HAMBURG based Rickmers Group, which operates 120 containerships, multipurpose vessels, ro/ro and bulk carriers, has announced that it is installing the EMMA Energy Management system to deliver greater fuel efficiency on their ships.

The first of five ships to be equipped with the EMMA energy management system will be the 30,000 dwt multipurpose geared vessel, the Rickmers Singapore, which operates on Rickmers-Linie's Pearl String round-the-world service.

The rest of the units to have the system installed will be the same class of ships, the Rickmers New Orleans, the Rickmers Jakarta, the Rickmers Antwerp and the the Rickmers Tokyo, all Marshall Islands flagged.

The installation of the system will be made ship by ship and the first system is to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2012. Five vessels are expected to be operating with the energy efficient management system.

Facing changing markets and increasing fuel prices, Rickmers said it expects energy management system to improve profitability and reduce the overall environmental footprint.

"Increasing energy efficiency means increasing profitability and reducing our carbon footprint at the same time," said Jens Lassen, managing director of Rickmers Shipmanagement.

"With current fuel prices, the estimated payback of the system is less than a year," said Mikko Lepist, responsible for Advisory Systems within ABB's Vessel Information and Control (VICO).