The Top 10 Costs for Shipowners (And How to Save Big)

What pushes fuel cost up

• Sailing fast against weather or currents; suboptimal routing and waiting at anchor.
• Hull/prop fouling and off-design engine operation (poor trim, draft, or RPM regimes).
• Buying the wrong grade/port timing; weak RFQ coverage; no mass flow verification.

Proven ways to burn less

• Weather/routing with speed-by-leg targets (slow where it pays, arrive-just-in-time at pilot).
• Clean hull/prop regime (intervals based on speed loss KPI, not fixed calendar).
• Engine tuning: load curves, O2 excess checks, and aux engine load sharing in port.
• Trim/ballast optimization tools; verify against noon data, not just model output.

Pay less per ton

• Quote multiple hubs and dates; avoid short-stem premiums by lengthening lead time.
• Right-size stems (tank heel + safety) to skip partial-delivery fees and minimize barge minimums.
• Use mass flow meters where possible; reject questionable density/temperature assumptions.
• Keep credit clean; better terms widen supplier options and reduce price padding.

Lose less to quality/quantity

• Capture before/after barge and ship tank temps; reconcile density at observed temperature.
• Witness sampling; retain MARPOL-compliant samples and get supplier seals on the spot.
• Log injectors/fuel pump issues post-stem; file timely claims with lab data if specs fail.

Fuel savings estimator

Estimate annual savings from operations and procurement improvements.

Ops saving reduces tons burned; procurement discount reduces $/t on the remaining volume.

Additional Savings

In select hubs and grades, Susa can arrange negotiated discounts or incentives with fuel suppliers. Terms vary by port, supplier, and volume profile. If you plan stems on a recurring lane, share your schedule to check availability and expected basis-point improvement.

What pushes crew cost up

• High turnover and short-notice reliefs that trigger premium agency fees and extra travel.
• Inefficient rotations (off-cycle changes, poor port selection) increasing airfare, hotels, visas, and launch boats.
• Overtime leakage from understaffing or avoidable admin tasks done onboard versus ashore.

Proven ways to cut crew OPEX

• Rotate at low-cost, well-connected hubs; avoid weekend/peak-fare switches where possible.
• Lock a preferred-agency panel with service-level KPIs (lead time, relief pool depth, documentation accuracy).
• Trim overtime: shift non-safety paperwork ashore; standardize checklists and e-forms to reduce admin time.
• Invest in retention: predictable rotations, comms packages, and targeted training to cut churn-driven costs.

Crew cost savings estimator

Estimate annual savings from agency discounts, travel optimization, lower overtime, and reduced turnover.

Assumes agency % applies to agency-managed portion of budget; overtime/turnover inputs reflect expected reduction against current levels.

Additional Savings

Susa members can access crew-management offers from selected partners.

• Companies like Ycrewing provide a 10% member discount on eligible services for Susa members.
• Susa can also seek additional route- and fleet-specific discounts based on your trading pattern and relief cadence.

To check availability and terms, share your crew-change schedule and preferred hubs via Susa.

What pushes cost up

• Reactive maintenance and emergency callouts that bypass competitive quotes.
• Fragmented purchasing across ports with inconsistent specs and pack sizes.
• Last-mile launch runs, weekend surcharges, and small-lot deliveries.

Proven ways to save

• Convert common spares and consumables to standardized, coded SKUs with approved alternates.
• Bundle into kit SKUs (lifeboat, mooring, filter sets) to cut pick lines and launch trips.
• Rotate preventive tasks by condition (hours, vibration, oil analysis) rather than fixed dates.
• Align orders 48–72 hours pre-ETA and target one delivery window per call.

Annual savings estimator

Estimate savings from procurement, preventive maintenance, and lube optimization.

Model: procurement % applies to full basket; preventive % applies to repair/consumable subset; lube % applies only to lube share.

Additional savings

Susa members can access offers from ship suppliers with typical savings in the 5–20% range on selected repairs, spares, and lubricants. The team can also look for additional discounts based on your routes and recurring needs. To check availability and terms, visit Susa.

What pushes cost up

• Scope creep from late findings and change orders once the vessel is on blocks.
• Idle time at the yard due to missing spares, coatings, or class inspector scheduling.
• Premiums for peak-season slots and overtime shift work.

Proven ways to save

• Lock the slot early and pre-approve alternates for coatings and steel to avoid procurement delays.
• Freeze a baseline scope with unit rates for change orders and a daily liquidated damages clause for late completion.
• Stage class and statutory inspections across the schedule so blocks are not waiting on inspectors.
• Pre-kitting spares and rental tools, and confirm vendor shore passes one week in advance.

Dry-dock reserve planner

Estimate a yearly reserve and the effect of scope discipline and vendor discounts.

Model: total = baseline × (1 + creep) × (1 − discount). Annual reserve spreads total over cycle years.

Additional savings

Susa members can access savings of 5–10% with providers like ShipTech Drydock in Dubai and other survey, repair, and dry-docking services. The team can also pursue custom discounts based on your route plan and yard preferences. Availability varies by yard and season. Learn more at shipuniverse.com/susa.

What pushes cost up

• Poor loss ratio from frequent small claims or a single large casualty on H&M or P&I.
• Trading in listed war or high-risk areas that attract surcharges and additional conditions.
• Low deductibles that encourage notification of minor losses and drive admin and loadings.

Proven ways to save

• Increase deductibles and add an annual aggregate limit for small claims to improve loss ratio and negotiate lower rates.
• Switch war cover basis between annual and per-voyage depending on exposure and routing pattern.
• Share data on maintenance, navigational audits, and crew training to unlock loss-prevention credits.
• Run a broker-led marketing of the program every two to three years to test capacity and terms.

Premium impact estimator

Illustrative model of annual premium change from deductible, loss ratio and war-risk routing.

Model: premium change = current × [deductible factor + loss ratio factor] plus avoided war-risk surcharges. Adjust to your market feedback.

Additional savings

Capture loss-prevention credits by documenting navigational audits, machinery maintenance KPIs, cyber readiness and crew training results. Present a clean claims file with root-cause actions, align trading warranties with actual routes, and benchmark terms with a structured market exercise every renewal cycle.

• Consider a higher deductible with an aggregate cap to keep small claims off the record.
• Evaluate annual versus per-voyage war cover depending on exposure days and routing constraints.
• Keep sanctions, trading area and lay-up warranties aligned with charterparty and operational plans.

What pushes cost up

• After-hours pilotage, weekend terminal work, and short-notice services that trigger overtime surcharges.
• Multiple launch runs and fragmented deliveries instead of a single coordinated window.
• Paying tariff high-water marks when volume or window incentives are available.

Proven ways to save

• Book pilot/tug windows inside normal hours; shift NOR to avoid overtime bands where practicable.
• Consolidate chandlery, spares, and documentation into one launch run per call.
• Check terminal tariffs for volume or window incentives; request published rebates where criteria are met.
• Plan waste, freshwater, and OPS shore power in advance; avoid ad-hoc, premium-priced services.

Port-call savings calculator

Estimate annual savings from avoiding overtime and reducing launch/delivery extras.

Base spend is shown for context; savings are calculated from the avoidable extras you enter.

Additional savings

Ask agents for the current tariff and any published rebates tied to window selection, call frequency, cargo volume, or OPS usage. Align laytime and terminal working hours to avoid weekend bands. Where terminals offer shore-power credits or waste rebates for pre-booked services, schedule them before arrival and keep proof for audit.

• Pre-book pilots, tugs, linesmen with a single ETA window; confirm 24h prior to stay inside normal hours.
• Combine spares/chandlery/documentation into one launch manifest; add a “one-drop” rule to port-call SOP.
• Track avoidable extras per call (overtime, launches, extra deliveries) and review quarterly with agents.

What pushes cost up

• Peak-season congestion and late bookings that force premium auction slots or waiting at anchor.
• Suboptimal canal category: wrong SCNT/PC/UMS declaration, ballast/loaded mismatch, or unnecessary tugs/assistants.
• Choosing canal when Cape/Magellan saves total cost given fuel, hire, and schedule slack.

Proven ways to save

• Lock booking windows early; if risk of delay is high, compare auction premium to time-charter equivalent lost at anchor.
• Validate measurement certificates and load condition; avoid upsizing category or mandatory tugs by adjusting draft/ballast.
• Run a full-route comparison: canal tolls + convoy fees + waiting versus alternate days × (hire + fuel/day).

Canal vs alternate route calculator

Compare going via canal (Suez/Panama) versus an alternate route (e.g., Cape of Good Hope or Strait of Magellan).

Model: canal cost = tolls + (waiting + sea days) × (hire + fuel/day). Alternate = alt sea days × (hire + fuel/day). Positive “Savings” means alternate is cheaper.

Additional savings

Keep a live playbook by trade: typical waiting, draft restrictions, and slot lead times. For time-sensitive voyages, pre-clear documentation and check if a partial ballast leg lowers category or avoids assist tugs. If schedule slack exists and weather is favorable, re-run the Cape/Magellan option before fixing.

• Validate canal net tonnage/UMS certificates and declared condition; avoid higher categories and unnecessary towage.
• Use booking windows that line up with convoy cycles; compare auction premiums to hire-at-anchor.
• Refresh the comparison if fuel price or hire shifts by >10%; route economics can flip quickly.

What pushes cost up

• High EU scope share: 100% intra-EU and at-berth emissions; 50% for extra-EU legs counted on the EU side.
• FuelEU shortfall against annual GHG intensity target when clean energy is limited on route or at berth.
• Late verifier engagement, weak data lineage, and missing chain-of-custody for alternative fuels.

Proven ways to save

• Use an allowance pass-through clause with clear timelines for funding or EUA transfer before surrender dates.
• Tag scope correctly per voyage and berth; audit noon data, AIS, fuel logs and bunkering records against scope logic.
• Prioritize clean-energy levers with the best €/tCO₂e and €/GJ impact: speed optimization, OPS at berth, certified bio/RFNBO where available.
• Engage a recognized verifier early; align Monitoring Plan and data trail with current Implementing Acts and THETIS fields.

ETS & FuelEU cost calculator

Illustrative model to gauge annual EU ETS allowance needs and potential FuelEU shortfall cost. Adjust inputs to your fleet and routes.

Illustrative only. Use your verifier-approved scope and current EUA/penalty references. Phase-in and formulas vary by year and regulation.

Additional savings

Build a quarterly compliance playbook: allowance strategy, voyage scope checks, OPS readiness at EU berths, and a prioritized list of low-cost GHG actions per ship. Keep chain-of-custody for any bio or RFNBO purchases and reconcile to voyages. Lock a verifier slot early and rehearse the data trail before year-end to avoid corrections and penalties.

• Use OPS where available and document kWh to reduce at-berth emissions and FuelEU intensity.
• Add a charterparty clause that aligns ETS cash timing and data sharing with surrender dates.
• Track €/tCO₂e and €/GJ for each measure; reallocate budget to the best payback levers first.

What pushes cost up

• High floating-rate exposure (SOFR/EURIBOR) without caps or swaps during rising cycles.
• Short tenors and steep amortization that pull cash out during weak freight markets.
• Tight covenants that force prepayments or expensive waivers when earnings dip.

Proven ways to save

• Rebalance floating/fixed with swaps or caps; set strike levels where cash breakeven stays inside forecast TCEs.
• Refit amortization to market cycles: sculpt to dockings or push to back-end if LTV allows.
• Shop lenders and export-credit lines; compare headline margin plus fees, prepayment penalties, and flexibility.
• Align covenant definitions (EBITDA, vessel valuations, DSCR) with actual reporting and appraisal cadence.

Debt service & refinancing calculator

Estimate annual cash out by structure and see impact of rate hedging or tenor changes.

Illustrative only. Assumes simple split between fixed and floating notional; sculpted amortization reduces principal in years 1–2, made up later.

Additional savings

Build a lender pack that mirrors listed peers: audited KPIs, utilization, TCE by segment, and forward coverage. Time refinancings to valuation highs to widen loan-to-value headroom. Where cash is tight, negotiate covenant definitions, add cure rights, or use reserve-based facilities against time-charter streams.

• Compare swap versus cap: caps keep upside in falling-rate cycles for a smaller upfront premium.
• Match debt profile to yard cycles and surveys so heavy cash years don’t collide with principal spikes.
• Track all-in cost: margin + reference + fees + breakage; a lower margin can lose to tighter prepay terms.

What pushes cost up

• Warm, high-nutrient waters and long idle periods that accelerate biofouling and raise delivered power for the same speed.
• Aging or mismatched coatings that lose smoothness and biocidal performance before the next dry-dock.
• Delayed propeller polishing that leaves roughness and cavitation losses unchecked.

Proven ways to save

• Trigger in-water cleaning on a speed loss threshold rather than fixed months. Use noon data and AIS speed-power curves to confirm.
• Match coating to trade intensity and idle risk. Consider premium foul-release where layups or warm loops are common.
• Polish propellers on a measured roughness or power-at-speed trigger, not only at dry-dock.
• Avoid cleaning in sensitive areas without capture systems. Check local rules to prevent delays and fines.

Fouling drag and cleaning ROI

Estimate fuel cost from speed loss and the payback of cleaning and prop polishing.

Model: speed loss raises power roughly with a cubic relationship; this simple tool approximates by applying the loss to daily fuel use. Adjust to your fleet curves.

Additional savings

Susa members can access 4–10% savings with select partners for in-water hull cleaning, coatings, and propeller polishing. The team can also pursue custom discounts based on your routes, idle risk, and yard preferences. Check current availability and ports at shipuniverse.com/susa.