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Merchant Ship Design Services Focused on Propulsion Efficiency
VICUSdt specializes in propulsion efficiency and merchant ship design, delivering hydrodynamic and engineering solutions that boost fuel economy, performance, and operational ROI. Whether you operate tankers, bulk carriers, LPG ships, or container vessels, our services (including trim optimization, bulbous bow and rudder redesign, torque monitoring, and our quick-turn Express Analysis) empower you to understand energy-saving potential, quantify improvement options, and realize tangible efficiency gains based on data-driven insights. Trusted by leaders like Avance Gas, APL, Exmar, ZIM, Columbia Shipmanagement and more, we help you design and operate sea-proven efficient merchant marine ships.
Merchant Ship Design for More Efficient Vessel Operation
Our propulsion engineering services have been successfully applied to merchant vessels of all kinds. From the study of new designs for more efficient rudders, redesign of the bulbous bow, or supply of torquemeters to monitor the real power in the shaft, the owners of tankers, LPG gas carriers, MPP, and bulk carriers trust VICUSdt to design and operate more efficient vessels.
Merchant ship design at VICUSdt goes beyond newbuild projects. A significant part of our work involves in-service vessels where owners need to quantify efficiency losses, identify the root cause (whether hull fouling, propeller degradation, or suboptimal trim) and evaluate the cost-benefit of specific retrofits before committing capital. This evidence-based approach ensures that every improvement recommendation is grounded in measured data, not assumptions.
“Contact us to optimize your ship”
Trim optimization
One of the most popular services for merchant marine vessels is trim optimization. Through this calculation, we obtain a CFD results matrix through which the vessel can optimize trim depending on the service speed and load condition in order to reduce power consumption and fuel costs. This type of service is very common on container ships due to its flexibility for cargo location, but is equally applicable to tankers, bulk carriers, and LPG vessels operating across variable draft conditions.
The trim optimization study delivers a practical operational tool, typically a trim table or performance chart, that the vessel’s crew can use directly on the bridge to select the most efficient trim for any given voyage condition. For fleet operators managing multiple merchant ships, the same methodology is applied consistently across all vessels, enabling fleet-wide fuel savings that compound significantly over time.
Express Analysis
The Express Analysis service offers shipowners a rapid, evidence-based understanding of their vessel’s energy performance and improvement potential. Within just a few weeks, we deliver a hydrodynamic study that covers:
- Hull and propulsion system performance
- Operating profile, machinery insights, and onboard sea trial data integration
This allows shipowners to assess potential upgrades, like retrofitting a bulbous bow or optimizing trim, and evaluate ROI with clarity. Delivered with technical precision and a focus on cost-effectiveness, the Express Analysis helps merchant marine vessels from LPG carriers to bulk freighters unlock measurable savings and performance improvements.
For shipowners facing CII rating pressure or upcoming EEXI compliance deadlines, the Express Analysis provides the technical foundation needed to prioritize retrofit investments and demonstrate a credible efficiency improvement pathway to classification societies and charterers.
Our client roster includes Avance Gas, Exmar Shipping, Hammonia Reederei, APL, ZIM, Columbia Shipmanagement, among others, proof that our efficiency solutions drive real results across the full spectrum of merchant ship design and in-service optimization.
