAPA Studios on the industry?
At a time of increasing uncertainty, decision-makers across the industry need solutions that provide greater clarity on decisions impacting the fleet of the future, from newbuild and retrofit designs, and the safety and operational implications of new fuels, to new cost-sharing mechanisms and their underlying contractual frameworks. And while there’s no silver bullet solution for shipping’s decarbonization transition, NAPA Studios adds value in helping map out the right approach for each organization’s sustainability strategy.
Tackling tomorrow’s business-critical challenges rests on being able to identify opportunities to forge partnerships and use data-driven insights today. By driving collaboration and providing proven technology and data models to support decision-making, NAPA Studios can help companies simulate, predict, and validate the impact of new fuels, technologies, and operational changes on fleets to enable better-informed decisions on safety, efficiency, and commercial and decarbonization measures.
Collaboration doesn’t need to be a leap of faith and by using proven solutions and trusted frameworks, we’re serving as an impartial platform to provide transparent data-sharing systems for a fact-based understanding of fleets and the commercial and operational implications of our decisions, from very early at the ship design stage to sea.
What is the long-term vision of NAPA Studios?
To contribute towards building a smarter, more connected industry that is empowered to tackle tomorrow’s challenges with confidence. We might not be able to forecast the scope of future regulations or potential navigational risks, but we can empower the industry with the right tools, technologies and teams to tackle these challenges head-on.
Contact us to discuss how we can turn innovation into value through combined expertise and collaboration.
