FASTROUTE
Proprietary route optimisation software that maximises fuel savings from FastRig installations across any global shipping route whilst meeting arrival times. Developed through five years of academic research, it combines artificial intelligence with high-performance computing to deliver predictions, helping operators quantify the value of wind assistance and maximise performance.
Find out how much you could save
Use tool below by simply selecting your desired route, ship type, number of FastRigs and ship speed and FastRoute will calculate your expected fuel savings. Toggle the weather routing selection to see optimised weather routes and to understand the additional fuel-saving benefits of combining FastRigs with weather routing software. You can also browse through our graphs to easily observe fuel savings at a range of ship speeds on each route.
Note that our FastRoute software works better on desktop.
How does it work?
FastRoute calculates robust fuel-saving estimates using a scientifically verified four-step method:
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FastRoute integrates FastRig performance data from Humphrey’s Yacht Design (HYD). The data uses aerodynamic modelling to estimate how much power FastRig sails produce in any given wind condition.
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FastRoute calculates the fuel savings from FastRigs on the shortest distance route between two ports, also known as the great circle route. To achieve this, the software combines the sail data with the environmental data at many waypoints along the route to calculate the fuel consumed by a ship with and without FastRigs. The difference between these two ships represents the savings from FastRigs.
The software also uses artificial intelligence algorithms to calculate weather routing, which represents an optimised weather route. This allows the ship to alter its route and speed to search for beneficial weather, increasing power from the sails.
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The software uses global wind data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (EWCMF), alongside ocean current data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The data is historical hindcast data between 2018 and 2023, describing conditions that occurred in the past.
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FastRoute investigates three ships: a Handymax, Panamax and Capesize.
The software performs historical simulations for each ship, calculating fuel savings from 52 departures across multiple years at ship speeds between 9 and 13 knots. This approach results in over 1,000 simulations per ship type for each route, requiring high-performance computing to process millions of calculations. By running such large volumes of simulations, FastRoute enhances statistical certainty, ensuring that our historical analyses reliably predict future performance.
By combining these four steps, FastRoute delivers accurate predictions of FastRigs on any route, offering customers confidence in the fuel savings from wind.