Shipping major Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Japan Marine United (JMU) have signed a contract for a next‑generation crude oil tanker due for delivery this month that embeds a validated method for estimating and guaranteeing propulsion performance in real ocean conditions. The deal incorporates an actual sea performance guarantee clause – a step beyond conventional calm‑sea speed guarantees – and includes an incentive mechanism that shares benefits between owner and yard based on achievement levels. The partners began collaborating in September 2020 to develop technical, objective methods to estimate how a hull will perform in realistic weather and routing. The pair were the first to include an actual‑sea guarantee in prior contracts for two tankers and say joint verification showed minimal differences between pre‑agreed guaranteed speed/power curves for actual seas and measured outcomes. For the new tanker, NYK and JMU will conduct joint verification during the first operational year to validate the guaranteed curve and refine models for future designs. Shipping’s traditional guaranteed‑speed regime is based on calm‑sea trials that often fail to reflect real operational drag, routing and weather. By moving guarantees into the actual‑sea domain, NYK and JMU are shifting risk and reward toward measured operational outcomes – driving design choices that prioritise in‑service efficiency, enabling fairer commercial accountability, and accelerating verifiable fuel and greenhouse‑gas reductions. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsJapan